Specialist is an individual who has a fairly developed "vertical knowledge" in a particular subject. Today's Societies make an unsubtle apology for this type of knowledge and its exponents. Being a Specialist is considered almost an essential requirement for good professional performance.
As the frontiers of human knowledge expand, it seems a natural consequence for people to internalize a part of it as deeply as possible, thus optimizing efforts and results theoretically. It seems logical to dedicate oneself to knowing "a lot of little" instead of "a little of everything", because the former seems more efficient than the latter.
But as natural and logical as it may seem, this is not the best way to build a successful professional career, much less in the world of Business, in the life of the Administrator, the Manager, the Strategos and the Leader.
The reason is simple: from "vertical knowledge" it is difficult to transition to "horizontal knowledge", and the latter is indispensable in any effort to understand the causal relationships that dynamize Systems.
Curiously, the more efficient a Specialist is, the more difficult they have the possibility of contextualizing their knowledge, at least with a level of objectivity that is not conditioned by their own knowledge. This fact generates another peculiarity in the Specialist, his dependent character, since he requires the help of others to complete his task. And it is good to specify that in this case there are differences between "complete and complement", since having a particular capacity, the Specialist needs to COMPLETE the scope of their work with the participation of others. The complement may exist within the framework of the specialty itself, but outside of it everything leads to the need to complete.
Nor is it true that the Specialist is closer to practical knowledge, given that in fact there is no knowledge that lacks this quality. Now, if practical is to be understood as the "functionality" of specialized knowledge, possibly there is a somewhat more solid reasoning.
Because indeed the "vertical knowledge" or specialized is functional for understanding and action on certain issues, but when it begins and ends only in that it is still lacking.
The virtuous Specialist always emerges from a solid “horizontal knowledge”. He is a Professional who, as an EFFECT of his general knowledge, decides to deepen some particular understanding. It is "horizontal knowledge" that provides support and foundation for specialization.
The Concepts, Theories and the great thoughts that originate all knowledge have a “horizontal” nature, they always develop in a deductive logic and are inclined to the understanding of the Greater System or the Integral Phenomenon.
By their own scope, Concepts and Theories cannot be the product of specialized knowledge, they are, rather, those that give way to it once they have been holistically grounded. Not for nothing is Philosophy considered the "mother of all sciences", and its foundations in terms of knowledge are completely horizontal.
Knowing a little of everything is ultimately more practical and useful than “knowing a lot of little”, because the former can easily lead to the latter, while the reverse is not so simple. The "horizontal knowledge" is complemented by specialized knowledge and draws on it to enrich itself.
In the case of Business, "horizontal knowledge" is governed by the disciplines that study the mechanics of government, especially Administration and Strategy. From them emerges the wisdom to manage productive Organizations. None of them is a specialty, on the contrary, they are knowledge with a high generalist bias, but for the same reason they allow any particular knowledge that is needed to be developed from them.
Administration is a syncretic science that is based on four sciences of "horizontal knowledge": law and social psychology as structural elements and economics and political science as functional elements. In itself, the Administration validates the hypothesis of the value of "horizontal knowledge", because an Administrator would greatly benefit from studying Law, Social Psychology, Economics or Politology. And in the process, you are not becoming a Specialist, rather you are "generalizing" to increase your skills.
The same happens with Strategy, which is gnoseologically based on Strategic Principles: millenary wisdom emerging from man's experiences in his relationship with conflicts. Strategy is not a specialty. It can be said that someone is better or worse Strategos than another, but from there to the existence of a Specialist it is unlikely.
From the Administration and the Strategy specialties and specialists can EMERGE, sure! And in appreciable quantities, because the horizontal vector of knowledge is vast. But any specialty is an offshoot of mother knowledge and loses meaning and value if it is not settled on it.
Finance or Marketing, for example, are specialties that emerge from the Administration, in no case do they replace it or make sense and efficiency outside of it. With reference to mother knowledge they are “techniques” in which it is possible to specialize. But if the latter is done without respect for proportions, the specialty becomes futile, or at best completely dependent on the general vision.
In the case of Strategy, Planning, Logistics, Intelligence, Human Resources, etc., they are specialties whose knowledge can be deepened, but they are also orphaned or dependent without basic knowledge.
Modern economic and social dynamics are putting things at a dangerous point by emphasizing the need for specialists as an indispensable requirement for productivity and competitiveness. This can progressively transcend all the educational strata of people and lead to a general state of "intellectual laziness" towards the understanding of Concepts, Theories, Doctrines, General Thoughts, Sciences, etc.
The education of children at home does not err if it is oriented first to a solid General Culture and then to a particular inclination, School Education in the humanities is a solid guarantee of comprehensive training and exceeds any intention to specialize children from an early age. University education aimed at "horizontal knowledge" perfectly meets the needs of an increasingly complex and difficult to understand world. And the “generalist” Professional has a greater capacity to address the solution of any problem or event, because among other things, he can determine at any time the need to turn to the Specialist.
Because finally there is no better Specialist than the professional Generalist who has decided to deepen his knowledge in something in particular.
This whole situation has very unique aspects in the business world, because there every problem or defect of others can be used as a Competitive Advantage. An Organization based on human cadres highly biased towards specialization, can be easy prey for another that has solid general Management, its Sales Strategy, its Vision of things, etc.
And how does an Organization full of specialists differ from one that is oriented to horizontal knowledge capabilities? It is easy. Just answer the following:
- What Organization understands that it is based on a BUSINESS and knows exactly what it is? What Organization understands which are the only two functions of the BUSINESS that must be addressed and around which everything else must be structured? What Organization understands that the Marketing is a technique to support SALES but in no case does it replace them? What Organization understands that it is the Strategy that governs the Sales, which at the same time are those that perfect the Business? What Organization understands that the Strategy is virginally reserved for the government of Sales and that there are no such things as Finance Strategy, Marketing Strategy, Human Resources Strategy, etc. What Organization confuses Strategic Planning with Strategy?
This is to emphasize the little, because the repertoire of the Business Specialist has created a subculture of Fashionwords that already has a life of its own. There are not a few who today believe that they are in the greatest ignorance if they do not know what branding, benchmarking, inbound marketing, networking, outsourcing, knowmad, outplacement, etc, etc. means. Specialties and specialists everywhere.
In reality there is nothing wrong with it per se, as long as a specialist in "networking" (for example), does not believe that his work and knowledge emerges from himself and replaces the management of the Business or the Sales Strategy.
That phrase uttered by the Greek philosopher Socrates when he was surprised to be called a wise man: "I only know that I know nothing", is closer to the nature of "horizontal knowledge", to the profile of the general professional.
And at this point in history we all know that Socrates was indeed a wise man.
AUTHOR'S DATA.-
Carlos Eduardo Nava Condarco, a native of Bolivia, lives in the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, is a Business Administrator and Entrepreneur. He currently works as Manager of his Company, Business Strategy and Personal Development Consultant, writer and Entrepreneur Coach.
Author of the book: “Entrepreneurship is a way of life. Development of Entrepreneurial Awareness ”
WEB: www.elstrategos.com
Mail: [email protected]
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