Embrace change: Three ideas to foster AI adoption in the workplace

Artificial intelligence (AI) is here to stay, big employer or small, like it or not. The challenge is getting managers to embrace a new way of working while still getting the job done. Here are some ideas based on the article, “AI Adoption Is Overloading Your Middle Managers” by Julia Shin and Sandra J. Sucher in the Harvard Business Review (June 26, 2026).

Block out training time

Just as you block out (or should) vacation time, make room for dedicated training time on the calendar. If you need to lower production quotas or work output goals while transitioning to AI, do so. Consider it a short-term investment for a longer-term gain.

Eliminate silos

We learn from other employees, including those in other departments and those junior employees in your department. So, institute weekly sessions where others share what they’ve learned in practice, not just the classroom. This could look like sharing effective prompts, building a centralized internal AI knowledge hub, and swapping governance practices. Collaborate more, compete less.

Bake AI deliverables into performance reviews

Tie performance reviews to how well teams document and share information on AI implementation as opposed to hoarding it.

Use performance reviews to change the mindset from seeing AI as a replacement for workers to seeing it as more of a useful tool. Evaluate them on how well they are using the new tool. Doing so encourages them to acknowledge using AI in their own work.