Digital Transformation: Why New Technologies Still Need Legacy Minds

In the fast-paced, startup-accelerator-type world, youth is prized and age is often derided and disrespected because technology evolves so fast. However, with that rapid change, I am seeing a new kind of “senior moment,” where experienced employees are needed for their skills—whether it’s nuclear energy, mainframe computers, analog telecom systems or even mentorship.

In any career, there is an expectation for a level of proficiency in performing the job. And proficiency is constituted from competency and experience rather than academia or AI-generated summaries. Those over 40 years old were raised on the expectation of meeting and interviewing with employers in-person and may struggle to present their true value in virtual interviews and interactions. This could limit their opportunities even with a valuable skill set. And while digital transformation requires ongoing transformation, even upgrading older analog systems to newer digital ones presents risks that need to be addressed. Atul Gawande’s The Checklist Manifesto shows the benefits of experts writing down the small part of their experience and knowledge that can be written down. In Michigan ICUs, a checklist drove infection rates down by 66% within three months. The World Health Organization ran a simple surgical checklist through eight hospitals around the world and found it could “lower the incidence of surgery-related deaths and complications by one third” in major operations.

At my company, we hire young people right out of college to test analog equipment. Some have never seen or used a fax or a 56K modem—both of which are essential to the job at hand and our digital transformation technology. Dr. Laurence Ata found that 27% of survey respondents in a nuclear power station did not believe that they would be capable to respond adequately to a system fault, and one of the reasons noted was because they “would have to become familiar with the system first.” On the other hand, some people from older generations—while competent in these systems—may be more error prone while operating digital systems.

That’s why organizations need to consider at least the following when performing digital transformation internally or for their customers:

• Technological Transition: Don’t try to make an overnight switch. For example, traditional analog control systems are being modified into “hybrid” systems that combine both analog and digital controls.
• Human Interface With Technology: A multi-generational understanding of the human interface with technology is essential to better plan how different generations may interact with new and older technologies.
• Safety And Human Error: During a technological evolution, there is a risk of the loss of traditional knowledge, which could increase the likelihood of human error, compromise safety and increase deployment costs.
• Knowledge Transfer: It’s critical to implement programs that bridge the generational gap for when retirees leave and take decades of specialized experience with traditional analog systems with them. As Charlie Garcia put it in his July Substack post those who come out ahead will solve “the identical problem at all three heights: keeping knowledge alive inside people, and moving it between them before the people are gone.”
• Retention: Organizations should develop retention strategies to ensure that skilled individuals remain in the sector. Even if their primary job function no longer is applicable, they can offer coaching and mentorship, as well as relevant case studies from their experience.

For those companies still accustomed to operating analog systems, there is often a shrinking pool of talent specializing in legacy technologies, with more of them retiring every year.

We can see an example of the need for legacy expertise in the telecom world, where a copper landline replacement requires knowledge of the old and new. Implementing even a small change to an analog system involves physical alterations such as wiring, disconnections, connections and hardware validation. These small changes often result in adjustments to the human interface. However, with these digital upgrades, a once latent system becomes smarter. Additionally, with advances in AI, any user is able to understand these systems without having to rely on the original design manufacturer or take extensive trainings. Organizations should consider IT transitions, user interface, safety, knowledge transfer and skills retention when hiring. Like sources of energy, skills are valuable no matter where you find them—this could be a well-deserved career comeback opportunity for often neglected, ignored seniors on whose foundational achievements we have built the promise of today’s innovations.