2 min lesson
The maturity ladder: stage capabilities, not users
Respond to "What axis does the maturity ladder stage on and why is that better than staging on seat count?" Give the answer first and the evidence second.
Step 1 of 3
The most common adoption failure treats rollout as a headcount ramp: 'get 200 seats live.' Wrong axis. You stage capabilities by trust, not users by quantity. Each rung is a more autonomous way of working and you only climb when the org has earned the trust to hold the rung below.
Interactive diagram. Tab through its regions; each focused region shows its detail in the panel below.
diagram: capability-trust-ladder
Climb by trust, not by seat count - each rung is a more autonomous way of working, earned only once the org can hold the rung below. Lead with the top rung in a low-trust org and it reads as reckless.