I’ve been reflecting on how today’s resistance to AI feels different from the way we've historically resisted change.
Previously, we often associated change resistance with people who had been in the workplace for many years, or from those most directly affected by new technology or budget tightening. But where this resistance to AI exists, it feels broader, more complex, and more personal. Recent graduate walkouts and public pushback against AI as “the next industrial revolution” remind us that resistance is not always about capability or training; it can also be about uncertainty, identity, control and trust.
That is why two messages from Martin Jenkins’ recent thought-provoking presentation on Leading AI Transformation particularly resonated: “New Zealand is one of the most nervous populations in the world when it comes to AI” and “AI adoption is a leadership matter, not just a technology one.” These themes, alongside a recent HBR article, prompted this month’s Blog, exploring personality in terms of how people may experience the disruption of AI.
AI transformation is not the only tension organisations are navigating. As headcounts tighten and expectations grow, the temptation is often to double-down individually: heads down, shoulders loaded, and focus narrowed to what must be done next. But in moments of pressure, the real leadership opportunity is to unlock the collective capability of the team.
This quarter’s Webinar, Building Team Performance by Design, explores how leaders can intentionally shape team performance, harness productive friction, and create the conditions for greater shared impact. We’re especially pleased to be joined by Scott Ambridge, CEO of Enable New Zealand, who will share his reflections on the intentional development mahi his team has undertaken.
Thismonth’s Inspirations & Insights article, “Being the Pillar in a Moving World: Courage with Humanity,” offers a timely reflection on what leadership looks like when the ground beneath us is shifting. While we may be fortunate to operate at a distance from some of the acute, overt crises facing other parts of the world today, we are certainly not immune to the economic, technological, and societal ripples that follow. Aotearoa NZ and our region is inherently complex, dynamic, and diverse; leadership requires equal parts agility, stamina, and empathy. It reminds us that true courage isn't centralised at the top; it’s built daily through open communication, steadiness, and humanity.
As July comes to a close, the principles of Matariki offer a useful lens for the leadership challenges in front of us: acknowledging those who have shaped us, staying present to what our people need now, and making deliberate choices about the future we want to build.
Matariki Hunga Nui – Remembrance. Honouring those we have lost since the last rising of Matariki.
Matariki Ahunga Nui - Celebrating the Present. Gathering together to give thanks for what we have.
Matariki Manako Nui - Looking to the Future. Looking forward to the promise of a new year.
As well as sharing elements of our recent NZ L&D Leadership Summit presentation, we are privileged to host Scott Ambridge, CEO Enable NZ, who will share his experience and insights on building the executive team that supports his organisation to thrive.
Team friction is not always a problem; it can signal untapped insight. When understood through the lens of evidence-based frameworks team factors and dynamics can create tension, can be harnessed to instead enhance performance.
High-performing teams don’t eliminate difference, they integrate it. Cognitive and personality diversity become valuable when teams understand and use those differences intentionally.
Collective intelligence depends on the conditions teams create. Talent and effort are rarely the issue; performance is improved when the team built shared awareness, clearer expectations and better ways of working together.
The goal is productive friction, not harmony at all costs. When leaders help teams separate task conflict from relationship conflict, diverse perspectives lead to stronger decisions, better execution and less rework.
Why AI Resistance Is Personal: What the Big Five Can Teach Leaders About Adoption
By Rachael Stott
When people resist AI, it is tempting to assume they do not understand the tools, lack confidence, or simply need more training. Current research and narratives are pointing to something deeper. AI can threaten the way people see themselves at work: their expertise, status, judgement, influence and sense of purpose. Resistance is not always rational opposition to technology; sometimes it is a protective response to identity loss.
The ‘Big Five’ model of personality gives leaders a useful lens for understanding why the same AI rollout can produce very different reactions across team members. Openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and emotional stability do not determine whether someone will embrace or reject AI, but they can shape how people experience uncertainty, loss of control, and change.
Here are three key takeaways that really resonated:
Be the Pillar, Not the Miracle Worker: Courageous leadership isn't about having all the answers or making grand heroic gestures; it’s about being a stabilising force. When navigating ambiguity, prioritising transparency over certaintybuilds far more trust than waiting until every detail is nailed down. “Courageous leadership is being the pillar in a moving world.”
Courage Lives at Every Level: Psychological safety isn't just a buzzword; it’s the bedrock of distributed leadership. When we create environments where people feel safe to experiment, challenge and voice ideas, courage becomes an organisational capability. “Courage is not centralized at the top.”
Reframing the AI Narrative. Challenge the emerging narrative - that AI is a tool to automate away people or replace headcount. P&C and Leaders need to be the guide to support teams through change with humanity. Framing AI as an augmenting technology, focusing on reskilling, and building confidence, can shift the workplace mindset from defensiveness and anxiety to curiosity and empowerment. “Position AI as an assistant that amplifies human capability.”
The WBL Team
Exceptional Leadership. A Better Future.
Image credits: Unsplash (JinHui CHEN and Arnaud Mesureur)
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