The Doorman Fallacy: Why Generalists Are Essential in a World Obsessed with Efficiency

Recently, I’ve been reflecting on a concept Rory Sutherland calls the Doorman Fallacy, which he describes in his book Alchemy. It’s the idea that when we narrowly define a role’s most obvious function — like a hotel doorman’s job of “opening doors” — we risk missing out on the true, multifaceted value that role brings. Sutherland writes:?

“First you define a hotel doorman’s role as ‘opening the door’, then you replace his role with an automatic door-opening mechanism… The problem arises because opening the door is only the notional role of a doorman; his other, less definable sources of value lie in a multiplicity of other functions: taxi-hailing, security, vagrant deterrence, customer recognition, as well as in signalling the status of the hotel.”

This resonates because, as a generalist, I’ve often experienced my role as being more than the sum of its parts. The value of a generalist is rarely about any single function we perform. It’s about our ability to make connections, to see across silos, and to bring ideas and people together in ways that wouldn’t happen otherwise.

The ripples are as important as the drop.

In my own career, I’ve seen this time and again. Recently, as part of an early-stage team at LIS: The London Interdisciplinary School , I wore more hats than I could count. On paper, my role might have looked straightforward: oversee technology, drive digital transformation. But in practice, my role involved far more than ticking tasks off a list.

Tech transformation isn’t just about new systems — it’s about embedding those systems within a culture that embraces them, aligning the whole team behind a shared vision, and ensuring the tools serve the people, not the other way around. As I worked across departments, I became not just a technology leader but also a connector, a strategist, an operational turnkey, and a sounding board. It wasn’t simply about implementing a VLE, integrating a CRM, or increasing automation; it was about bringing people along on a journey, bridging understanding between tech and non-tech staff, and creating a culture where technology became an enabler, not an obstacle.

Automation alone won't save us.

The Doorman Fallacy is particularly dangerous in a world that prizes efficiency above all else. I’ve seen companies streamline so much that they lose the richness that makes their teams adaptable and creative. There’s a growing assumption that if a task can be automated, it should be. But automating away tasks often means automating away opportunities for connection, insight, and the kind of flexibility that only humans bring.

For example, take customer service. Automating responses can save time, but it also removes the warmth, empathy, and problem-solving nuance that only human agents can provide. When companies strip away the human element, they may save costs in the short term, but they risk eroding trust and loyalty in the long run.?

In a broader sense, I see the generalist as an antidote to the kind of narrow thinking that the Doorman Fallacy exemplifies. We don’t just do our jobs — we adapt, we anticipate needs, we find the “in-betweens” that fall through the cracks. We don’t open doors; we figure out which doors need to be opened, who might be approaching, and what else they might need once they step through. This is why generalists tend to thrive in early-stage companies or environments that value flexibility, where adaptability is essential and the lines between roles are intentionally blurred.

To all the generalists, connectors, and “doormen” out there: know your worth.

Don’t let your role be reduced to bullet points that capture only a fraction of what you bring. You aren't alone - the community around Generalist World ?? and other organisations shows just how many experienced generalists there are out there.

And to the leaders reading this? Challenge the Doorman Fallacy in your organisations. Resist the urge to reduce roles to simple, measurable tasks. Realise that the true value of a role often lies in the hidden qualities — empathy, adaptability, strategic insight — that aren’t easily captured in metrics or KPIs.

In a world that increasingly views people as cogs in a machine, we need more generalists who bring humanity, understanding of complexity, and entrepreneurial interdisciplinary to their work.

In my experience, it’s those “intangible” qualities that often end up being the most valuable of all.