MnCMN Change Summit - The Adoption Puzzle of AI: Fitting Together People and Technology (virtual)
MnCMN Change Summit - The Adoption Puzzle of AI: Fitting Together People and Technology (virtual)
Thursday, December 17, 2026 (4:30 PM - 6:30 PM) (CST)
Description
AI initiatives are moving fast, but many organizations are discovering that technology is rarely the hardest part. The real challenge lies in helping people adapt to new ways of working, navigating uncertainty, and building trust in the changes AI brings.
In this highly interactive session, you'll explore the human side of AI adoption and uncover the hidden barriers that can stall even the most well-funded transformation efforts. Drawing from identity research and real-world experiences at SAP and Boston Scientific, you'll learn how fear, shifting professional identities, and competing narratives influence adoption outcomes.
Designed specifically for change management professionals, this session goes beyond theory to provide a practical diagnostic framework you can apply immediately. You'll leave equipped to assess organizational readiness, identify resistance before it becomes a roadblock, and better connect executive vision with the day-to-day realities of employees experiencing change.
Whether you're supporting enterprise AI initiatives today or preparing for what's next, this session will help you confidently guide adoption efforts that put people at the center of transformation.
What You'll Take Away
- The Realization: You're Not Alone
Many of the challenges you're encountering, from employee hesitation to leadership misalignment, are common across organizations navigating AI-driven change. Gain reassurance that these adoption hurdles are not unique to your organization and learn how others are working through them. - Tools You Can Use Immediately
Leave with a practical diagnostic framework and conversation guide that you can apply right away to assess readiness, surface hidden concerns, and better understand what's driving adoption or resistance within your organization. - A Strengthened Ability to Lead AI Change
Build confidence in your approach by learning how to connect executive strategy with frontline experiences, enabling more effective communication, engagement, and adoption outcomes. - An Expanded Professional Network
Connect with fellow change practitioners who are facing many of the same AI adoption challenges. Exchange ideas, share lessons learned, and build relationships you can draw on long after the session ends. - More Value to Your Organization
Return to your team with actionable insights, practical questions, and a deeper understanding of how to help employees embrace AI-enabled change with greater confidence and clarity.
Speakers:
 Sayre Darling | Sayre Darling is a change and crisis-tested professional with more than 30 years of leadership experience across start-ups, mid-cap organizations, and Fortune 500 companies, specializing in helping leaders bridge the gap between strategy and execution. She has worked with more than 75 clients on large-scale organizational change, strategy execution, and crisis prevention, and is known for staying calm in chaos while helping leaders identify the disconnects that quietly derail performance. Sayre holds a BA in Journalism from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, an MBA in Business Communications from the University of St. Thomas, and ICF accreditation as a business coach from the Hudson Institute of Coaching, and has volunteered with organizations including AFCEA and the International Association of Business Communicators. |
 Joab Meyer | Joab Meyer is a change management professional with over a decade of experience leading enterprise technology and operational transformations across organizations, including Medtronic, Walmart, and Cargill. He is currently a senior specialist on the Change Enablement team at Boston Scientific where he supports the change strategy for a global quality transformation. Joab holds an MBA in Global Management and certifications in PROSCI, PMP, and ScrumMaster. He has proudly been a MNCMN member since 2015. |
 Robert Richardson | Robert Richardson works where frontier technology meets real-world application. He is an HR Tech Strategist at SAP, HR Tech Futurist for the LEHRN, and an advisor and investor to technology startups. He has advised hundreds of enterprises and dozens of startups on strategy. His current focus is AI at work, including agentic AI, enterprise trust layers, and emerging risks such as deepfakes and candidate fraud. His thesis holds every AI investment to a bottom-line test: increase revenue, reduce costs, or reduce risk. Anything else goes extinct. Robert speaks on these topics through keynotes, podcasts, and executive roundtables, including his current signature theme, Durable by Design in the Cambrian Age of AI. |
Images
| 4:30 – 5:00 p.m. | Check-in + Networking + Needs & Leads |
| 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. | Summit Event |
| 6:00 – 6:30 p.m. | Additional Networking & Discussion |
Change Summit
5