As the global pandemic continues, the world of work has changed dramatically. The pandemic has catalyzed the development and adoption of digital technologies the world over with a lot of businesses investing heavily in e-commerce platforms and introducing remote working policies to navigate lockdowns and restrictions. This article aims to revisit the age-old debate on whether it is better to be a generalist rather than a specialist in this context.
From a marketing perspective, there has been a rise in the demand for more digital skill sets. As more organizations were forced to embrace online retail activities, there are many opportunities for Pay per Click marketing specialists, E-commerce specialists, SEO, and social media marketing specialists. However, generalists are also in high demand that has adaptable skills sets and can leverage their project management skills and other transferrable skills to adjust to new market demands. Versatility and agility have helped generalists to bridge emerging gaps and adapt to paradigm shifts.
The traditional path to success has always placed great emphasis on acquiring specialist knowledge and experience in a single discipline rather than being a generalist. We have all heard the saying ‘’Jack of all trades, master on none, ‘’ that belittles generalists. However, in the complex and continuously changing world of work, will specialists be able to adapt and survive when the demand changes for their narrow range of specialization? An investigative journalist, David Epstein has challenged conventional wisdom in his book entitled ‘’Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World.’’ Epstein examines the strengths of generalists versus specialists and elucidates how keeping a broad range of interests and allowing yourself to experiment and course-correct as necessary is the key to finding your true passion in life. High school and undergraduate students are faced with the daunting question, ‘’What career path do you want to follow?’’ very early in life. Epstein’s work illustrates how specializing too early in your career does not help you optimize your ‘match quality’ with your chosen profession which may lead to early specialists quitting their careers as they find it’s not a right fit for them. If you find yourself in this category do not despair. Rather than focusing on lost or wasted time, reframe your thinking and focus on the transferrable skills you have cultivated and the new perspective you will bring to your new field. HR practitioners should be mindful that some of the most interesting and innovative employees have had exposure to different fields and should aim to cultivate diversity by not defining job descriptions too narrowly as this may screen out good candidates.
The mid-career switch is no longer considered career suicide. Many specialists are willing to switch careers at a later stage. In my coaching practice, I have encountered many individuals that wish to transition to other careers that may be more fulfilling or offer novel challenges and career growth for those that have plateaued in their current careers. Re-skilling and re-tooling are becoming the norm as well for individuals that find the demand dwindling for their areas of specialization.
Historically, corporate recruiters have favored hyper-specialization and are willing to pay a premium for these individuals. In December 2020, Bill Gates attributed the success of Microsoft to teams of generalists having broad experiences. He recommended the book Range as a top read of the season. As the world grapples with new complex problems, the approach favored by the book may help HR practitioners to expand their thinking when it comes to creating new roles and recruiting an agile workforce. Range lauds the generalist approach which considers the benefits of breadth, diverse experience, interdisciplinary thinking, and delayed specialization. Candidates that have a varied background with a range of tools at their disposal may find that a whole new world of opportunities open up for them in the future.
Leaders often try to build diversity into their teams to improve decision-making and innovation. People with a diversity of experience can often perform better. The most impactful inventors have the ability to cross domains and build creative solutions. Epstein asserts that no knowledge is wasted knowledge. Relationships between unrelated areas of study continue to emerge and encourage innovation. Breakthroughs occur when individuals allow themselves to try new things, tolerate failure, and engage in abstract thought. Leaders with cross-domain experiences are also able to look at the holistic picture than a narrow focus which may be good for CEO and general management aspirants.
As technology becomes more critical to the success of organizations in this new environment and the era of artificial intelligence advances, some skills can be replaced by machines. Fields that involve repetitive work with clear sets of rules can be made redundant overnight with robots actually performing these tasks more cheaply. However, can they replace very specialized roles like heart surgery or roles that involve dealing with complexity and continuous change? Generalists and specialists both have integral roles to play in the context of work. Although some specialists might not have many roles to fill, they may be indispensable in their roles and therefore still command a lucrative career. Context and the nature of work will decide on the preference for a generalist or a specialist to fill a specific role.
The concept of the hybrid role, Specialized Generalist, is emerging and gaining prominence. These are people who have an open mind, multi-disciplinary approach, and are capable of rapidly acquiring specialist skills and knowledge. By investing in continuous learning and cultivating different specializations these individuals will be highly prized by innovative organizations that want to thrive in today’s competitive and dynamic corporate world.
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References:
- Epstein, D. (2019). Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World. Macmillan.
Article by Shailja Sharma, Executive Fellow, and Coach
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