AI Adoption Strategy, Part 2: Building a Culture of AI Enrollment

In Part 1, we talked about why AI adoption is a race to the top — about using AI to create value, not just cut costs. In this second part of the series, we shift from strategy to culture, exploring why enrollment, not compliance, determines whether AI truly takes root inside organizations.

Why Culture Determines AI Success

AI adoption often fails not because of poor technology, but because of poor culture. If employees see AI as a threat, they’ll resist. If they see it as an enabler, they’ll innovate. The difference comes down to enrollment: people choosing to join the journey instead of being forced along for the ride.

At Synergy, we’ve seen firsthand that the cultural side of AI is as important as the technical side. The organizations that thrive are those that create conditions where employees lean into the change, rather than avoid it.

Enrollment vs. Compliance

Compliance means employees do what they’re told, often reluctantly, and adoption stalls.

Enrollment means employees actively believe in the journey and contribute ideas for using AI.

Enrollment produces advocates who spread adoption across departments. Compliance creates hidden resistance and ultimately turns AI into a wasted investment. Leaders must frame AI as an opportunity to be part of shaping the future of the business, not as an obligation.

Consider, for example, two companies rolling out AI-driven intranets:

• Company A mandated its use without context. Employees logged in, but still relied on old manual methods. Adoption never took hold.

• Company B invited employees into design workshops, asked what problems AI could solve, and celebrated wins publicly. The intranet became the hub of daily work, embraced because people felt ownership.

Shaping Culture: “People Like Us Do Things Like This”

Culture is simply the set of shared norms that guide daily behavior. To make AI part of the culture, leaders need to align AI adoption with the way their teams already define themselves.

Practical ways to shape culture around AI:

• Language Matters: Talk about AI as a partner, not a threat.

• Storytelling: Share success stories of AI helping real people in the organization.

• Recognition: Reward those who take initiative and share their learning.

Culture is sticky — it outlasts leaders and tools. That’s why leaders must ensure AI is embedded into the everyday rhythm of “how we do things around here.”

Practical Ways to Foster Enrollment

• Pilot Teams: Create small, cross-functional groups to test AI tools and report back.

• Safe-to-Fail Sandboxes: Provide protected environments for experimentation.

• Celebrate Wins: Publicize stories of employees who used AI successfully.

• Leadership Modeling: Leaders should openly use AI in meetings, planning, and communication.

• Feedback Loops: Encourage employees to voice frustrations and ideas, then act on them.

When employees feel ownership, they will move from reluctant compliance to active participation, helping AI adoption take root at every level.

Case Examples: Resistance vs. Embrace

• Resistance: Organizations where AI was introduced with little context often faced mistrust. Tools sat idle, employees found workarounds, and leaders grew frustrated.

• Embrace: In contrast, we’ve seen clients who engaged employees early in the process turn skeptics into advocates. When staff saw AI saving them time, improving service consistency, or reducing repetitive work, adoption spread quickly.

These examples illustrate a key truth: AI adoption is not about technology rollout — it’s about cultural enrollment.

Enrollment as the Lasting Advantage

Leaders must design culture intentionally if AI adoption is going to succeed. Compliance is temporary; enrollment is durable. Building a culture where “people like us do things like this” is the foundation for AI that lasts.