In the coming years, the full onset of the Sixth Wave of Technological Innovation will not just be ushering in new roles — it will also be phasing out old ones. Entire departments are likely to be restructured, redefined, or rendered obsolete. As AI, automation, and hybrid work models reshape the business landscape, many organizations face an uncomfortable truth: People must transition — not just inside their company, but also out of it.

Yet while onboarding gets all the spotlight, offboarding remains the blind spot. For many, it’s still a dull checklist of access removals, asset retrievals, and rushed goodbyes. But in the coming years, offboarding will no longer be an afterthought — it will become a strategic imperative.

So, how can TIPS — Thinkergy’s Talent & Innovator Profiling System — help to make talent exits more humane, more insightful, and more constructive — for both the organization and the leaving talent? Let’s explore how.

The Case for Thoughtful Talent Offboarding in the Sixth Wave

In a world of AI, automation, and agile workforces, talent offboarding is no longer a one-way ticket. It’s a roundabout. A boomerang. A bridge.

We are living through a time of accelerated disruption driven by the unfolding Sixth Wave of technological innovation. Roles evolve faster than most companies can adapt, with some functions disappearing entirely, while others transform beyond recognition. In such a dynamic context, employees must be offboarded with dignity, not damage, ensuring they leave as ambassadors, not adversaries.

One critical reason for this is tacit knowledge — the 70% of know-how that isn’t formally documented. If leavers walk away without transferring this insight, organizations risk losing years of practical intelligence. Offboarding must, therefore, include intentional knowledge handover mechanisms.

Moreover, we operate in an era of radical transparency. In the face of Glassdoor, LinkedIn, and social media, a poorly handled exit doesn’t just hurt morale — it can go viral and damage the employer brand.

Equally important is the psychological contract. Sudden, transactional layoffs break trust and demoralize the survivors. In contrast, a graceful and human-centered exit process preserves a culture of mutual respect and shows that people matter, even on the way out.

Finally, talent flows are becoming fluid. Today’s leaver might return tomorrow — as a freelancer, a startup collaborator, or even a boomerang hire. That’s why companies must treat exit as part of a larger talent continuum — and not as a goodbye, but as a “see you again.”

Introducing TIPS into Talent Offboarding

TIPS is more than just a personality test. It’s a future-oriented cognitive profiling method created to fluidly navigate the dynamic complexities of the 21st-century talent landscape. Rather than boxing people into fixed traits, TIPS classifies individuals into one of 11 talent and innovator profiles based on their dominant base orientation (toward Theories, Ideas, People, or Systems) and on their preferred style to think, work, interact, and live.

Each profile in TIPS reveals a unique cognitive superpower, offering deep insight into where a person thrives — and just as importantly, how they might grow or transition when circumstances shift. Originally developed to help leaders better align talent with innovation, TIPS has evolved into a versatile people-centric tool used for hiring, teaming, talent development — and now and in the coming, for offboarding with empathy and strategic clarity.

By knowing someone’s TIPS profile, organizations can personalize exit conversations, suggest meaningful next steps, and connect departing talents with future roles, industries, or upskilling opportunities that align with their natural strengths. In a time of accelerating change, TIPS helps people and companies part ways with wisdom, not waste.

Using TIPS to Guide Transitions with Purpose 

TIPS brings a human-centered layer to the offboarding process — one that tailors the experience based on each person’s cognitive style, personality, and values. Rather than treating exits as one-size-fits-all events, TIPS allows you to exit with empathy and intelligence. So, how can TIPS add value to your offboarding practices?

1. Profile-Based Exit Mapping: Understand how different profiles prefer to offboard, say goodbye, and transfer knowledge.
2. Meaningful Closure: Tailor communication, rituals, and career support to match a person’s TIPS type.
3. Strategic Reflection: Invite leavers with Conceptualizer or Theorist profiles to offer systemic feedback or insights on trends.
4. Team Rebalancing: Use the TIPS profiles of remaining team members to reassign responsibilities and preserve flow.
   

