Organizations have always needed skilled professionals in order to thrive. The concept of a certain ‘Shape’ professional, as a way of describing and visualizing the types of skills needed by professionals, has been around since the 1970’s. It gained popularity in the early 2000’s, as workplaces started to become increasingly complex and dynamic, and this led to an explosion of different ‘Shapes.’ Understanding the ‘Shape’ concept can certainly be useful. But how can we make sense of it all and make sure we don’t lose ourselves in a confusion of letter soup?! I will try to untangle some of the confusion in this article – and to introduce a new paradigm as food for thought.
It all started off so simple. As computers started to tentatively make their way into the workplace, the cry was: We need Specialists! Professionals with very highly specialized knowledge and technical skills, to operate and program computers, and help navigate this new territory. The I-Shaped Professional was born: the professional with deep expertise in one specific field or domain.
But it soon became clear that the I-Shaped Professional had limitations. Their focus on deep expertise in one particular field meant that they sometimes lacked a broader understanding of other areas, which became problematic when they needed to collaborate with others. As organizations became more dynamic, there emerged a need for more cross-functional collaboration, better adaptability, and a broader understanding of the business context. Enter the T-Shaped Professional!
The T-Shaped Professional has a blend of competences, both in the depth and in the breadth. The vertical line of the T represents deep expertise in one area, while the horizontal line represents a broad, general understanding of related areas. Whilst T-Shaped Professionals sometimes lacked the pure focused specialist knowledge of the I-Shaped Professionals, they proved themselves more adaptable and more able to work cross-functionally.
So far, so good.
But as the ‘Shape’ concept started becoming more popular, a whole plethora of different ‘Shapes’ started to emerge… and that’s where it started to become somewhat confusing!
Here are some of the other ‘Shapes’ which emerged:
As if the ‘Shape’ landscape wasn’t already complex enough, recent years have seen the emergence of a new ‘Shape’: the E-Shaped Professional. The four lines of the ‘E’ represent four areas: Expertise; Experience; Exploration; and Execution. This is a response to modern work environments where curiosity is encouraged, but there is also a very strong emphasis on Execution. The E-Shaped Professional has execution skills which means he/ she can translate ideas into reality – and this leads to higher performance, as things actually get done.
In my view, the E-Shaped Professional is a completely different type of description than the others. It doesn’t describe the combination of breadth and depth of skills required, like the other ‘Shapes’ do; instead, it actually describes which specific skills (or even ‘mindset’) are required. I would argue that the E-Shaped Professional can be laid over any of the other ‘Shapes’, to make sure that the skills of Professionals, both in the depth and in the breadth, are influenced by other elements such as curisoity to explore and a focus on execution.
While we’re at it then, since this alphabet soup is constantly evolving, I would like to suggest adding a new ‘Shape’ to the mix: the S-Shaped Professional. Why would I do this, when the landscape is already confusing enough?! Because, like with the E-Shaped Professional, the S-Shaped Professional can be laid over any of the other ‘Shapes’. The added value is in emphasizing some NextGen skills that should not be missing from the set of competences for pretty much any role these days, on any level (not just Leadership).
The concept of the S-Shaped Professional has some relationship to the S-curve which is used to map career stages. The S-curve identifies three stages: Aspiring (exploring options and laying the foundations for your future career); Driving (navigating the path and making your mark); and Arriving (still working hard but already having achieved the level of success desired). However, the S-Shaped Professional has a different perspective, focusing on the skills and mindset needed in today’s business environment as opposed to the stage of your career.
The characteristics of the S-Shaped Professional are as follows:
As mentioned, the S-Shape can be laid over any of the other ‘Shapes’. The advantages of developing S-Shaped Professionals are:
The following career path serves as an example of how a professional can develop in their career, to help illustrate the different ‘Shapes’ based on the skills and mindset needed.
The good thing is that there is no ‘correct Shape’ to be. The right mix of depth and breadth of knowledge will depend on the role you have, the way you learn, and whether you are a generalist or specialist by nature. A few things are clear, though. As organizations are now often dynamic and complex, understanding of different areas of the business will certainly be required to facilitate effective collaboration and avoid silos. We can also say with certainty that developing a lifelong learning mindset, together with emotional skills and adaptability, are all key to becoming successful in today’s fast-changing and competitive business environment.
When EXIN first introduced its Career Path certifications in 2016, they were based upon the T-Shaped Professional model, reflecting the thinking of the time. These paths were often ‘stacked’ in a flexible, modular approach. For example, the Data Protection Officer (DPO) Career Path included some of the key building blocks required for the Information Security Officer (ISO) Career Path, leading to a cross-over. This reflects the fact that multiple roles are sometimes performed by one individual.
EXIN is now remodeling the Career Path certifications based on the S-Shaped Professional, laid over a basis of both broad and deep skills. The EXIN Career Path approach combines deep expertise in one or more area (via ‘cross-over’ possibilities), with broader, interdisciplinary knowledge to enable effective collaboration. The inclusion of topics such as AI (ethics), AgileScrum, Data Analytics, and SIAM ensures there is also a focus on NextGen skills such as adaptability, collaborative ways of working, data-driven decision-making, and human-centricity. The focus is always on Lifelong learning, and the Career Paths help guide professionals towards a specific role (current, new or aspired), with recognition of existing skills and knowledge along the way.
I hope this article has helped to navigate some of the confusion, as well as providing food for thought on a new paradigm. Whichever ‘Shape’ you are, or even whether you develop a unique ‘Shape’ of your own – Happy Lifelong Learning!
This article has been posted by Suzanne Galletly, Digital Skills Director at EXIN.
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