Adoption Arc
The three-phase transition through which an organisation grows into the AI-native operating rhythm: Scheduled Scaffolding (the rhythm runs on formal tiers because discipline is thin), Emerging Continuity (the sensing layer starts to outpace the scheduled tiers), and Continuous Culture (the rhythm has become the culture). Each phase earns the next; leaping to Phase 3 before the earlier phases have done their work reliably regresses to Phase 0. (Strategy as Infrastructure, Ch 15)
Why it matters
The adoption arc is the diagnostic that tells you where an organisation actually is in its transformation — separate from where leadership thinks it is. In early-phase deployments, the sensing layer produces thin, generic signal. As culture shifts, the same instruments produce richer, more strategically connected signal. The arc prevents premature claims of maturity and gives coaches and strategy leads a vocabulary for naming what they observe.
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