Spot-on framing: it's an activation problem. But I'd dig deeper—'activation' ultimately means shifting identity. Your AI champions aren't just power users; they're role models who answer the implicit question teams are asking: 'What does it mean to be good at my job now?' Without champions visibly demonstrating that shift, even well-trained teams revert to old patterns.
This is the core truth most organizations miss: activation is the bottleneck, not capability. Your insight about power users and internal champions directly connects to role identity—these champions need psychological safety to experiment, permission to deviate from traditional workflows, and clarity on how AI reshapes their professional value. That's where adoption ROI actually comes from.
The shift from tools to activation is exactly what most teams are missing.
You can't buy your way into AI productivity with licenses alone. Someone has to activate it, show people why it matters, and solve for trust.
That's the gap between AI budgets and AI results.
Spot-on framing: it's an activation problem. But I'd dig deeper—'activation' ultimately means shifting identity. Your AI champions aren't just power users; they're role models who answer the implicit question teams are asking: 'What does it mean to be good at my job now?' Without champions visibly demonstrating that shift, even well-trained teams revert to old patterns.
This is the core truth most organizations miss: activation is the bottleneck, not capability. Your insight about power users and internal champions directly connects to role identity—these champions need psychological safety to experiment, permission to deviate from traditional workflows, and clarity on how AI reshapes their professional value. That's where adoption ROI actually comes from.
Activation is the right word.
You can give teams all the tools in the world, but if they don't know what to do with them, nothing happens.
My latest piece digs into this exact problem and what readiness actually looks like: https://vivander.substack.com/p/something-shifted-when-i-read-openais