Change has become a constant disruption in the workplace. From rapidly evolving technology and AI adoption to shifting business priorities and organizational restructuring, employees are being asked to adapt more frequently than ever.
In OpenSesame’s webinar, Building the Change Resilience Muscle on Your Team, Maureen “Mo” Berkner Boyt explores why ongoing change takes such a toll on people and what organizations can do to help their teams adapt and lead through uncertainty.
The encouraging message at the center of the conversation was clear: Change resilience is not simply a personality trait that some people naturally possess. It is a set of skills that individuals and teams can develop and strengthen over time.
Meet Maureen Berkner Boyt and C2IQ
Maureen Berkner Boyt is an award-winning entrepreneur, Fortune 500 culture advisor, and the founder and CEO of C2IQ. She has spent her career using technology to create scalable, measurable learning experiences designed to make work function for everyone.
C2IQ represents the next evolution of that mission. Building on Maureen’s experience with The Moxie Exchange and Everyday Inclusion, C2IQ focuses on strengthening the skills employees need to remain resilient and collaborative amid constant change.
The company’s framework brings together two closely related areas: change resilience and human connection and collaboration. Through skills assessments and targeted development, C2IQ helps organizations identify where employees are thriving, where skill gaps exist, and where learning can have the greatest impact.
Rather than relying on assumptions or delivering the same training to everyone, organizations can use these insights to create more relevant learning strategies. As Maureen explained, “If you can measure it, you can actually figure out where you need to anchor, where you need to develop.”
Here are four key takeaways from the webinar.
1. Our brains naturally experience change as a threat
Resistance to change is not necessarily a sign that employees are unmotivated or unwilling to contribute. It can be a natural neurological response to uncertainty.
Much of daily life is spent in familiar routines, allowing the brain to conserve energy. When a process, role, tool, or expectation changes, the brain must work harder to understand what is happening and determine how to respond. As Maureen explained, “Our brain actually does not experience change as a business event or a life event. It sees it as a threat.”
When changes accumulate, employees may experience fatigue, anxiety, or difficulty thinking clearly. Understanding this response can help leaders approach employees with greater empathy. Instead of labeling someone as resistant, leaders can ask whether that person has the skills, support, and capacity needed to move through the change successfully.
2. Change management and change resilience are different
Change management typically focuses on the initiative itself: timelines, deliverables, responsibilities, communications, and implementation. These elements are essential, but they do not fully address the human experience of change.
Change resilience focuses on the individual. It asks whether employees possess the skills needed to stay flexible and forward-focused when circumstances are uncertain.
C2IQ identifies six change resilience skills:
- Emotional regulation
- Adaptability
- Problem-solving confidence
- Optimism
- Persistence
- Change literacy and agency
These skills help employees navigate disruption without losing momentum. They can also be learned, measured, and strengthened when they begin to fade.
As Maureen shared, “Change doesn’t have to be this difficult. I can get better at this. I can be change resilient.” That sense of agency can transform change from something that happens to employees into something they feel equipped to navigate.
3. Connection and collaboration are essential to resilience
Employees do not experience change in isolation. Their ability to adapt depends on how effectively they communicate, build trust, collaborate, and create a sense of belonging with others.
C2IQ’s framework includes six human connection and collaboration skills:
- Social warmth
- Empathy and listening
- Conversational engagement
- Psychological safety
- Inclusion awareness
- Inclusion in action
These skills are especially important when teams manage conflict or adapt to new ways of working.
Human connection is not simply a workplace benefit. Maureen explained that the brain views belonging as essential to survival. When people feel excluded or disconnected, it can intensify the stress they already experience during change.
Organizations must therefore prepare employees for both the operational and interpersonal sides of transformation. A strong implementation plan matters, but teams also need the skills to communicate openly, solve problems together, and maintain trust throughout the process.
4. Let the data determine where development begins
Although every organization can benefit from building change resilience, the most pressing skill gaps will vary across teams.
One department may need greater adaptability, while another may struggle with psychological safety or problem-solving confidence. Providing broad training without first identifying those differences can cause organizations to invest in skills employees already possess while overlooking the areas where support is needed most.
Maureen advised organizations to “let the data tell you where to start first.”
She also emphasized the importance of developing frontline managers. Employees often experience an organization through their immediate team, and frontline managers shape how workplace culture and organizational change show up in everyday interactions. When managers can regulate their emotions, build trust, communicate effectively, and help employees solve problems, the benefits can extend across the entire team.
Build the skills to move through change
Change may not be slowing down, but organizations can improve how their people experience it. By treating resilience, connection, and collaboration as developable skills, leaders can give employees greater confidence, control, and hope for navigating whatever comes next.
Watch the full Building the Change Resilience Muscle on Your Team webinar to hear Maureen’s insights, explore the neuroscience behind change, and learn how organizations can take a more human-centered approach to transformation.
Then, discover C2IQ courses in the OpenSesame catalog to help your workforce build the resilience and connection skills needed to adapt and thrive through change.
