Companies are not stable systems, but the demand for constant adaptation carries a real human cost. Whether driven by internal ambition or external pressure, people are continually expected to change what they focus on and how they work. All the while operating within systems and structures that were designed for consistency and predictability. Over time, as the gap between new demand and existing design widens, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep up. In other words, friction begets fatigue.

Drawing on research from over two and a half thousand companies, Evan argues that sustainable adaptive change is not achieved by asking people to be endlessly resilient, but by redesigning the systems around them. This keynote explores how modern organizational design, through structures, governance, funding, and decision-making, can actively carry the burden of continuous change. And from this, enable organizations to move, evolve, and adapt without exhausting the people inside them.