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The Neo-Generalist
Book

The Neo-Generalist

Where You Go Is Who You Are

LID Business Media, 2016 more...

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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Analytical
  • Overview
  • For Experts

Recommendation

Business adviser Kenneth Mikkelsen and writer Richard Martin post a thought-provoking central theme: Appreciate the “generalists” on your staff and understand what they can do for your organization. Today’s corporate leaders tend to esteem “specialists” and banish generalists. The authors suggest taking a different path since “neo-generalists” can act as intermediaries among specialties, helping to cross-pollinate ideas and to keep the experts aware of the big picture. This lively, passionate book traces how generalism went out of style. Then, the authors profile several dozen modern, generalist Renaissance men and women in the arts, entrepreneurship, international development and education. getAbstract recommends this treatise to executives who are seeking to spark new ideas and nurture synergistic energy within and among their teams.

Take-Aways

  • Society values the “specialist” over the “generalist.” This leads organizations to form silos that don’t share knowledge and perspectives.
  • Formal education focuses on “funneling” students into specialties.
  • Specialization is a remnant of early 20th-century theories of scientific management.

About the Authors

Kenneth Mikkelsen is a writer, business adviser and Peter Drucker Society associate; he co-founded the St. Martin’s School for underprivileged children in Cameroon. Freelance editor Richard Martin wrote the film noir study Means Streets and Raging Bulls.


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