Published on Wednesday, Feb 13, 2008
Specialisation is the name of the game today, with functional groupings being wholly dedicated to deep specialities. We pick one discipline, be it a programmer, a stock planner, a project manager or say a cardiologist, and go on to devote ourselves to the same.
Success has become all about an exclusive concentration focussed on gaining more knowledge in the same area of expertise. And very soon, we fall into a rut, as attaining proficiency in the same skill sets.
We may be highly skilled in what we do, but at what cost? Can we really afford to be ensconced in our ‘ivory towers’, languidly basking in the glory of our immense expertise?
Well, as we burrow deeper and deeper in a single field, too much specialisation can also turn into a gargantuan barrier of its own. The exceedingly narrow realm can become our own undoing.
Specialisation blinds us to other issues and we end up not knowing much about anything else. Floundering outside our so-called ‘area of expertise’, we become totally dependant on other ‘specialists’ for the smallest things. Psychologist, Konrad Lorenz hits the nail on the head with, “Every man gets a narrower and narrower field of knowledge in which he must be an expert in order to compete with other people. The specialist knows more and more about less and less and finally knows everything about nothing.”
But what if our speciality becomes ineffective or worse, defunct ?
Then again, while too much specialisation induces the ‘frog-in-the-well’ syndrome, generalists possess a wide range of knowledge, but lack specific skills in anything. By spending all our time trying to learn bits of everything, we can land up as a ‘jack-of-all-trades, but master of none’. The middle ground
To balance the extreme approaches and enjoy the benefits of both, consultant Scott Ambler propounds a new term of ‘generalising specialists’ that calls on people to maintain one or more technical specialties while actively seeking to gain new skills in both existing specialties as well as other areas. Though coined in terms of software development, the concept holds water in almost every sphere of work.
To evolve from being specialists/generalists to generalising specialists, we need to equalise specialisation with other skills. Moving away from restricting ourselves to extensive knowledge in a single subject area or trying to learn everything, we should develop a strong grasp in a chosen specialty along with learning new skills in different aspects of our relevant domain itself.
Only by spending less time on perfecting skills we are already proficient in and cultivating at least a working knowledge of other related areas, can we own all the skills necessary to be successful.
For this, you should first know yourself and become aware of your weaknesses. Once you become adept in your field, do not make the mistake of ignoring other matters.
Instead, try to expand your horizons beyond your core area and gain a good grasp of the whole picture.
Step outside your comfort zone and be willing and able to learn new skills. Stretch yourself and your knowledge by reading on diverse subjects, browsing the Internet or just talking to people.
For more profound understanding, you can even take up courses, cross-train or gain hands-on experience at work itself.
The varied knowledge and spread of skills (even if its based on rudimentary information) helps in understanding the whole process, end results and even potential solutions.
It facilitates variety in work and increases your survival quotient as you can pick the ball and run with it whenever needed.
By contributing to other areas, you will become more co-operative, agile and emerge as the natural choice for taking up the lead.
So, while every job does necessitate a degree of specialisation, why not know more than that to turn into a multi-disciplinary worker, or in other words, a ‘generalising specialist’.
To wind up, author, Robert Heinlein sums it up best with, “A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyse a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialisation is for insects!”
Success has become all about an exclusive concentration focussed on gaining more knowledge in the same area of expertise. And very soon, we fall into a rut, as attaining proficiency in the same skill sets.
We may be highly skilled in what we do, but at what cost? Can we really afford to be ensconced in our ‘ivory towers’, languidly basking in the glory of our immense expertise?
Well, as we burrow deeper and deeper in a single field, too much specialisation can also turn into a gargantuan barrier of its own. The exceedingly narrow realm can become our own undoing.
Specialisation blinds us to other issues and we end up not knowing much about anything else. Floundering outside our so-called ‘area of expertise’, we become totally dependant on other ‘specialists’ for the smallest things. Psychologist, Konrad Lorenz hits the nail on the head with, “Every man gets a narrower and narrower field of knowledge in which he must be an expert in order to compete with other people. The specialist knows more and more about less and less and finally knows everything about nothing.”
But what if our speciality becomes ineffective or worse, defunct ?
Then again, while too much specialisation induces the ‘frog-in-the-well’ syndrome, generalists possess a wide range of knowledge, but lack specific skills in anything. By spending all our time trying to learn bits of everything, we can land up as a ‘jack-of-all-trades, but master of none’. The middle ground
To balance the extreme approaches and enjoy the benefits of both, consultant Scott Ambler propounds a new term of ‘generalising specialists’ that calls on people to maintain one or more technical specialties while actively seeking to gain new skills in both existing specialties as well as other areas. Though coined in terms of software development, the concept holds water in almost every sphere of work.
To evolve from being specialists/generalists to generalising specialists, we need to equalise specialisation with other skills. Moving away from restricting ourselves to extensive knowledge in a single subject area or trying to learn everything, we should develop a strong grasp in a chosen specialty along with learning new skills in different aspects of our relevant domain itself.
Only by spending less time on perfecting skills we are already proficient in and cultivating at least a working knowledge of other related areas, can we own all the skills necessary to be successful.
For this, you should first know yourself and become aware of your weaknesses. Once you become adept in your field, do not make the mistake of ignoring other matters.
Instead, try to expand your horizons beyond your core area and gain a good grasp of the whole picture.
Step outside your comfort zone and be willing and able to learn new skills. Stretch yourself and your knowledge by reading on diverse subjects, browsing the Internet or just talking to people.
For more profound understanding, you can even take up courses, cross-train or gain hands-on experience at work itself.
The varied knowledge and spread of skills (even if its based on rudimentary information) helps in understanding the whole process, end results and even potential solutions.
It facilitates variety in work and increases your survival quotient as you can pick the ball and run with it whenever needed.
By contributing to other areas, you will become more co-operative, agile and emerge as the natural choice for taking up the lead.
So, while every job does necessitate a degree of specialisation, why not know more than that to turn into a multi-disciplinary worker, or in other words, a ‘generalising specialist’.
To wind up, author, Robert Heinlein sums it up best with, “A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyse a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialisation is for insects!”
PAYAL CHANANIA
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