Depth and Width
Inspiration for this blog post:
Kayleigh Collins of Kay Coaching LLC
Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin A. Abbott
In data & technology work, there have always been Specialists and Generalists. As with everything that may appear binary at first, these two concepts are actually part of a continuum, a spectrum of existing and working. All Specialists must have some general knowledge to thrive and all Generalists must have enough knowledge about particular systems or technology platforms to be able to use them effectively. This isn’t so much a balancing act as it is a modern dance. We can and should feel free to move along the spectrum of experience with specialties and general knowledge as we learn, use, and love our data and technology.
It is no secret that systems as big as something like Salesforce require a very large commitment of time and brain space to continue to swim in the depths of its offerings. And some systems like Conga Composer or Tableau are more focused in what they can do, but require some more “wide” knowledge (in SQL code, CSS, mail merge best practices, data visualization approaches, data integrations, automations, etc) to be able to use them effectively. And then there are systems like Spreadsheets, which are such “blank pages” that they really shine when being used by someone who has a Generalists wide knowledge and experience as well as a Specialists deep-dive of knowledge and skill in this single platform (for example, knowing a shit ton of formulas but also the situations when to use them or not).
In a nonprofit with a positive data & technology culture, the dance between Generalist and Specialist is happening all the time, across the organization. Staff members have the support of ongoing professional development to go deep into a specific technology AND to gain a wide-range of experience and knowledge across many different topics. Ideally, job titles are not locked into a single platform or technology, and non-tech team staff members have some kind of data & tech responsibilities and continuous learning built into their job descriptions.
The mission of Make Tech Work For You is wide: we want all nonprofits to have the positive data & tech culture to learn, use, and love their data & tech for mission-driven work.
And the work itself is deep: becoming a part of the organizations we work with, building relationships with staff members, and working together towards the missions.
Scaling this kind of deep and wide work is a modern dance as well. And new dance partners are always welcome. Check out the work we do and get in touch if you want your organization to go deep, or if you want to join in to scale this work and bring it really wide.
