From specialist to generalist: How to guide the transition

World Vision Kenya is intentional about succession planning and career development, and our structure was built to support succession. Our aim is to develop and retain the most talented, committed and engaged staff. So in a recent reorganization, quite a number of World Vision technical specialists applied for area development program manager positions, which are head of programs in various geographical areas overseeing different projects and staff. For those who applied, this was an opportunity for career advancement; many of them performed well in the interviews and were offered the positions. Theoretically, they knew what the new job entailed. But in practice, it was a different story. Not long after their appointments, we observed that many of them lacked basic people management skills, which then resulted in staffing issues. Many found that instead of doing what they were used to — advising in their areas of technical expertise, whether it was agriculture, water and sanitation or health and hygiene — a lot of their time now needed to be spent on people management, delegation, supervising and conflict resolution. And instead of focusing on themselves, they have to focus on a team and team success. This is a complete change and requires a change in thinking. Supporting the transition This proved to be a difficult — but possible — transition that demanded immediate support. Our people and culture team learned the hard way that succeeding in managing a cross-functional, multi-disciplinary team does not mean you will automatically succeed as a generalist providing oversight to various projects and managing people. We learned the uniqueness of each case, which depended to a large extent on the manager’s ability to adapt, to learn, re-learn and embrace soft skills or to “unlearn” skills that don’t support being a generalist or a people manager. Performance management — with specific reference to implementing the employee’s individual development plan and career development plan — plays a great role here. If a technical staff member is identified for a management role, core competencies for the new role should be defined in the individual development plan. Gaps that need to be addressed should be identified early, followed by a plan of action of how they should be addressed and when. Even in instances where technical specialists have had opportunities to act as managers, we have noted that a lack of clear understanding of the organization, the context, self awareness and appropriate leadership style can create unnecessary conflict between the technical specialists acting as a manager and the staff he or she supervises. Technical specialist vs. generalist A technical specialist has a specific depth of knowledge concerning a particular sector, which proves very useful for the organization’s overall strategic objectives. But leadership positions, more often than not, require a generalist approach to management. It may be difficult for a technical specialist to make that transition after building his or her career on technical expertise focused on a professional specialty. The leadership will have to make a decision as to whether a technical specialist or a generalist leads a particular team. In addition, one needs to determine the depth that a technical specialist is expected to delve in. Generalists are more comfortable adapting to change, and we must appreciate that technical specialists will have challenges in their ability to drive change. Although a generalist does not have the depth of knowledge in any one area that a technical specialist might, the generalist’s basic knowledge of a wide variety of subjects allows them to seek out information more easily because they know what to look for and who to source the information from. Crucial training for technical specialists There are several training and focus areas for technical specialists that should not be overlooked as they move into a generalist role. Among them are influencing skills, situational leadership skills, consulting skills, big picture thinking, how to effectively move away from their comfort zone or technical bias, communication skills, listening skills, appreciative enquiry skills, training in new areas, supervisory and general people management skills. The 70-20-10 approach — a nonprofit leadership development toolkit introduced by The Bridgespan Group — could be a fit here, where 70 percent of time is devoted to on-the-job learning, 20 percent to coaching and mentoring, and 10 percent to classroom teaching. Job rotation and shadowing, short-term assignments and secondments are a great way to meet the on-the-job learning, while performance planning, career development emphasizing people management and formal training in situational leadership will meet the other 30 percent. With all this said, it’s important not to stereotype and to remember that each technical specialist must be treated as an individual — and may already have the ability to display the softer skills required to lead a team. Someone might be a technical specialist in the office, but he or she may possess innate leadership qualities or be involved in leadership and management activities outside the office. I mentioned it was a difficult — but possible — transition. If well-managed and using performance management and other methods mentioned above, it doesn’t have to be difficult at all. What’s your experience with specialist-to-generalist transitions, when technical experts assume management posts? Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.