Change professionals are increasingly being asked to advise leaders through AI-enabled transformation before many leaders fully understand what they are asking people to adopt.

Sponsors are under pressure to move quickly, show value, manage risk, and lead employees through uncertainty. Yet many are struggling to explain what is changing, how work will be affected, and what people can trust.

Boston Consulting Group found that when leaders demonstrate strong support for artificial intelligence, the share of frontline employees who feel positive about generative artificial intelligence rises from 15% to 55% — clear evidence that leadership behavior directly shapes adoption.

In this timely webinar, Theresa Moulton will explore how change professionals can more confidently advise sponsors and senior leaders navigating AI enthusiasm, employee anxiety, unclear adoption expectations, governance concerns, and the human impact of intelligent technologies.

• Why AI transformation requires more than traditional change communication

• How to advise sponsors who are moving fast but may not yet understand the human impact
• What leaders need to communicate when employees are uncertain, skeptical, or fearful
• How trust, authenticity, and integrity shape AI adoption
• Practical ways to strengthen your role as an executive advisor in the intelligent era

Webinar Summary

Artificial intelligence is reshaping how organizations operate, make decisions, and approach transformation. As a result, the role of the change management professional is expanding beyond traditional implementation and adoption activities.

In this webinar, Theresa Moulton explores how change professionals can evolve into trusted advisors who help leaders navigate the human, cultural, and leadership challenges associated with AI-enabled transformation. She examines the growing need for advisors who can guide sponsors and executives through uncertainty, communication challenges, workforce concerns, and the changing relationship between people and technology.

The session highlights why leadership behavior has become a critical factor in AI adoption and outlines practical ways change professionals can help leaders build trust, demonstrate accountability, and create the conditions necessary for successful transformation.

Participants also received the Coalition Alliance Tool, a practical resource designed to help change professionals identify and strengthen the relationships and influence networks needed to support successful change initiatives.

Key Takeaways

1. The Change Professional’s Role Is Expanding

Organizations increasingly need change practitioners who can serve as strategic advisors to leaders, not just implementers of change plans. AI-enabled transformation requires guidance on leadership, culture, communication, and workforce readiness.

2. Leadership Behavior Drives Adoption

Employees watch how leaders engage with AI. Visible use of AI tools, open conversations about successes and failures, and thoughtful discussions about what should remain human can significantly influence adoption and trust.

3. Acknowledge Concerns Without Retreating From Change

AI transformation creates real uncertainty for employees. Leaders must acknowledge concerns about changing roles, job security, and identity while continuing to provide direction and support for the future.

4. Accountability Matters

Organizations should avoid creating cultures where AI becomes the scapegoat for poor outcomes. Leaders must remain accountable for decisions made using AI and model responsible use of technology.

5. Consistency Builds Trust

Employees look for alignment between what leaders say and what they do. Consistent messaging, behavior, and decision-making help create confidence during periods of significant change.

6. Coalition Building Remains Essential

Successful transformation depends on identifying and engaging the right stakeholders, influencers, and allies. The Coalition Alliance Tool provides a practical framework for strengthening the support networks needed to drive change.

Featured Resource

Coalition Alliance Tool

Download and use this tool to identify key allies, build stronger sponsorship networks, and increase alignment across stakeholders during organizational change initiatives.

Theresa Moulton is an executive organizational change management consultant, coach, and thought leader who has spent more than 30 years guiding leaders and organizations through complex, consequential transformation. Her client work spans financial services, higher education, manufacturing, entertainment, utilities, nonprofits, and government. Known for her ability to translate strategic complexity into clear, human-centered change, Theresa has led large-scale transformations from the inside, working at the executive level to build change leadership capability, coach senior leaders through high-stakes transitions, and design the internal structures — Change Management Functions and Change Centers of Excellence — that help organizations sustain transformation over time.

She founded and led Performance Change Initiatives, a boutique change management consulting firm and today serves as Founder, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Change Management Review™ — one of the profession’s most respected global platforms for research, education, and community. She hosts The Change Management Review Podcast™ and curates and designs the Change Management Review™ annual Lead Change™ conference, bringing together leading voices in change, leadership, and organizational transformation.

Theresa co-founded and co-developed the graduate-level Personal and Professional Coaching Certification program at Cambridge College and currently instructs Coaching and Consulting Skills for Change Management Professionals™ — now enhanced through her partnership with Pandatron.ai. She has delivered keynotes and guest lectures for organizations including the IBM Center for Business Value, Babson College, the Organization Design Forum, SHRM, NEHRA, NICSA, ACMP Global, CFO Magazine, and the International Coaching Federation.

She holds certifications in Personal and Professional Coaching, Prosci® Change Management (CMP), and APMG Agile Change, serves on the ACMP Global/ICF Global Joint Task Force, and contributed to the development of the ACMP Global Standard™. She holds an MBA from Babson College and a B.S. in Marketing and Finance from the University of Massachusetts.

As the field evolves, Theresa brings her consulting and coaching depth to the emerging intersection of AI and organizational change, creating frameworks, programs, and learning experiences that equip change leaders to navigate AI-enabled transformation with confidence and clarity.

Our goal is to help you stay ahead—strengthening your ability to lead change, adapt to emerging technologies, and deliver meaningful impact within your organization and beyond.