Why Developing a More Generalist Mindset Will Help Us Thrive in This World
Those with more equipment will potentially adapt and navigate the uncertainty better in the long run.
Maybe you often heard about a generalist. To help you recall the term, this picture illustrates the meaning of a general(ist):
Kidding! Just want to look comical and cool like great writers here who can hypnotise their readers even though maybe they themselves … (fill in the blank).
Let’s be serious. Here are the definitions of a generalist from very sacred but hmm no so sacred too dictionaries:
“One whose skills, interests, or habits are varied or unspecialized.”
“Someone who has a range of skills and knowledge.”
Other similar terms are jack of all trades and multipotentialite.
So, why do we need to develop a more generalist mindset?
Around 30 years ago, the general advice to be successful was developing a deep specialisation that allowed us to advance our professional career. It was not enough to be a doctor, one should specialise further, for example in neurology. But then it was not enough to be a neurologist, one should specialise further, maybe as a neurosurgeon. And it happened in many professions too.
The general concept was clear: focus on developing specific expertise and you would rise through the ranks (and earn more). The approach worked. Many of today’s leaders shined by specialising. But, past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Do not get me wrong, this is not to conclude that specialisation or deep expertise is useless, not at all! Specialists still have a place and still much needed. It is just that our world (on Earth, not on Mars yet 🙃) is changing at a faster rate. The rapid advancement of technology especially has influenced our world becomes more complex and volatile. Disruption is the new norm. Consequently, those with more equipment will potentially adapt and navigate the uncertainty better in the long run. The number of competencies and knowledge we need to cover is broader. At a nutshell, if we are pure specialists, what I mean here is a shift in mindset (and behaviour) to become a more generalised specialist. A broad point of view and the ability to connect the dots (generalists) is as crucial as the depth of expertise (specialists). Research from Harvard Business School supports this concept.
The advantages in the user experience (UX) world
Embracing a more generalist mindset applies to those of us who work in the field of user experience (UX) too, a.k.a UX ninjas. Luckily (or not?), UX is a multidisciplinary field that covers so many subjects, from human factors, interaction design, technology, psychology, information architecture, content strategy, visual design, communication design, marketing, etc.
“Ah, you mean, we need to master all of those subjects to be like Batman who is a genius at everything?”
Obviously, we do not need to (and can not) be like Batman. We just need to be a mini Batman instead, a baby superhero of our own version (who will always be a baby superhero because DC does not need us):
If we are a Qualitative Researcher, do not just focus on the qualitative aspect. Acquire skills in how to do quantitative research too as a combination so that we can: verify whether the qualitative findings have directed us in the right direction; to compare different designs using basic statistical analysis; to get buy-in from stakeholders because numbers are sometimes more persuasive. Grasp the knowledge about strategic thinking to develop a sense of big picture thinking and drive the product or service roadmaps. Learn about wireframe or interface design too to communicate our idea in a way that is more understandable by the team.
If we are an Experience Designer, do not just focus on producing seamless and interactive flows that can solve users’ problems. Study about behavioural science too, get an understanding about business thinking too so that we can: build a product or service that is super engaging for users; make users unconsciously feel that the product or service become part of their identity; create impactful output for the business goals too, not just for the users. Moreover, skills in interviewing users can be essential to get unbias insights and build empathy for users.
If we are an Experience Lead/Manager, do not just focus on managing the team projects. Dive deeper about the art of leading people and team building in a more holistic view so that the team: always has a clear purpose in doing works and motivated to achieve it; has a balanced skill set and knows where to improve; has a systematic process in facing situations. Learn about organisational stuff so the team can have a broad-reaching impact across the company. Gain knowledge about marketing and sales hacks to foster collaboration with those cross-functional teams. Understand about relationship building too to form a positive relationship with stakeholders.
The most important is, whatever our roles, to keep learning something new although that “new” seems unrelated to our works, anything. Unconsciously, maybe that new knowledge or skills will have benefits for our career. For instance, a musical instrument. Playing instruments can boost our creativity. You get what I mean? As a leader, we can develop the team in a more innovative way. As a designer, we can approach a problem creatively. Who knows, maybe using the music skill, we can end our usual presentation sessions by singing a short song with lyrics from the presentation insights so that the insights become more memorable for the audience 😉?
The essence is innovation happens at the intersections, as Emilie Wapnick said on her TED talk.
Nowadays, we see that many occupations have evolved. From a doctor who use virtual or augmented reality technologies to learn and teach about organs, a newcomer comedian that can do magic and has video editing skills to produce interactive humour YouTube videos, an architect who learns computational design techniques to generate thousands of crazy design options, to a football centre back who has the ability to dictate the game with the ball-playing skills like a playmaker.
Maybe, there will be people who put “A modern half generalist-specialist mother” or “A jack of all trades father” or “A multipotentialite high school student who can cook better than your mom” titles on their LinkedIn profiles. Who knows?
So, what is your mini version of Batman?