How Different TIPS Profiles Prefer to Exit

While offboarding is often treated as a rigid checklist, a more mindful and human-centric approach begins with recognizing that different people need different things to exit well. Personality plays a role here—and so does cognitive style. TIPS allows us to anticipate how different talent profiles prefer to close a chapter in their career.

For example, a Partner will appreciate a heartfelt thank-you and a warm, people-focused sendoff, followed by an invitation to stay connected in the company’s alumni community. In contrast, a Technocrat expects a structured, rules-based exit with clear legal handovers and zero ambiguity. One size doesn’t fit all when it comes to goodbyes. The table below outlines how each TIPS profile type can exit with dignity, purpose, and alignment to their personal style.

The illustration below offers suggestions on what each TIPS profile — based on their personality and dominant cognitive style — typically values most in an offboarding situation (assuming any hard feelings have been put aside).

The TIPS-Enhanced Offboarding Framework

Consider structuring your strategic offboarding around five pillars —Risk & Compliance, Knowledge Transfer, Employee Experience, Employer Branding, and Ecosystem Continuity— and enriching each with insights from TIPS as shown in the chart below.

TIPS and the Role Evolution Ahead

As AI and other new (digital) technologies transform job descriptions and value creation models, it’s not just what people do that will change — but who stays relevant, and why.

In offboarding, this means we shouldn’t just ask: “Who do we need to let go?” We also must ask: “Who can we help evolve into a new role in the Sixth Wave economy? And how?”

TIPS allows you to spot the hidden potential of transitioning talent — and support them in discovering new directions aligned with their cognitive strengths.

A growing number of forward-thinking companies now establish internal reskilling academies or partner with educational platforms to offer offboarded employees access to upskilling programs. However, not all training paths suit everyone. This is where TIPS makes a critical difference. It helps match:

• The right learning path (content and format),
• With the right learner profile (based on cognitive style and talent base),
• To the right emerging role in the Sixth Wave economy.

By leveraging insights from other articles published earlier in this blog — such as:

• Unleashing your inner superpower (to identify core strengths),
• How to make the most of your assets (and limit your liabilities) (to navigate growth challenges),
• Upskilling Your Talents for the Sixth Wave (to match training with hot job clusters),

— organizations can personalize exit strategies that aren't dead ends, but launchpads.

For example, imagine a Partner being steered toward human-centered innovation roles in the experience economy. Or a Systematizer retrained for compliance roles in sustainable supply chains. Or a Conceptualizer guided into Sixth Wave-compatible business model innovation or foresight strategy. That’s not just offboarding — that’s career evolution with dignity, direction, and design.

Conclusion: Exit with Empathy. Transition with Intelligence.

Most companies obsess over hiring the “right fit.” But in the Sixth Wave, forward-thinking firms will also ask: “How do we release the right way?”

Use TIPS not just to bring the right people onto the bus, but also to let them off — respectfully, constructively, and with a path forward. A TIPS-powered offboarding process honors the past, unlocks insight for the present, and opens new doors for the future. Because in a world of disruption, every ending is just the beginning of another business and innovation journey.

• Curious where your future leads? Get TIPSed and discover your natural leadership style — and your next best-fit role in the evolving world of work. Take the TIPS online test f for just USD 88.88 and gain clarity on your cognitive strengths and career path.
• Want to learn how TIPS supports graceful exits and future-fit transitions? Dive into the TIPS booklet and visit the TIPS website to explore how our profiling method empowers both talent and HR leaders to navigate offboarding with dignity and foresight.
• Future-proof your people strategy. Book a TIPS Profiling Workshop for your organization — we’ll help you map out who might need to move on, who should be reskilled, and how to lead everyone through change with empathy and strategic clarity. Contact us to get started.
  

© Dr. Detlef Reis 2025.