The curious case of the missing generalist

Jack of all trades and master of none, that’s how a ‘Generalist’ is known. This adage in my opinion, perpetuated the demise of this most underrated category. In a micro-specialized world, there is a gap, which I believe can be filled only by this ‘Jack’!

Have you looked for a generalist lately? There is thin chance you will find one. There are no overall handymen, or even the family GP or legal advisor anymore!

Let me take my recent experience with trying to fix my new Dishwasher. I needed the installation engineer, plumber and an electrician to get this done. As I was getting this, I needed some patch work to be done on the walls that got impacted setting the dishwasher up. And that meant getting another specialist – the mason / contractor who can do civil. As a customer I am left bereft, who analyses the core issue? Is that to be me!!

This is felt most acutely in healthcare. If you must go into an OPD, a bunch of diversified medical field specialists/services greet you. Even if you are a known case of diabetes, let’s assume, you see an Endocrinologist, a Cardiologist (just to rule out anything), a Nutritionist (your diet is critical) and perhaps a Physiotherapist as well. If you are not so lucky, there will be a couple more thrown in for your return visit. Where is the good old Family Doctor?! He knew our bodies, our medical history and treated us quite well! Well, when he couldn’t he pointed you to the right err… specialist, who took over!?

I see this in businesses too. Even marketing for example. You have Digital Marketers, Social Media Marketers, Campaign Marketers, Content Marketers and then there are Insides Sales, Sales Enablement etc. Of course, the discipline has evolved. A good thing indeed! The question however remains, where is the marketer, a ‘generalist’ who understands business, sees the complete picture and not just CTRs or impressions.

Don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against specialized disciplines. They have their space and play an important role. My question is larger. How thin will you slice the pie? Broad to micro to now nano level specialization – is it not creating blind spots for the practitioners??

The jury is out on their long-term relevance. But, without a strong well-rounded knowledge of their sphere, how relevant can a specialist really be?

For now, I am beginning to see the return of this missing generalist, albeit, in baby steps. Visible in the ‘Technology Services’ industry, the growing demand for Full Stack Developer, brings back the new avatar of Jack of all trades. This is a small start in reversal of the trend.??

So, when was the last time you missed a generalist, or did you at all?

BTW, I am still doing my research on which specialist can solve my plumbing issue.