Does Your Org Need Generalists or Specialists?
In The News
Early in my leadership career, I faced a hard decision. I knew that my team needed additional skills that we didn’t have, but I couldn’t get extra headcount. I had a clear decision in front of me: try to use the team I had and build up their skills in general or let someone go and hire a specialist.
What brought this incident to mind is the recent layoffs at Intuit. The company said it is laying off 1,800 employees, but not due to over-hiring or the need to reduce costs. It is due to the investment in AI. In fact, the company said that it expects overall headcount to increase in 2025. This article focuses on the decision managers face as well as how they should be honestly communicating with their team on this challenge.