Archetype 01
The Reluctant Adopter
reluctant-adopterThe pattern
Waits, watches, trusts slowly. Not anti-technology — protective of the part of the job that is actually the job. Adopts when shown it won't make them worse at the thing they're good at.
How you spot them
- Uses the new tool for the easy cases, ignores it on the hard ones.
- Can name a specific time the tool got it wrong.
- Bristles at "adoption" metrics that don't measure quality.
- Will adopt fast once a trusted peer vouches for it.
What they need
Evidence it helps the hard cases, not just the easy ones. A metric that values judgement. Permission to switch it off when it's wrong.
Story hooks
- The metric rewards adoption; the job rewards judgement. They collide.
- A trusted colleague changes their mind faster than any training did.
Personas who fit
Asha Mehta — Tier-1 Support Adviser →
Archetype 02
The Shadow Builder
shadow-builderThe pattern
Quietly automates their own work, off the books. Capable, impatient, allergic to waiting for IT. Creates real value and real risk in the same move.
How you spot them
- Their work comes back faster than the tooling explains.
- "I just knocked something together" — that runs something important.
- Undocumented, in their head, on their laptop.
- Genuinely helpful; slightly defensive when asked how it works.
What they need
A safe way to surface and share what they built, without it being taken away or turned into a committee. Recognition, not a telling-off.
Story hooks
- The thing that saves the afternoon is the thing nobody else can fix.
- Bringing shadow work into the light without killing the instinct that made it.
Personas who fit
Tom Reilly — Logistics Planning Analyst →
Queued
Still to build
Archetype 03
Overwhelmed Lead
Archetype 04
Quiet Expert
Archetype 05
True Believer
Archetype 06
Caretaker