Number 26 - The power of the multi-disciplinary mind

Specialization vs Generalization

If you glance through tech job vacancies today, one trend quickly stands out: a demand for multi-disciplinary thinkers. From internships to research and project management, job ads constantly request applicants that have dipped in more than one field. How can this skill be in demand in a world of niches and hyper-specialization?

An easy answer would be the very nature of the knowledge economy. People working on technology need to be able to at least communicate on a technical level with their peers. A team designing a new smartphone for example would need to bring in battery experts, User Interface designers, a team for antenna design and so on. Of course these experts would benefit from a working knowledge in all fields.

Furthermore, employees with multiple skills are more flexible with regards to deployment. In case a project loses some steam, it is always possible to reassign them somewhere else and still expect efficiency. Even if such workers do not know of the specific field they are assigned, they probably are quick learners.

While both communication and flexible deployment are important reasons to favour generalists, I believe the main benefit of a wide skill-set has to do with creative thinking. Specialists are often known to fall back to known pattern of thought, and while they bring a sportsmanlike perfection to their craft, they hardly innovate in their fields. Innovators are usually outsiders, especially at first.

To drive the point home, I want to continue what I started at issue 4 of the blog and talk about another childhood hero of mine: the great ace of world war I Baron Manfred von Richthofen or as he is better known "the Red Baron". I am going to let you in on a little secret; the Red Baron started out as an exceptionally poor pilot! What brought him to ace status was his skill at hunting. It turns out the skills Manfred learnt from hunting game at Germany, such as patience and proper positioning, were not only applicable to dogfights but also more important than actually flying. Manfred's story reminds us that pursuing diverse passions not only enriches our lives but can also cultivate the skills that drive innovation and excellence across domains.

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