What is the difference between specialists and generalists

Generally, specialists are herbivores. They require a certain type of foods. A good example of specialist species is a koala. Koala feeds only on eucalyptus leaves. Another example is pandas. Pandas have a specific niche, and they eat only bamboo. There are also specialist plant species that require a narrow range of temperature, soil conditions and precipitation.

Cactus is one example. Environmental changes strongly affect specialist species. They cannot easily adapt to changing environmental conditions as generalists. Hence, the number of specialist species in the environment drastically decline due to climate changes and human activities. Generalist species is a species that eats a variety of foods and thrives in a range of habitats. Specialist species, on the other hand, is a species that has a limited diet and thrives in a narrow range of environmental conditions.

You might love ancient Egypt and therefore choose to specialize in it. In terms of the roles, generalists tend to have loosely defined roles within organizations. In the area of healthcare, you might work as a general doctor or a practitioner in a hospital.

Your work might include attending patients that could be young or old and have a variety of ailments from life threatening to even a simple cold. For example, as a pediatric surgeon your patients would all be children always. As the roles of generalists and specialists vary within an organization, it is important to consider which route you want to follow.

While it is possible to change your career later on in life, either by specializing in or broadening your focus, you should consider the pros and cons of both routes before you make the decision. There are benefits and even downsides to both of these career routes. The world is very interconnected, with different people working together and solving complex issues. A generalist, with knowledge on a broad range of issues, can see deeper inside the interconnectedness and find solutions that a specialist might not be able to.

All the different departments within a business do connect with each other. A generalist can help see this bigger picture and come up with ideas and solutions that benefit the business as a whole. The world should not be viewed through a single lens, so to speak. A broader approach and wider understanding of different things can help make better decisions. A generalist can visualise the big picture and think out-of-the-box.

In a fast-changing workplace, transferable skills are becoming increasingly important. Generalists tend to posses more transferable skills. Businesses are constantly taught about the importance of scalability. It is not a wonder that generalists tend to be the leaders and managers within organizations.

This comes down to the transferable skills. If you know how to manage employees, you will be able to do this in different businesses, the industry is not that important after all! The skill-set comprising of project management, effective communication and good people skills are required whether you are leading a team of accountants or IT people.

The other huge benefit of being a generalist is career flexibility. As you have a broader understanding of a subject, have a selection of transferable skills at your disposal so you are less restricted with your career opportunities.

Consider the example above of studying history as a generalist. You could easily work in the field of media, become a teacher, do research, and write books and so on because you know history as a broad concept altogether. The career opportunities are far wide and you would be able to swap between different careers. However, if you want to become a professor for the history of ancient Egypt, you will not have the required knowledge.

Finally, generalists may benefit from the fact they are better at navigating through uncertainty. Generalists are better at predicting the outcome of issues, even outside of their specific areas of expertise.

In a world, where the future is unpredictable and unknown, generalists could have an advantage! Becoming a generalist can have its downsides as well. The most common criticism against generalists is that they are sacrificing depth for breadth. The increased complexity makes it harder for them to have an in-depth understanding of things as by simply knowing the surface you can overlook the brevity of it. You may consider this through the quirky example of an iceberg. Or will you be the jack of all trades—able to pivot from novel challenge to a new skill, adapting to the world in front of you?

The most interesting part of our discussion branched beyond work. Arguably, our educational system is built upon the premise that we need to become masters. Primary school exposes us to many topics with superficial understanding, but secondary school is entirely about becoming specialists.

How often do you find pupils that seek to earn degrees in multiple, disparate fields? Then the challenge is to see if we have the talent and persistence to achieve the ultimate level of education: a Ph. If we can accept that the modern world, our current society, pushes us towards specialization…what does that mean for the generalist? And is it really the case that one is better than the other?

