The framework

The Organizational
Adoption Profile

A framework for the human side of AI adoption.

Your AI rollout can be finished on the technical side while people still work the old way. The Organizational Adoption Profile shows what is happening underneath the usage numbers. It looks at five conditions that decide whether people change how they work with AI, so you can see where adoption gets stuck and what to change first.

Five conditions decide whether AI adoption takes hold

Licenses, training completion and usage are the easiest things to count. The Organizational Adoption Profile looks at the conditions underneath those numbers.

Adaptability MindsetWhether change reads as an opportunity or a threat.
LowPeople see AI as a threat to their competence and wait for it to fail.
StrongPeople treat AI as a tool they can shape, try out and improve.
Psychological SafetyWhether problems get raised or hidden.
LowPeople don't admit they don't know how to use the tools, so they don't learn.
StrongPeople feel safe enough to experiment, ask questions and be bad at something new.
Empowerment OrientationWhether adoption spreads or bottlenecks at leadership.
LowEmployees wait for instructions and treat AI as management's project.
StrongEmployees make AI part of their own workflow because they own the outcome.
Action StyleWhether teams test early or wait for proof.
LowTeams run pilot after pilot and wait for proof before they change anything.
StrongSmall experiments happen quickly, results get shared and useful practices spread.
Adoption CapacityWhether people have the time and energy to absorb something new.
LowTeams already run at full load, so AI becomes one more burden.
StrongPeople have enough time, attention and support to learn and change how they work.

How the framework is used

The five conditions are the basis for two services.

4+ weeks · Anonymous survey

AI Adoption Pulse Check

Your people answer an anonymous survey built around the five conditions. You get a picture across the organization, by team where numbers allow, and the three things to change first.

Interviews · Department-level findings

AI Adoption Diagnostic

Interviews add the reasons behind the numbers, department by department, with recommendations your leadership team can act on.

Checkbox Adoption whitepaper cover

The research behind
the framework

The Organizational Adoption Profile grew out of research into what gets in the way of AI adoption inside organizations.

For my whitepaper "Checkbox Adoption", I interviewed 14 leaders across 10 sectors and five countries to understand what sits underneath the adoption numbers. Five conditions came up again and again as the difference between people being exposed to AI and people changing how they work.

Questions before you book

What is the Organizational Adoption Profile?

A framework for the human and organizational conditions that decide whether AI adoption takes hold. It covers five conditions: Adaptability Mindset, Psychological Safety, Empowerment Orientation, Action Style and Adoption Capacity.

How is this different from traditional change management?

Traditional change management prepares people for a defined technology change with a start and an end. With AI, people meet new tools and new expectations continuously, often before an official rollout reaches them. In my interviews, people often waited for the official rollout and used AI through unofficial channels in the meantime. The Organizational Adoption Profile is built around that.

How long does it take?

A Pulse Check runs 4+ weeks. A Diagnostic is scoped to your organization after a first call.

If you want to start on your own first, begin here.

Three moves for getting a stalled AI rollout moving again, drawn from my work leading Microsoft 365 rollouts for 30,000+ users.

Get the free Field Guide

Find out what is blocking adoption

Let's look at what is happening underneath your AI usage numbers and which option fits your organization.

Book a call