There’s a trend towards the hyper-specialization of human resources. Today, I make the case for the HR generalist.
I have nothing against HR specialists. In fact, I think they’re incredibly important. People who are experts are sourcing can often do a far better job finding rockstar candidates that someone who occasionally recruits. Employment law specialists know far more about the legal nuances of being an employer than the typical generalist ever will.
Specialists are a crucial part of HR, but so are generalists.
I think generalists are extremely important for two reasons:
- A holistic approach. Specialists almost always recommend their specialty. Have employee performance issues? A training specialist will recommend training. An employee relations specialist will recommend a performance improvement plan. A generalist will (or should, anyways) take a multi-disciplinary, integrated approach that may include training, a PIP, an exploration of motivational issues and more.
- A better employee experience. As a Renegade HR pro, your main job is get out of the way and let your employees be amazing. Generalists make that easier by providing a one-stop shop for issues an employee has. Sure, the generalist often turns to a specialist for input or to run with the ball. But by letting the generalists direct the flow of traffic, the employee doesn’t have to waste time trying to find out who to reach out to for a solution.
Do you think generalists are important? Let me know why (or why not) in the comments section below.
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Absolutely generalists are important. I look at business a lot like other “organizations” of people focused on “winning.” I’m going to use a sports metaphor but they work and I think there’s enough folks that will understand so I’m not talking past that big a segment of your audience.
Think about a baseball team – they have individual specialists – they’re called players. You also have individual specialist managers – hitting coach, pitching coach, etc. You have the main coach and the team Manager – all of that is designed to allow those that have skills in a particular area the ability to apply them toward the goal of the team. The managers & coaches are there to move them toward their best and the teams best. Each of the coaches has a specialty – usually coming from a history of playing a position – but they were better at coaching than playing.
Business is no different – in every field – not just HR – we need our generalists and our specialists. Sales is another area where we need those that can sell great and those that can manage great sales people. One’s a generalist and one’s a specialist. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!
@Paul – great analogy. thanks for the comment!
Great post. I actually started my HR career as a specialist and moved over to generalist because I think it’s important to understand how things will be actually rolled out in the business.
Too often specialists have amazing ideas- but without the perspective of the generalist- those amazing ideas will fall flat on the ground.
We should be fully utilising specialists and generalists for what they do best in HR.
@Jess – Thanks for the personal story. What did you specialize in, and how do you think working as a generalist has helped shape your perspective of HR?
I started out in an L&D/OD specialist team, where we came up with heaps of great ideas and tools for the business and I always found it a bit frustrating when HR Business Partners didn’t share my enthusiasm or said that they were too busy to roll something out.
Now as a generalist, I can appreciate the difficulties of being in the front line- but still maintain the bigger picture must also be seen in addition to putting out the flames!
I also started out as a specialist (in recruiting) and am now a generalist Biz partner. As a generalist, I have the opportunity to make a much greater impact on the business by understanding all of the pieces of the puzzle. I also have exposure to LEARN more about the business through the many different interactions with employees (benefits, comp, recruiting, retention, EE relations,etc…), which interns help me to make a greater impact in the future. It’s a winning cycle!
@Bonita Martin – Thanks for sharing your experience moving from a specialist to a generalist. Glad to see I’m not the only one who thinks generalists add a lot of value!
I’ve been a generalist for my entire 20-ish year HR career, so absolutely I’m going to agree with you! I like that I have the the “full picture” of HR issues, so I am better able to provide insight about myriad issues to the management team — comp, benefits, employee relations, recruiting, you name it — instead of needing to cull this information from a variety of specialists. Also, I think generalists are perhaps more “user friendly” for employees (I hate that I used the term “user friendly” but my brain is tired!) Instead of having to figure out who to call about this issue or that issue, it’s one-stop assistance. That said, however, I have worked for companies in the 100-500 employee size-ranges, so generalists probably make more sense for that size workforce.
@Suzanne – Thanks for the comment. For larger organizations, what are your thoughts on a hybrid model where generalists who support a segmented portion of the workforce partner with specialists to create solutions?
I can’t help but compare this to the medical field, and how general physicians become so underrated, although I hear there’s a comeback for them as well now. Get advice from a surgeon and it will always involve a scalpal. Go to a general physician and you’ll start small and work your way to the most complex solution, if necessary. As a generalist, I become a specialist on an as-needed basis. When I need to know more about a specific issue, I dive really deep to resolve that issue, typically with the help from a fellow specialist in my network. Small to medium companies need generalists, otherwise the needs of the organization would never get met.
@Maleea – Fantastic analogy! Thanks for commenting. =)