Specialists are people with a deep interest in pursuing the finer details of any particular topic. They want and need to understand the inner workings of their niche. They seek to understand all approaches in their area of expertise. A specialist is a person which is highly skilled within their specific, and often restricted, field. The star, Jesse, needed to escape the life he had. A new identity, new location, new everything. And he knew a fixer that could do it. In a previous situation, he went back on a deal with the same fixer.

But now he needed him more than ever. And he knew the price:. He went to the fixer. There was one problem.

Jesse pleaded with him over the small difference and even threatened him. But the fixer did not budge. The fixer was the specialist. He was the only person with this particular set of skills Jesse needed.

Compared to specialists, a generalist tends to see problem areas from a higher perspective. A generalist is a person that has general knowledge—some competency—in several different, though often related, fields. Personally, I consider myself to be more of a generalist at this point in my life. The first decade of my professional work straddled creativity, marketing, and information technology. I shared about the first time —when my potential employer attempted to force me to cease my side business.

The second time I leveraged FU money was years later when the current division my team worked within was going to be absorbed by a different group within the larger org chart. Because I wanted to protect my ability to work across different disciplines. I considered one other position that could have really slapped the golden handcuffs on. My post on negotiating pay effectively discusses this.

The increased complexity makes it harder to have an in-depth understanding of things and by simply knowing the surface you can easily overlook the brevity of it. You can consider this through the quirky example of an iceberg. Finally, since generalists can have loosely defined roles and work in a number of different positions, their job security might suffer.

Replacing a generalist with another generalist can be easier than finding another specialist for a position. Similar to becoming a generalist, being a specialist will also have certain advantages and disadvantages. Perhaps the main benefit to a specialist career route is the ability to earn more money. Since specializing often takes longer in terms of time spent studying, for example and the positions are narrowly defined, the salaries tend to be higher, even at the starting point.

Specialists have gained knowledge in their particular subject, which is hard to come by and therefore the position of a specialist can be valuable for a company. The organization often has a few specialists operating in different sectors, which means the whole of the organization could rely on their expertise.

This not only provides higher chances of a better salary, but can also provide the specialist more internal power. For example, you might be better placed to negotiate when it comes to implementing new management structures or other such issues. Overall, as a specialist, you have the opportunity to become a true thought leader in your area of expertise.

If you are passionate about the subject and you are willing to learn more about it as time goes on, you can become a widely recognized leader in your field. The ability to become a thought leader can further improve your career prospect and open up different opportunities in the field.

After all people tend to seek for experts, rather than generalists, when encountered with a problem. However, specializing in a single subject can have its drawbacks. Whilst generalist can often enjoy a wide range of career options, specialists tend to suffer from career inflexibility. Your narrowed focus and expert skills in a particular area mean you can only find work in this narrow field. You can naturally choose to broaden your expertise later on in your career, just as you could potentially go from being a generalist to a specialist.

A surgeon could for example go for an MBA and switch into a management role. Your opinion and input are probably mainly appreciated if the topic at hand involves your area of expertise directly.

Finally, while specialists can expect better earning opportunities, finding suitable positions can be much tougher. Since you are searching for a narrowly defined job, your available options will also be limited. In some cases, there are plenty of other specialists competing for the same position.

As a specialist, you also have to stand out from the crowd. Although it is crucial you follow your heart and your passion when making the decision in terms of the subject you study, you should consider the requirements of future employers when deciding whether to become a generalist or a specialist.

The job market is constantly changing and it is auspicious to prepare for what the future might hold. Is there more demand for specialists or generalists? Some people say the modern job market is all about specialists. On the other hand, the consensus among employees might be shifting slightly towards a new appreciation for generalists.

A study in the UK found employees believe specialists are under a threat. Around half of the respondents told they have a generalist position in a company, even though they were originally hired as a specialist.

Both employees and employers told researchers a more generalist skill-set is often required in order to advance to senior positions within a company. Companies also pointed out they are hiring fewer specialists. But the increase in generalists might not be as appreciated as one could think. In fact, the same study found employers worried about the impact of hiring fewer specialists and even employees said they feel less motivated as responsibilities have become more generalized.