Why Your Best Talent Knows More Than Your Systems, with David Warren

In this episode, Denise Chaffin sits down with David Warren, founder of Oomiyasa and former digital transformation leader at companies like Zara and Salesforce, to unpack one of the most overlooked challenges in modern organizations, the loss of tacit knowledge.David explains why companies have become good at documenting processes but struggle to capture judgment, experience, and decision-making insight, the kind of knowledge that lives in people’s heads and walks out the door when they leave. Together, Denise and David explore how this gap affects hiring, onboarding, retention, and time-to-proficiency, especially as companies navigate skills-based hiring, AI disruption, and shifting workforce models like contractors and fractional talent.The conversation dives into practical ways organizations can identify critical capabilities, interview for judgment instead of credentials, reduce ramp-up time for new hires and contractors, and build cultures that reward wisdom-sharing rather than hoarding expertise. David also introduces orchestration as a core future skill, the ability to coordinate people, systems, AI, and external partners in an increasingly complex workplace.This episode is essential listening for TA leaders, HR practitioners, and business leaders who want to future-proof their organizations without buying more software or chasing the latest trend.Key Episode Segments:1. Tacit knowledge is where real value livesWhat makes top performers successful is rarely documented. It’s how they think, read signals, and make decisions under uncertainty.2. Skills-based hiring requires better questions, not better resumesJudgment and capability are revealed through scenario-driven questions, not job titles or past employers.3. Time-to-proficiency matters as much as proficiency itselfOrganizations lose money when new hires and contractors spend months figuring out how things really work.4. Knowledge hoarding is often a trust issue, not a people issueEmployees withhold insight when they fear replacement or lack clarity on how their expertise will be valued.5. Orchestration is an emerging must-have capabilityThe future workforce will include humans, contractors, AI agents, and bots, and someone must coordinate it all.