Empowering people and organizations.

By design.

Welcome to Deeply Optimistic Ventures. My name is Dr. Geqigula (GQ) Dlamini. I’m an educator and public sector and innovation leader based in Sacramento, California.

Deeply Optimistic is home to some of my projects. Across the portfolio, you may notice I value optimism, leadership, innovation, and impact.

Project Portfolio

Transforming California State Government Through Research

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2x Changemakers Series Presentation on Generative AI

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Real Impact and Transformation.

I led the first documented participatory action research study that combined empowerment theory with the adoption of generative AI among U.S. state government employees.

My research showed that when team members become co-researchers, not just end users, AI adoption shifts from compliance to championship.

Empowered, Not Just Enabled | The Research Story

A Participatory Action Research Story

"I feel like a kid who just learned how to ride a bike."

— A co-researcher, reflecting at the study's final community of practice

What happens when you stop mandating technology and start trusting public servants to decide how AI fits their work? This study found out.

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The Evidence

One study sprint. Zero new budget. Numbers that speak for themselves.

Eleven state program staff volunteered as co-researchers—not subjects—and tested generative AI inside their real workflows, from a March 2025 baseline survey to an August 2025 follow-up.

0%

Felt More Empowered

in their roles after the study

0%

Positive Attitude

every co-researcher, post-study

0

Use Cases Tested

two per co-researcher, in real workflows

0%

Still Using AI

daily or weekly, three months later

$0

Additional Budget

existing tools, existing people

The Story

Three beats. One idea: empowerment, not just enablement.

Giving people access to a tool is enablement. Trusting them to decide what it's for—that's empowerment. The difference changed everything.

The Constraint

A $46.8 billion state deficit. Vacant positions eliminated. And over one million English learner students still counting on a program division to deliver. The math didn't work—until the question changed from "what can we buy?" to "what can our people do?"

The Choice

Instead of a top-down mandate, staff became co-researchers. They picked their own use cases, set their own success measures, and tested AI inside their real work—with an internal advisory workgroup providing guardrails. No one was told what AI was for. They decided.

The Change

People who had never touched AI became advocates teaching colleagues. One co-researcher who once spent "all day long" agonizing over leadership talking points drafted strong ones in 15–20 minutes—still reviewing and editing about a third of the output, because human judgment stayed in charge. Three months later, 78% were still using AI daily or weekly—and still sharing what they learned. That's not adoption. That's ownership.

Before

0% had formal AI training
33% had never used AI at all
"I thought it would be too complex to learn"
100% cited lack of AI knowledge as a key challenge

After

100% felt more prepared to use AI
78% using AI daily or weekly at 3 months
"I feel like a kid who just learned to ride a bike"
78% shared their learning with colleagues

In Their Words

The co-researchers said it best

Direct quotes from surveys and communities of practice.

"The barrier to my entry was really my imagination making it really difficult… this just got me going."

— Co-researcher, Final Community of Practice

"I never really thought about what I could do in my day-to-day tasks using AI."

— Co-researcher, Post-Study Survey

"It's hard to imagine all the possibilities of AI… but with the case use examples the team brought forward, it helped me imagine and brainstorm ways I could use it for my specific duties."

— Co-researcher, Post-Study Survey

Real Impact and Transformation.

I led the first documented participatory action research study that combined empowerment theory with the adoption of generative AI among U.S. state government employees.

My research showed that when workers become co-researchers, not just end-users, AI adoption transforms from compliance to championship.

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Project SETHEMBA, meaning ‘hope’ in Ndebele, focuses on individual and organizational empowerment, as well as strategic planning and development. The aim is to bridge the gap between aspiration and impact through effective resource management, strategic planning, and organizational development.