Leaders rely on exchange meetings for adoption, and employees remain passive observers
Leaders expect exchange meetings to spread ChatGPT adoption across teams, yet employees continue using their existing habits after the meetings end. Because listening to other employees describe successful usage does not create the confidence or experience required for self-application, adoption concentrates among existing users, while others remain passive observers.
Leaders expect exposure to create adoption
Leaders organize exchange meetings to encourage employees to adopt ChatGPT after hearing how others use it successfully.
Through repeated exposure to successful examples, employees are expected to become motivated to apply ChatGPT on their own.
As more employees share experiences, leaders expect ChatGPT adoption to spread naturally across teams.
Employees observe usage without changing behavior
Leaders continue to rely on exchange meetings even though employees rarely change their work afterward.
During meetings, employees listen to successful examples but continue using their existing habits once the meeting ends.
Instead of spreading broadly, ChatGPT adoption remains concentrated among employees who already use it.
Listening does not create the experience required for adoption
Leaders rely on employees verbally describing their ChatGPT usage, even though practical application depends on direct experimentation.
Because employees do not test the shown approaches themselves, they lack the confidence to adapt them to their own situations.
As advanced users repeatedly present successful practices, less-experienced employees remain spectators rather than becoming active users themselves.
Leaders mistake participation for growing adoption
Leaders interpret active discussion in meetings as evidence that adoption is increasing across the organization.
Since the same employees repeatedly share experiences while others continue listening passively, participation creates the illusion of broader usage.
Over time, leaders overestimate adoption, employees remain divided between active and passive users, and ChatGPT’s capability becomes concentrated within a small group.
Note: We use the term “ChatGPT” as a shorthand for ChatGPT and similar tools such as Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, and custom GenAI chatbots.