The AI Implementation Friction Field Study
A proposed field study of the operating, technical, economic, and organizational conditions that stop AI initiatives from moving from experimentation into reliable use.
- Proposed interviews
- 60
- Target sample for the initial field cycle
- Adoption stages
- 06
- From curiosity through monitored production use
- Barrier codes
- 12+1
- Twelve primary categories plus an open “other” code
- Quality-review target
- 10%
- Target share of interview records scheduled for protocol review
Central question
What the study is designed to answer
Where do established organizations lose confidence, momentum, or economic clarity when they try to move AI from an experiment into an accountable operating workflow?
- 01
Which failure modes appear before an AI initiative reaches production?
- 02
How do executive sponsors and day-to-day operators describe the same barrier differently?
- 03
Which workflows have measurable value but weak ownership, data, or integration readiness?
- 04
What evidence makes an AI-enabled workflow trustworthy enough for repeated use?
- 05
Which 90-day measures are meaningful to the leaders accountable for the investment?
Method
Planned evidence collection
- 01
Structured interviews with operators and functional leaders using a consistent research guide.
- 02
Separate research records, consent choices, and commercial follow-up permissions.
- 03
Participant-reported estimates labeled as reported rather than independently observed.
- 04
Adoption-stage and barrier coding with counts published alongside percentages.
- 05
Anonymized synthesis by default; identifiable examples require a separate written release.
Quality control
Checks before analysis
- 01
Observed interviewer calibration before fieldwork
- 02
Early-record review before additional interviews count toward the target
- 03
Independent coding of a shared sample and reconciliation of differences
- 04
Explicit confidence notes and evidence provenance on each research record
- 05
Published limitations, recruitment method, denominator, and missing-data treatment
Planned report
Outputs if the field cycle proceeds
01
Participant and method summary
02
Distribution of adoption stages
03
Barrier counts by operating context
04
Workflow categories with the highest reported friction
05
Operator trust conditions and 90-day success measures
06
Anonymized field observations and sample limitations
Related engagement