Barriers to AI Adoption

by | May 24, 2025 | Employee Experience, AI, Transformation Enablement

Barriers to AI Adoption:
Overcoming Work Friction in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

New Research Report

Despite 98% of companies experimenting with AI, only 26% successfully scale beyond proof-of-concept. Our groundbreaking research reveals why—and how to fix it.

 

The Hidden Friction Preventing AI Success

Organizations worldwide are struggling with a critical challenge: while AI technologies promise transformational value, most companies cannot move beyond initial experiments to capture meaningful returns. The problem isn’t the technology—it’s the work friction that prevents employees from effectively adopting AI in their daily work.

Work friction represents the energy employees must expend to overcome resistance that disrupts their pursuit of goals. When applied to AI adoption, this friction manifests across three critical dimensions:

  • Organizational Friction: Training gaps, unclear policies, and leadership challenges
  • Technological Friction: Integration problems, access barriers, and trust issues
  • Individual Friction: Skills gaps, habit formation challenges, and psychological barriers

Research Insights That Challenge Conventional Wisdom

Our comprehensive study of 1,113 professionals across five regions reveals surprising insights about AI adoption barriers:

 

The Training Crisis

47.5% of employees cite inadequate training as their primary barrier—making it the single biggest obstacle to AI adoption across all demographics.

The Trust Paradox

36.4% don’t trust AI results, creating a self-reinforcing cycle where lack of trust prevents the positive experiences needed to build trust.

The Productivity Connection

Organizations with high AI adoption barriers show 15+ percentage point gaps in employee productivity scores compared to friction-free environments.

Regional Reality

The DACH region shows 57% data privacy concerns vs. only 36% in Nordic countries—proving that one-size-fits-all AI strategies fail.

 

The Business Case for Friction Reduction

Organizations that successfully remove AI adoption friction achieve:

  • 50% higher revenue growth
  • 60% higher total shareholder returns
  • 40% higher returns on invested capital
  • 1.9x more patents filed
  • 1.4x better employee satisfaction

Source: BCG “Where’s the Value in AI” (2024)

Who Should Read This Research

  • Chief Executive Officers seeking to understand why AI investments aren’t delivering expected returns
  • Chief Human Resources Officers responsible for workforce transformation and employee experience
  • Chief Technology Officers struggling with AI adoption rates despite robust technical implementations
  • Chief Operating Officers looking to capture AI-driven productivity gains across business functions
  • Transformation Leaders tasked with scaling AI initiatives beyond pilot projects

 

What You’ll Discover

 

Chapter 1: The Work Friction Framework

 

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORKS AI ADOPTION

  • How work friction costs organizations $78.4M annually per 10,000 employees
  • The three dimensions of AI adoption friction
  • Why traditional change management approaches fail with AI

 

Chapter 2: The Business Value of Friction Reduction

 

BUSINESS CASE

  • Where 62% of AI value really comes from (hint: not support functions)
  • Productivity gains of 30-40% in high-friction removal functions
  • The innovation multiplier effect of reduced barriers

 

Chapter 3: Empirical Evidence from 1,113 Professionals

  • Detailed analysis across regions, functions, and hierarchical levels
  • Customer Effort Score correlations with productivity outcomes
  • Force field analysis of driving vs. restraining forces

 

Chapter 4: Implementation Framework

  • Four-step approach to diagnosing and removing friction
  • Targeted interventions for each friction dimension
  • Key performance indicators for measuring success

 

Services: Transform Your AI Adoption

Friction Measurement

Comprehensive AI Adoption Assessment

  • Employee survey across all organizational functions
  • Demographic analysis of barrier variations
  • Customer Effort Score benchmarking
  • Detailed friction mapping by work system

Friction Management

Targeted Intervention Design

  • Organizational barrier removal strategies
  • Technological friction reduction roadmaps
  • Individual adoption support programs
  • Change management and training optimization

Implementation Support

End-to-End Transformation Partnership

  • Executive coaching and change leadership
  • Cross-functional team facilitation
  • Progress monitoring and course correction
  • Sustainable adoption methodology

 

Download the Complete Research

Get immediate access to:

  • Full 50+ page research report
  • Executive summary and key findings
  • Implementation templates and frameworks
  • Regional and functional benchmark data

Plus exclusive access to:

  • AI Readiness Dashboard template
  • Force Field Analysis worksheet
  • Intervention prioritization matrix
  • Success measurement toolkit

Ready to remove the friction preventing your AI success?

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