Suw Charman writes a long article on the benefits (and also the drawbacks) of being a generalist.
I can empathise with what she says – I too have a “grasshopper” mind – this I think is why I find blogging and wikis useful – by allowing the grasshopper to leave a track as it jumps where it may these tools help the more reflective parts of mind to see progress within each area.
I know that many aspects of my work draw on skills I have learned from a range of experiences – for example my approach to coaching is hugely benefited by my understanding of systems and feedback, on the other hand my abilities with a project team are helped by my coaching. Nothing is wasted, it is all a part of the complete package you bring to a job.
The problem lies, I think, with the question of measuring or proving this skill. Our entire academic system of qualifications is built around narrower and narrower specialism as you push forward the boundaries of knowledge in one particular area.
How do you measure achievement or knowledge creation that relies on new syntheses?
