‘Everything Is Urgent, but Nothing Is Moving’: How Cognitive Overload Takes Hold at Work

This exclusive interview with Bukky Gray was conducted by Tabish Ali of the Motivational Speakers Agency.

Cognitive overload can leave teams trapped in repeated meetings, stalled decisions and a constant sense that everything is urgent. As pressure builds, judgement, trust and workplace performance begin to suffer.

Bukky Gray is an HR speaker, organisational psychologist and Co-Founder of Cognitive Humanity. She is also Director of Talent Management and Human Resources at the University of Cambridge Development and Alumni Relations and holds a master’s degree in Industrial and Organisational Psychology from Harvard University. Champions Speakers

In this exclusive interview with the Mental Health Speakers Agency, Bukky explains how cognitive overload appears at work, outlines the five capacities of a thriving workplace and shares how leaders can create greater clarity across their teams.

Q1. What are the signs of cognitive overload in the workplace?

Bukky Gray: “Cognitive overload comes on quietly. Nothing actually breaks, but nothing works as well as it should either. It shows up in small, almost forgettable moments at first.

“A meeting ends without a clear decision, so it gets carried over to the next meeting and then the next. We keep having the same conversation because no one has the cognitive headspace to fully process the issue, decide and move on.

“Someone asks the same question they asked last week because they have 10 competing priorities in their head.

“As overload increases, we start to lean on more processes. We bring in more templates, approvals and steps. On the surface, it looks like structure, but it is a signal that judgement is becoming harder to access.

“Small errors, missed details, duplicated effort and version mix-ups accumulate, and the system becomes strained. There is a persistent feeling that everything is urgent, yet nothing is moving as quickly as it should.

“High activity and low clarity are how cognitive overload tends to be experienced.”

Q2. What are the five capacities of a thriving workplace, and how do they affect performance?

Bukky Gray: “Through our research and what we have seen through Cognitive Humanity, we identified the underlying conditions that help people function and perform at work. They operate together, and when one is weak, it affects the others.

“Cognitive capacity is our ability to think clearly, prioritise and make good decisions.

“Emotional capacity is the ability to regulate, respond and sustain energy under pressure.

“Relational capacity is the quality of trust, communication and collaboration between people.

“Technical capacity is the ability to apply our skills effectively in real conditions.

“Moral and ethical capacity is our ability to make sound judgements, especially under constraint.

“Most organisations invest in technical capacity through training, systems, tools and capability frameworks. Where we fall short is cognitive capacity. There is now real recognition, particularly in the neuroscience field, around cognitive capacity. We are constantly overloaded and interrupted.

“Emotional capacity concerns our ability to sustain performance under pressure and manage unprocessed demands. Relational capacity concerns how we repair relationships when trust breaks down, and how we do that in a psychologically safe way.

“Moral and technical capacity can become compromised when there is pressure to produce something quickly. We become less thoughtful, creating an imbalance that affects workplace performance.

“Organisations must measure and use these five capacities. Technical capacity can only get us so far. We are working in a much more complex world that requires us to think differently.”

Q3. How can leaders reduce cognitive overload and improve workplace culture?

Bukky Gray: “If I had a magic wand, I would reduce cognitive load for leaders and their teams.

“One of the fastest ways to do this is by removing ambiguity from how decisions are made. It is easy to assume teams are struggling because of capability. Leaders should look deeper and identify what people are struggling with, especially when expectations are shifting.

“Ambiguity is usually the biggest driver of cognitive overload. Leaders need to be explicit about which decisions must be made. Not every discussion needs to stay open. Name the decision, identify who is working on it and move on.

“Define who owns the decision. People want everyone to contribute, but if nobody is clearly accountable, ownership remains unclear and decisions stall.

“Leaders also need to define what is good enough. We default to over-analysis because standards are undefined. Clarify the level of the decision, who makes it and what would be good enough so people can move forward with confidence.

“Google conducted research a few years ago into what makes a good manager, and one finding was the importance of providing clarity. From my time as a talent leader, I have seen that one of the most valuable things a leader can do is bring clarity to their team.

“When there is too much noise in the system, people do not know what to do. Providing clarity builds capacity within an organisation.”

Q4. What do you want leaders to learn from your speeches about workplace performance?

Bukky Gray: “What we are seeing in organisations is a human system failing under the pressure being placed on people.

“AI could be part of the solution. Automation could also play a role, alongside a human-centred approach to supporting people.

“I want leaders to leave with a shift in perspective. It is time to stop optimising for outcomes alone and strengthen the people who make performance possible.

“If we shift our thinking, performance, culture and results will follow.”