It’s official, we are now entering the age of the generalist.
The post-pandemic workforce has left the majority of industries in a quandary. Workers of all ages and levels struggle to find their new normal, and companies are left with a skills shortage following the Great Resignation.
The result is a workforce that has seen generalists step up to help fill the skills gap being experienced by most businesses. Possessing a broad range of skills and knowledge across various areas within their field or industry, generalists differ from specialists, who focus on a specific niche or expertise.
On the face of it, this differentiation may appear to put the generalists in the driver’s seat, but the opposite appears to be true, with the majority feeling undervalued and underappreciated within their current positions.
The O.C Tanner Global Cultural Report states that 50% of generalists feel that their contribution to their organisation is overlooked, despite research that shows companies have a 26 times greater chance of succeeding with projects if they allow generalists to innovate.
Because generalists are versatile and adaptable, capable of handling diverse tasks and responsibilities, they often see the bigger picture. Their broad range of experience means they understand the wants and needs of various different stakeholders in a way that specialists just cannot do.
Rather than being a jack of all trades, generalists are often highly trained employees who have either pivoted due to necessity or progression. They are in the enviable position of having multiple skill sets and varying viewpoints, which make them highly employable and valuable to organisations.
So why do they feel so undervalued and what can companies do to retain their talent?
Acknowledge all contributions
For leaders within an organisation, it’s all too easy to focus the attention on tasks completed by specialists. Often, they’re the people to get a project over the goalpost.
But by only focusing on the finished project, leaders miss the contributions made in the early stages and at critical junctures which required a generalist’s input and perspective.
This attitude can result in employees feeling that their contribution doesn’t matter. A better solution is to identify the wins at all stages of a project, and acknowledge how one links to another.
In fact, integrated recognition increases the odds of a positive employee experience by 391%––a statistic that cannot be overlooked in the current labour market.
Seek opinions
Similarly, if a project stalls, the automatic response is to address all concerns to the specialists working on it.
However, that attitude deprives the project and the company of 360 vision which is often needed to progress. Generalists have an understanding of your business and industry that specialists tend not to offer, and it’s that grounding that sparks innovation.
Broaden the scope for promotion
More than half (56%) of generalists feel that they have no clear route for career progression, while 36% feel that they are excluded from promotion because of their varied background and so don’t apply.
The key to overcoming a shortage of generalists at C-suite level is to ensure that requirements for hiring are open to those without a specialist area knowledge; where appropriate of course.
For generalists themselves, if you’ve adopted the above strategies––actively contributing, seeking feedback and pursuing progression–and your company still refuses to acknowledge your worth, then it may be time to move on.
The Silicon Canals Job Board is full of opportunities across all sectors. Below are three exciting roles that showcase the breadth of opportunity available.
Senior Fullstack Developer, Shift Technology, Paris
As Senior Fullstack Developer with Shift Technology you will contribute to a UI to collect and review information and to APIs that automate decision making. You will work as part of a team to constantly receive and give feedback and improve the agile development process, which works to prevent fraud. At least five years’ experience in software development, solid OOP skills and a true fullstack mentality are required. You can apply for this fullstack developer role here.
Engineering Director, PayFit, Paris
PayFit’s new Engineering Director will lead a team of 120 in the development and maintenance of stable, resilient, secure, scalable production and development infrastructure. You will be responsible for building and leading an effective team which will work to establish metrics and measurement for all work/processes, set goals for the next stages of the work, and justify both current and future resources/directions with executive management. Eight or more years’ of experience managing SRE and infrastructure teams, ideally with some hands-on architectural and security experience, is required. Plus, you’ll have a proven track record in a similar B2B and SaaS environment, with a very dynamic culture. If you like the sound of that, you can get all the information here.
Backend Software Engineer, SumUp, Berlin
As a Backend Software Engineer with SumUp you will actively provide code review feedback to other software engineers, considering both style and implementation, and will be responsible for participating in API design and implementation for both internal and public APIs, while helping to drive and improve the delivery of platform features. To be considered, you will need three or more years’ of commercial experience, a proven record in developing software with Kotlin and/or Java, plus a good knowledge of event-driven architecture. Find out more about this job now.