Do you need a Generalist or Specialist?

Dave Epstein discusses two types of individuals and knowledge paths in his book, “Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World”.

In our predominately urbanized world, the most frequently promoted path is that of the specialist.  A specialist starts education and training early in one area. By focusing on that area, they gain an increasing understanding of a particular niche within a particular field. 

At the other end of the spectrum is the person with range, a generalist.  Generalists learn about a variety of subjects. They often try different career paths before settling rather late on a particular niche. They are often big picture thinkers. Generalists are skilled at addressing complex or ambiguous problems that cross multiple niches.

Both types are experts.  However, their expertise and way of looking at a problem are very different.

The ability to go deep and focus opens a world of opportunity.  It creates expertise about a particular subject, or even a particular subset of a particular subject. The specialist in that field will know more than a generalist about a particular aspect within their chosen niche.  Do you need heart surgery or to understand a particular genome?  Do you need to understand how a particular virus operates or to know the exact ecosystem a particular rare insect needs to survive? Find a specialist. 

A generalist is a person who has explored more than one field. Rather than focus on a narrow problem, generalists are big picture thinkers.  They look for connections, patterns and discontinuities between fields and events.  To solve complex or ambiguous problems that spill across boundaries, you want someone with range, a generalist.  Are you building a house? Do you need someone to manage a complex project? Do you need to understand the linkages between different industries?  Find a generalist.

We live in a highly interconnected world. An event that happens in a city or region in another country on another continent often impacts our local area.  Both generalists and specialists are needed.  Specialists are needed to deal with specific problems in specific fields and areas.  While generalists are needed to analyze impacts between regions, fields and sectors.