Navigating the Specialist-Generalist Career Challenge

Sometimes it would be easier to go back to a functional model and have Waterfall projects. Yes, they are really poor from an efficiency and effectiveness perspective but every support system in a company has been built with this model in mind. When we try to improve product outcomes using cross-functional teams we run into another barrier: career paths.

Why Generalists Are Essential in Cross-Functional Teams

Cross-functional teams require flexibility to succeed. These teams excel because they bring diverse perspectives together, enable faster decision-making, and reduce the handoffs that often plague siloed organisations. When a team member can understand multiple domains, they can spot opportunities and problems that specialists might miss. They can translate between different functional languages, bridging the gap between technical and business considerations.

When a team is composed entirely of narrow specialists, work can easily stall if the right person isn’t available. A generalist, however, can step in to assist with design when the designer is overloaded, help refine technical requirements when the product manager is stretched, or even support QA when deadlines loom.

This ability to work across disciplines is what makes teams more resilient and productive. Companies recognise this value in day-to-day operations, but the same flexibility isn’t reflected in career progression.

The Career Ladder is Built for Specialists

Despite the need for generalists at the team level, hiring and promotion systems are designed for specialists. Job descriptions often list deep expertise in a single domain as a core requirement. Promotions within functions (e.g., engineering, design, or product management) are based on demonstrating mastery within that specific area.

For an employee who wants to grow within a company, the safest route to career advancement is to specialise deeply. Cross-functional skills, while beneficial to the team, are treated as "nice to have" additions rather than core requirements. This creates a frustrating paradox: teams encourage employees to be adaptable, but the organisation rewards specialisation.

How Companies Are Changing Promotion Criteria

Some companies have recognised this misalignment and are adapting their promotion criteria to reflect the value of cross-functional contributions. Instead of rewarding depth in a single function alone, they are beginning to measure impact across teams and disciplines.

Spotify has recognised the importance of T-shaped professionals, people who have deep expertise in one discipline but also broad skills across others. They are experimenting with alternative approaches to recognising performance, including what they call the Beehive. Instead of a ladder, they imagine a Beehive, where each cell represents the skills of the person. There are infinite cells because there are infinite skills. They encourage people to grow their skills, even outside of their core areas.

They recognise that this doesn’t align with how job specs are being written, but they are keen to keep experimenting and figure it out.

Why Leadership Positions Favor Cross-Functional Skills

While early career promotions often reward specialisation, leadership roles overwhelmingly favor those who can think across disciplines. The higher you go, the less important functional mastery becomes and the more critical it is to understand the bigger picture.

At the executive level, the best leaders can bridge gaps between product, design, engineering, marketing, and sales. They need to make decisions that balance technical feasibility, customer experience, and business strategy. This is why many senior executives have backgrounds that span multiple domains rather than just a single specialisation.

Companies that fail to adjust their promotion criteria risk losing their most valuable talent, those who could become their future leaders, because they were never given a reason to develop cross-functional expertise.

Conclusion

The specialist-generalist paradox won't be resolved overnight, but forward-thinking organisations are showing that it's possible to align individual career incentives with the needs of cross-functional teams. The key lies in explicitly valuing and rewarding cross-functional capabilities through formal systems and processes.

For individuals navigating this landscape, the message is becoming clearer: while deep expertise remains valuable, the ability to work effectively across functions is increasingly critical for long-term career success. The future belongs not to pure specialists or generalists, but to those who can maintain deep expertise while developing the broad understanding and collaborative skills that modern organisations need.

Organisations that successfully navigate this transition will gain a significant competitive advantage. They'll build more effective teams, develop more well-rounded leaders, and create more engaging career paths for their employees. In doing so, they'll resolve the tension between individual career aspirations and organisational needs, creating a win-win scenario for both their people and their business.