Overcoming Organizational Culture Barriers to AI Adoption

Every CEO I know is trying to figure out AI. But here’s the real challenge—adoption takes time. Just getting Microsoft Copilot or ChatGPT Premium isn’t the solution. The biggest struggle? Mindset. You can’t apply the same approach to everyone, and shifting the way people work takes effort. Recently, Akshata Alornekar (HR Manager) and Lidya Fernandes (Assistant Finance Manager)—who have a combined 30 years at SJI visiting NYC as part of our company policy to bring employees into different offices, helping them understand our culture and way of working. But what happened? → Every conversation turned into an AI hackathon. Spending time with us, we focused on showing them how @Shahera and I actively use AI in our daily work, not just talking about it, but demonstrating its impact. Seeing this firsthand shifted their perspective. “Before coming here, we were seeing AI from a 60 degree angle. But watching how you and the NYC team use it , it’s a full 180 degree shift!” This is why exposure and experience drive AI adoption. But many companies struggle because they treat AI like a tech upgrade. It’s not. AI adoption is a behavioral shift. How Companies Can Drive AI Adoption Effectively: → Lead from the Front AI is Not Just an IT Project C-level executives need to actively use AI in their own workflows. If leadership treats AI as an “IT tool” instead of a core business function, adoption will stall. Employees follow what leaders do, not just what they say. → Make AI a Part of Daily Workflows, Not Extra Work Employees resist AI when they see it as something “extra.” The best way to drive adoption? Embed AI into existing tasks automate reports, summarize meetings, or assist in decision-making. AI should feel like a time-saver, not another tool to manage. → Create AI Champions Inside the Organization Identify team members who are curious about AI and empower them to guide others. These AI champions can test new use cases, train colleagues, and help build momentum. AI adoption is easier when it spreads peer-to-peer, not just top-down. → Focus on Habit-Building, Not Just Training One-off AI workshops don’t work. AI adoption happens when employees use it consistently. Introduce small, daily challenges to get them comfortable just like Akshata and Lidya experienced in NYC. Seeing AI in action changed their perspective. → Repeat, Repeat, Repeat! AI adoption isn’t a one-time rollout—it’s a continuous process. Companies that embed AI into their culture, not just their technology, will be the ones that thrive. The companies that embrace AI culturally, not just technologically, will win. Are you leading AI adoption the right way? What’s been your biggest challenge? Let’s discuss.

Winning AI Adoption—How Smart Leaders Make It Stick In my last post, I called out the biggest roadblocks to AI adoption: fear, the status quo stranglehold, and lack of quick wins. Now, let’s talk about what actually works—how the best leaders are getting AI adoption right. Here’s what I’ve seen move the needle: 1. Make AI Familiar Before You Make It Big One exec I worked with introduced AI without calling it AI. Instead, he embedded AI-powered tools into existing workflows—automating scheduling, summarizing reports—before making a major push. By the time AI became a formal strategy, employees were already using it. 🔹 Key takeaway: Small, seamless introductions reduce resistance. Make AI invisible before making it strategic. 2. Use a “Coalition of the Willing” AI adoption isn’t a one-leader show. You need a groundswell. Another leader I coached built a cross-functional AI task force—hand-picking open-minded employees from various teams. These early adopters became internal influencers, pulling skeptics along and proving AI’s value in real time. 🔹 Key takeaway: AI champions make AI contagious. Build a coalition, not just a case. 3. Tie AI to Personal Wins, Not Just Business Goals People don’t embrace change because it’s good for the company. They embrace it when it makes their own work easier. One leader I advised stopped pitching AI in broad business terms. Instead, he tailored the narrative: ✅ For sales? AI means faster deal insights. ✅ For finance? AI means cleaner forecasting. ✅ For HR? AI means better hiring matches. When employees saw how AI could make their specific job easier, adoption skyrocketed. 🔹 Key takeaway: Show how AI works for them—not just for the bottom line. The Leaders Who Win With AI Don’t Just Roll It Out—They Make It Irresistible. AI adoption isn’t about tech implementation. It’s about human behavior. The smartest leaders don’t just introduce AI—they shape the conditions for people to run with it. So, the real question isn’t “Is AI ready for your company?” It’s: Is your company ready for AI? Would love to hear from those leading AI adoption—what’s working for you?

Want to know the biggest barrier to AI success? Spoiler: it’s *not* technology… It’s culture. I've watched countless organizations roll out impressive AI tools only to see them gather digital dust. Why? Because they focused on the tech and forgot about the people. Here's the reality: Your employees aren't afraid of AI because it's complicated. They're afraid because they think it's coming for their jobs. 🔁 Change that narrative, and everything changes. 💟 Start with empathy, not efficiency. Lead with how AI will handle repetitive tasks to let your team focus on what they do best. 🧑💻 Make AI learning a team sport. Don't send people to AI training alone. Build small groups for employees to explore tools together, experiment, and support each other in their learning. 🏆 Celebrate human + AI wins publicly. When someone uses AI to solve a problem or accelerate their work, tell the story of how AI made them more capable – not more replaceable. 💬 Address the fear directly. Don't pretend people aren't worried. Acknowledge it. Then show them concrete examples of how AI creates new opportunities. The companies that figure this out won't just have better AI adoption. They'll have employees who see themselves as more valuable, not less. Because when people feel like AI is working with them instead of against them, magic happens.

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗔𝗜 𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆. 70-85% of AI projects fail to deliver value. But here's the thing: → Your algorithms work fine → Your data is clean   → Your APIs connect perfectly So why are you still stuck? 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆. The real blocker isn't your tech stack. It's your culture. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 3 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗜 𝗮𝗱𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 "If AI can do my job, what happens to me?" (Employees resist what they can't control) 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗲𝘇𝗲 You're asking them to implement tech that threatens their role (While still judging them by old metrics) 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 Your AI recommends preventative shutdowns Your managers get rewarded for uptime (Guess which one wins?) 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀: • Elevate people, don't eliminate them • Create safe-to-fail zones for experimentation   • Put domain experts in control of AI implementation • Align incentives with AI-enhanced productivity • Address career anxieties with concrete transition plans 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: - Technical advantages last weeks. - Cultural advantages last years. Your competitors can copy your algorithms. They can't copy your culture. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Building a chatbot or getting people to actually use it? Your answer says it all. I just published a deep dive on this in The AI Journal: "The Hidden Barrier to AI Success: Organizational Culture" It breaks down exactly how to build a culture that makes AI adoption inevitable (not just possible). 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲→ 𝗵𝘁𝘁𝗽𝘀://𝗮𝗶𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻.𝗰𝗼𝗺/𝘁𝗵𝗲-𝗵𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻-𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗿-𝘁𝗼-𝗮𝗶-𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀-𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹-𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲/ Want more insights on the human side of AI transformation? 🔔 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝗲 for weekly posts on AI + organizational psychology 📧 Join other informed leaders getting my "AI + Human Edge" newsletter for frameworks like this 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘈𝘐 𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯? 𝘛𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦? 𝘋𝘳𝘰𝘱 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘸 👇