GenAI Won’t Save You from a Wobbly Culture
By Sian Jones
There’s a lot of noise about how Generative AI is going to revolutionise the way we work. Admittedly, I’m one of the noisemakers. I’m a huge believer in its potential.
But here’s the bit that gets left out far too often:
If your team isn’t already in a good place, no amount of AI is going to fix that.
If your culture is low on trust, stretched thin on clarity, or full of unspoken tension, no amount of clever automation or artificially generated ideas are going to carry you to high performance. It might even make things worse.
Two frameworks have been helping me make sense of this.
Figure 1: Source Siân Jones @ Neu21
Figure 2: Source ‘Slacking off in comfort: A dual pathway for psychological safety climate’, Deng, Leung, Lam, Huang
One maps how teams use AI - ranging from the “Dead Zone” (low levels of human thinking, low AI use) to the “Genius Zone” (deep human thinking with high levels of AI use). The other explores team culture - especially the balance between psychological safety and accountability. The magic happens in the “Zone of Learning and Performance” where you have high levels of both.
Put them side by side, and you get a clear message: You can’t shortcut your way to Gen AI supported high performance.
Start Here: The Learning Zone
Before you start chasing innovation, speed or productivity through Gen AI, ask this: Is my team in the learning zone?
That top-right corner of the psychological safety matrix (figure 2) is gold. It’s where people feel safe enough to speak up, experiment, admit mistakes - and are also held to a clear standard of shared responsibility and impact.
This is the bedrock. No AI tool can replace it. But AI can amplify it.
When your team is in the learning zone:
People talk openly about what’s working and what’s not.
New tools spark curiosity, not panic.
There’s a balance of safety and stretch.
That’s when Gen AI becomes not just a tool, it becomes a creative partner.
What Happens When Your Culture’s Ready
Now we’re in the Genius Zone.
This is where thoughtful human thinking meets smart AI use and together, they fuel breakthrough ideas. But not because people were told to “use the tools.” It happens because the environment gave them permission to try.
It looks like:
A marketing team member with no technical background building a GPT-powered assistant to brainstorm campaigns faster.
A facilitator using AI to surface themes from sticky notes, then weaving their own insight into the final strategy.
A frontline team automating repetitive admin with AI because they felt safe to suggest it, and more importantly, trusted to give it a go.
These people don’t necessarily see themselves as “tech experts.” And that’s exactly the point.
The Genius Zone is not about having the fanciest tools or the flashiest innovation team. It’s about unlocking everyday ingenuity - giving people permission to think, build, and act differently.
And that only happens in cultures where people feel both supported and responsible.
Just in case I’ve not been clear enough, the genius zone won't exist without people operating in the learning zone. And I suspect, as time goes on, the reverse will be true as well.
What’s the Risk with the other Zones?
When your culture isn’t ready, AI can magnify the mess.
You might end up with something like the Automation Trap overlapping with the Zone of Complaint: people leaning heavily on AI, but without clear purpose or accountability the outputs generated lack direction. Work is fast, but directionless and rather than look to themselves, the tool gets blamed first.
Or maybe you’ve got people working hard, thinking deeply - but in a Zone of Wariness. They hesitate to try AI, afraid of getting it wrong, breaking strict policies, being judged or worse still, scared that AI might do it better (which could lead to unemployment). So, they stay in their lane, even when a better way is available.
Then there’s being stuck in the Dead Zone. Little curiosity. Little momentum. People either quietly resist or quietly check out. No AI tool can spark something that isn’t there. If it’s used at all, it’ll be to ensure that the bare minimum continues to be delivered, but it’ll be done on the down low, so there’s no risk of reprimand.
So, What Does this Mean for Leaders?
It means the first step isn’t rolling out the latest Gen AI tool. It’s getting your foundations right.
Is your team in the learning zone?
Do people feel safe enough to experiment and accountable enough to care?
Are you modelling curiosity, or control?
Because here’s the truth:
AI won’t save you from a wobbly culture, and a wobbly culture won't use AI effectively.
But a strong culture? That can help your team do extraordinary things, with Gen AI, and beyond.
That’s the real work of leadership now.