“T-shaped” people is a term used to describe the kind of people that posses a strong vertical skill (the vertical stroke of the T), but who has alsoa broad empathy toward other skills and disciplines encountered in the business.
Another definition is “Having skills and knowledge that are both deep and broad”.
For Tim Brown, IDEO CEO, who believes that T-Shaped people are the engine of IDEO´s creativity and success, describes these people this way: ”the vertical shaft of the “T” represents the depth of expertise/skill that a person exhibits, while the crossbar of the “T” represents the amount they are willing and able to collaborate. People who are T-shaped are well-rounded and versatile. They are better able to contribute their ideas to a discussion and are able to take on a variety of roles”.
Why I am talking about this type of people? Because, if you want to be a succesful professional, manager, or executive, because being clean, competent, thorough and efficient is no longer good enough. Companies are looking for people with ’T-shaped competencies’, possessing deep skills in their area of expertise as well as a broad knowledge of horizontal skills such as management, finance and business operations, etc.
More T-shape articles:
* BBH LABS: http://bbh-labs.com/are-you-ready-to-form-voltron-on-the-value-of-t-shaped-people
*Code Renaissance: http://www.coderenaissance.com/2008/06/t-shaped-people.html
