Industry 4.0 and the ongoing digitalization of the world of work go hand in hand with new demands on employee expertise. This is not just about immersing yourself in new concepts such as the smart factory, artificial intelligence or cybersecurity. The more profound change is that employees today are expected to be self-organized and permanently in learning mode. Added to this is the demand for meta-competencies: Actively questioning topics, facts and assumptions, reflecting on knowledge and experience and deriving process improvements from this. Some experienced employees feel unsettled or even overwhelmed by these changes. It is becoming increasingly important for companies to support all employees during the transition so that they do not slip into a state of permanent overload and resign internally - or even formally - driven by the frustration that arises.

A profound change

Today, experienced technicians and engineers are faced with a situation in which every university graduate seems to have more up-to-date technical expertise than they themselves possess. Their technical expertise - in demand and valued yesterday - no longer seems to be relevant overnight. For them, this means They have to "go back to school". This step is bigger than you might think: you have to leave a world in which you were done learning, often spent years pursuing a successful career and achieved the status of a subject matter expert. In the new world, there is no such thing as "finished learning", you have to keep learning and always remain curious, because knowledge seems to become outdated faster than you can absorb it. All of this means a major shift in values and values for those affected.

Successfully shaping change

Targeted measures can shape the change in skills in a positive and constructive way. The aim is not only to transfer employees from "old knowledge" to "new knowledge", but also to switch to a culture of continuous learning. This can succeed if companies find solutions for the following four aspects.

1. drive the changeover as a change project from the top level

Instead of placing the burden of change solely on the shoulders of employees, the transformation of knowledge and the switch to continuous learning must be anchored in the company as a change project. Only if it is a top management concern will the initiative receive the resources, visibility and direction it needs. If learning becomes part of the corporate culture, employees who engage in the learning process and share knowledge with others will be appreciated. If the company has a clear idea of the new core competencies, it is easier to integrate learning activities into an employee's performance profile and establish learning as part of the regular workload. As part of the change project, competence targets and a time frame can be defined, the requirements must be clearly communicated to employees and middle management must take responsibility for successful further training. In this way, the course can be set towards new technologies at all levels.

2. demand self-organization

Nevertheless, some of the responsibility remains with the employees. Without self-directed learning, trial and error and reflection, learning content cannot be anchored in practice. Often, however, experienced experts in particular are still up to their eyeballs in work. They prefer to invest the time available in the successful completion of ongoing projects - after all, recognition and perhaps even a bonus await them. Learning activities that seem annoying and unproductive are postponed or even neglected. The company must not let its employees off the hook here. It is important to agree on further training objectives and measures, to follow up on their progress in regular status meetings and to hold employees accountable for the timely acquisition of skills (keyword: change project schedule). Coaching can help to identify and mobilize employees' existing resources in the areas of self-organization and motivation to learn.

3. promote individual learning styles

While some find it easy to get to grips with new material for the sake of learning and new impulses, for others learning is simply a nuisance and has had negative connotations since their school days. In order to promote self-organization, it is worth offering various learning media and finding out individually how employees can acquire knowledge most quickly and sustainably. Some read through four books before getting down to practical implementation, others prefer to discuss with four tech gurus and still others watch four hours of video documentaries or prepare a forty-minute presentation for colleagues. Everyone finds their personal motivation to learn somewhere else. When it comes to transferring knowledge into practice, there are employees who like to jump in at the deep end and get stuck in. Others prefer to try out the new knowledge in a small pilot project, parallel to their existing work. The approaches can be as individual as your employees. Take the opportunity to awaken their inner drive to learn with a tailored training plan.

4. building bridges, with experience as a foundation

Even veteran experts become beginners when switching to a new specialist area. This can be demotivating - and represent a missed opportunity for companies. Because your new recruits still have valuable knowledge: An excellent insight into company processes, in-depth knowledge of the specialist background of your products and services and often an excellent network. In addition, there are meta-skills that your employees already use successfully and that they can easily transfer to the new specialist area, e.g. organizational skills, structural thinking, an analytical approach, experience in knowledge transfer, risk or cost assessments and much more. Have your employees consciously identify areas where their many years of experience and the skills they have gained will also give them an advantage in a new technology. Also consider shifting or expanding roles: why does an experienced software developer have to become an inexperienced UI developer when they can contribute more in quality assurance?

Establish continuous learning as a new value and embark on the journey together with your employees in a consciously designed process. Then even experienced employees will be willing to face the challenges of change and work with you to keep your company competitive.

The author:

Dr.-Ing. Karin Erni is an accredited coach with many years of management experience in the software sector and a broad understanding of management issues in the IT and engineering sector.