While “A jack of all trades is a master of none” maybe true, often the most creative innovations have been inspired by ideas spanning several disciplines. In this newsletter we discuss the differences between specialization and generalization and elaborate on why the 21st century favors the multifaceted.
The Polymath vs The Specialist
The generalist is an individual with a broad range of knowledge. He is well-versed in concepts, ideas and tools across various intellectual disciplines. The generalist has often explored disciplines seemingly unrelated to each other.
In contrast with generalists is the specialist who has developed mastery and exhibits an in-depth understanding in a specific field. The primary strength of the specialist is a strong knowledge of the intricacies and nuances pertaining to their areas of expertise.
Renaissance Reborn
For a lot of the 20th century the biggest contributions came from specialists, but in the information age, as more information became quickly and easily disseminated, it became easier to be broader than a specialist, and the biggest contributions started coming from the people who spread their work across a large number of technological domains. This along with the rise of consumerism saw a demand for innovative solutions to the increasingly complex problems. These solutions often involved borrowing well established ideas from other disciplines and implementing or
integrating them in another. From credit cards and online shopping to pacemakers and insulin pumps, this ‘lateral thinking’ inspired so many technologies that have shaped the world we live in today.
Accordingly, there has been a shift in the perceived relevance of generalists from “masters of none” to celebrated Innovators. As evident by the public’s admiration for polymaths like Elon Musk, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs and Leornado Da Vinci.
In summary, the benefits of being versatile has been greatly magnified by the modern society and often the most innovative ideas are inspired by lateral thinking, giving the generalist more to offer today as described by the full original quote “A Jack of all trades is a master of none, but often times better than a master of one.”
Written by: Humphery Donkor