The Habit of Change: How to Make Your Team Embrace AI
As a leader, you've made a significant investment in a powerful new AI tool, such as a platform to streamline data entry or automate customer service responses. However, you find that your team is still clinging to the old ways. This is a common struggle among forward-thinking leaders like yourself, and you’re not alone in asking:
“How can we get our team not just to tolerate AI, but to embrace it as a tool for growth?”
If that’s been on your mind, you’re in the right place. It makes sense you’d be asking. Leaders like you understand the strategic imperative of adopting AI—how it can boost productivity, streamline operations, and keep your organization ahead in a fast-changing world. But then reality sets in: people don’t always jump on board. Resistance shows up as hesitation, fear of job loss, overwhelm when learning new skills, or a lack of understanding what’s in it for them.
And you’re right—the challenge of adopting AI isn’t just a “skills gap.” It’s emotional. It’s behavioral.
The good news? There is a way forward that doesn’t involve pushing harder or issuing mandates that don’t stick. In this post, I’ll walk you through why resistance happens, how reframing the challenge as a behavioral design problem changes everything, and what it actually looks like to help your team sustainably embrace AI.
Why Resistance Isn’t Just About Skills
Let’s start with a bit of honesty: change is messy because people are messy.
You can roll out the most powerful AI platform on the market, but if employees still feel like the old way is safer, easier, or less stressful, they’ll cling to it.
Most change efforts focus on skills and procedures, but human behavior is often the weakest link in the system. Think of it like putting a treadmill in a room. Just because the treadmill is there doesn’t mean anyone’s going to hop on. You must make the act of using it feel natural, rewarding, and worthwhile.
From a positive psychology perspective, this "messiness" is rooted in our core beliefs, motivations, and goals. People's actions are driven by what they think, feel, and believe, not just by what they are told to do. Here are a few examples of how these internal factors drive resistance to new technology like AI:
Beliefs about threat vs. opportunity: If an employee believes AI will replace their job, their resistance isn't irrational—it's a form of self-preservation. Conversely, if they believe it will free them up for more creative work, they will be motivated to embrace it.
The desire for control: People have a natural need for autonomy and control over their work. A new AI system that feels like it’s taking away their decision-making power will be met with resistance, regardless of its efficiency.
Past experience: A team that has gone through a previous failed technology rollout will likely hold the belief that change is painful and not worth the effort. Their past experience informs their current behavior.
By understanding these deeper psychological drivers, you, as a leader, can see that resistance is not a personal failure on your team’s part but a natural reaction to a system that hasn’t been designed with these human factors in mind. Your role is crucial in addressing these issues and guiding your team through the change.
Actions You Can Take Today
Audit for Friction: Before implementing a new AI system, map out the existing process. Identify all the "friction points"—the places where people struggle, get frustrated, or revert to old habits. For instance, if your new AI tool requires too many clicks or fails to provide immediate rewards, your team will likely prefer the old, manual approach as more comfortable and less risky. You can only design a solution once you understand the behavioral problem.
Start with "Why?" Instead of focusing on the "what" (the new AI technology), focus on the "why" for your team. Use a simple, one-page brief to clearly explain how the new tool will improve their daily work—not just the bottom line. This helps them see the personal benefits, which directly address the "what's in it for me?" question.
Respect the Human Element: Every system is only as good as the people who use it. A 2023 study by Gartner revealed that only 32% of change initiatives succeed. One of the primary reasons? Failure to account for human emotions and habits. As a leader, it's essential to acknowledge your team's fears and frustrations openly, and you'll build trust and buy-in far more quickly than through any mandate. This empathetic approach is key to successful change management.
Reframing the Challenge: From Resistance to Behavioral Design
Reframing is where a shift in perspective makes all the difference.
Instead of asking, “Why are my employees resisting?” we can ask, “How might we design this change so the new behaviors feel natural and rewarding?”
That’s behavioral design. It’s about creating systems, nudges, and routines that guide people toward the behaviors you want—not by force, but by making the desired action the easiest and most rewarding choice.
And here’s the bigger picture: growth and resilience aren’t traits some teams just “have.” They’re learned skills. With the proper framework, your team can practice seeing change not as a threat, but as a tool for growth. That shift is where transformation really happens.
