Champ-scan

Purpose Spot the people colleagues already trust and badge them as AI Champions.
Intervention type Network-based selection
Lead Change lead or HR analytics partner
Time 2 h data pull · 60 min scoring workshop

Expected outcomes

• Leaders: Data-backed list of high-reach influencers

• Managers: 10% role carve-out approved for every champion

• Org: 80 % of staff now have a champion inside their immediate network

What to bring to the session

• Org and People Data: Slack/Teams data export, MS Viva reach report, Org chart layer heat map

• Champion Role Card (Below)

Steps

1 | Map influence

Step 1: Spot your high-connectors
You’re looking for people who get mentioned often, answer questions, or are seen as go-to helpers. This step uses whatever digital trails you already have.

Where to look:

• Slack or Teams:

  • Export channel data (most-used public channels or team spaces).

  • Look at mentions, reactions, and thread replies.

  • Tools like MS Viva, Slack Analytics, or Worklytics can show who’s active and who people reply to most.

• Email or calendar metadata (optional):

  • Consider who gets looped in on collaborative threads or invites, but prioritise chat platforms where informal influence shows.

• Manual manager pulse check (fallback):

  • Ask 3–5 managers: “Who do people ask when they’re unsure about AI or tools?” Log those names.

What to do next:

• List your top 20-30 names based on mentions, responses, or visibility.

• Load those names into your Influence Scorecard or Miro grid (one sticky per person).

Step 3: Launch a 3-question poll (anonymous)

1. “Who do you ask first when you’re stuck?”

2. “Whose advice do you trust on new tools?”

3. “Who helped you last week?”

Leave it open 24 h. Aim for ≥ 50 % response rate.
Export results directly into the scorecard.

2 | Score influence

Step 4: Drop top 50 names onto a grid type Influence Map

• One sticky per name. Auto-fill Reach (interaction count).

Step 5: Score each on five factors (1-5)

Sum the five scores for a Total Champion Index. Highlight the top quartile.

If they score top for everything and 1 for AI-in-Role, seriously consider if they are the right choice. Or how you can grow their AI confidence before adding them to the AI Champions.

Step 6: Run the diversity checklist

• ≥ 40 % frontline / customer-facing

• ≥ 3 business units represented

• Junior, mid, senior levels represented

• Remote, hybrid and or shift workers included

• Gender balance roughly reflects org

• At least one champion per major region

Adjust if any box is red.

3 | Invite & confirm

Step 7: Send Champion Invite

• Email them direct

• Attach the Champion Role Card (10 % time commitment, demo kit, KPIs).

• Copy line-managers with the Manager Message Kit (“why this matters” bullets).

Step 8: Track replies

• Mark “YES”, “NO”, “Maybe” on the scorecard.

• Need replacements? Go to the next person on the list.

Step 9: Post the Influence Heatmap

• Export the map as a PNG.

• Share in #ai-champions and the exec channel.

• Add a short line for leaders to quote:

  “These are the trusted voices guiding our AI shift.”

Step 10: Log champion density

• Number of employees ÷ champions per unit.

• Monitor quarterly; aim for < 25 people per champion.

Resources

Champion Role Card

One-pager PDF / slide

• Purpose: “Be the trusted peer who turns AI ideas into real practice.”

• Time: ~10 % of weekly hours (≈ ½ day)

• Key actions

  1. Run one 15-min micro-demo each fortnight

  2. Collect 2 short success stories per month

  3. Feed blockers to the AI adoption squad

• Support you get

  • Starter demo kit

  • Monthly champion clinic

  • Exec shout-outs & mini-budget for experiments

• Success measures

  • 3+ demos run in first quarter

  • 50 % of your team tries at least one demo move

  • Story posted in #ai-wins every month

• Who to contact: Change lead | Slack @AI-Champ-Support

Manager Message Kit

Subject: Your team member has been nominated as an AI Champion

Key bullets for managers

• Why it matters

  • Champions shorten the “learn → use” gap and cut support tickets by up to 30%.

• Time ask

  • 10 % role carve-out (approx. half-day/week) for three months.

• What success looks like

  • More peer-led demos, faster AI uptake, documented time savings.

• Your role

  • Protect the time.

  • Cheer loud wins at stand-ups.

  • Share blockers with the adoption squad.

• FAQs

  1. Will outputs drop? Evidence shows productivity rises once champions start sharing quick wins.

  2. How is progress tracked? Influence Scorecard + monthly metrics slide.

  3. What if the workload spikes? We pause or rotate champions; just flag it.

Other methods within the capability block