Start Reframing Now
Design for Default: Make the new, desired behavior the "path of least resistance." When implementing a new AI tool, design the system so the AI-powered workflow is the default option, requiring extra clicks and effort to revert to the old, manual method. Several studies have shown that people are more likely to take a desired action when it is the default option.
Break It Down: Big changes stick when they're broken into small, repeatable actions that become second nature. Instead of a single, massive training session on your new AI tool, introduce a new feature each week with a simple, quick tip in a dedicated Slack channel. This approach is rooted in the principles of positive psychology, where small, consistent wins build momentum and reinforce the new habit.
Make It Rewarding: Design the new AI process to provide immediate, positive feedback. When a team member successfully uses the AI to generate a report, have the system display a simple "Great job!" or a green checkmark. This small, visual cue can be a powerful psychological nudge, making the new process feel smoother and more satisfying than the old one.
My Approach: The Habit of Change Framework
Traditional change management often tries to “train” people into compliance. But I take a different path, one rooted in behavioral science.
Here are the principles that shape my framework:
Keep it Simple – If a new process feels confusing or cumbersome, people will abandon it. Simplicity builds adoption.
Think Habits First – Big changes stick when they’re broken into small, repeatable actions that become second nature.
Respect the Human Side – Real people, with real fears, habits, and emotions, are at the heart of every system. If solutions don’t work for them, they don’t work at all.
This framework isn’t just theory—it’s practical, human, and designed to make the “new way” the obvious, easier choice.
But What Does This Look Like in Practice?
That’s a fair question. The principles of behavioral design aren't just abstract concepts—they are a practical, human-centered framework for change. Here’s what it looks like to apply this approach to your AI adoption challenge:
Step 1: The Behavioral Audit. We map your current processes to uncover the specific friction points that keep new behaviors from sticking.
Step 2: Solution Design. We design behavioral solutions that make the new way the easier way.
Step 3: Implementation Partnership. We work side by side to embed these solutions into daily routines, ensuring that the habits take root.
This process transforms resistance into momentum. By respecting the human side, keeping things simple, and focusing on repeatable habits, leaders can create conditions where embracing change is the path of least resistance.
A Concrete Example: AI Adoption in Action
Let’s use AI as the example since that’s often where leaders struggle.
Before: A company invests in an AI tool to automate data entry. However, employees continue to do it manually because they’re concerned about errors or lack confidence in the new system.
During the Behavioral Audit: We discovered that the new AI system requires too many clicks and provides no immediate reward for using it. The old way, while slower, feels more comfortable and less risky.
After Solution Design: We simplify the workflow to remove unnecessary clicks. Then we add a small, immediate reward—a visual confirmation and positive feedback each time an employee uses the AI successfully. Suddenly, the new process feels smoother and more satisfying than the old one. Employees start using the tool not out of obligation, but because it feels better.
Implementation Partnership: We work side by side to embed these solutions into daily routines, ensuring the habits take root so the new way isn’t just adopted—it becomes the natural default.
That’s the power of behavioral design.
Why This Approach Works
What makes this process different is that it doesn’t treat resistance as a failure of people, but as a signal that the system wasn’t designed with human behavior in mind.
By respecting the human side, keeping things simple, and focusing on repeatable habits, leaders can turn resistance into momentum. Instead of forcing adoption, you create conditions where embracing change is the path of least resistance.
And in today’s world, where technology will only continue to evolve, teaching your team the habit of change might just be the most valuable skill of all.
Ready to Turn Resistance into Momentum?
Change doesn't have to feel like an uphill battle. By respecting the human side of your team, keeping things simple, and focusing on repeatable habits, you can create a culture where AI adoption becomes the natural default. In today's world, where technology will only continue to evolve, teaching your team the
habit of change might just be the most valuable skill of all.
If you're ready to explore how behavioral design can make embracing AI natural and sustainable for your team, let's talk. On a brief, 15-minute discovery call, we'll pinpoint the specific friction points holding your team back and outline a simple path forward. It's the first step toward making the new way feel not only better but easier.
Because the truth is, change doesn’t have to feel like an uphill battle. With the proper habits, it can become the most natural thing your team does.
