Who is a functional specialist

For small businesses in particular, using a consultant is a good alternative when it doesn't make sense to hire someone on a permanent or full-time basis. For example, while a larger company might have a tax professional on staff, a smaller company might contract with an expert only during tax season.

Large and small companies typically need a management generalist on staff, but generalists also can be used in a consultant capacity, often to diagnose general management and leadership problems such as productivity issues.

Generalists may perform better in mixed-specialty teams because they have a greater understanding of the issues other team members are facing, meaning they can communicate more easily with the other group members. For this reason, a team made up of generalists might actually perform better on a group task than a team consisting of functional experts, even though the level of technical expertise is not as good. A management generalist heading a team must guard against the team listening disproportionately to his opinions, and inadvertently ignoring the expert information provided by functional specialists.

For more than a decade, Tia Benjamin has been writing organizational policies, procedures and management training programs. A C-level executive, she has more than 15 years experience in human resources and management. A Functional Specialist Vs.

By Tia Benjamin. Technical Expertise If a position calls for technical expertise with a significant depth of knowledge, a functional specialist is the best choice.

Adapting to Change Management generalists are more adept at adapting to change. Consulting Skills Businesses will often retain a functional specialist for detailed consulting expertise in a particular area.

Team Success Generalists may perform better in mixed-specialty teams because they have a greater understanding of the issues other team members are facing, meaning they can communicate more easily with the other group members. A management generalist has a broad skill set that allows her to manage multiple areas of a business, overseeing functional specialists.

For example, the chief executive officer or chief operating officer of a business help create the big-picture strategies for a business, working with the HR, marketing, accounting, sales and production managers.

The advantages of being a functional specialist include being able to focus on one area of a profession you love, job security that comes with being an expert, higher salaries as you develop more expertise, and the ability to work without a hands-on supervisor as you demonstrate more expertise. Management generalists enjoy the ability to strengthen an entire company, rather than just one area, which can help you avoid boredom or burnout.

Both specialist and generalists have the opportunity to work as consultants or starting their own businesses. If you specialize, you can charge higher fees. Specialists might have fewer job opportunities than if they can offer a business multiple skills. If you commit to a specific function, it might be hard to change fields if you burn out, based on the amount of education and training it takes to become a specialist.

Generalists must prove they have the skills to run a business, often starting out by working for low pay as consultants for small businesses. Consultants who provide a wide variety of services will have trouble competing against specialists in certain areas.

Specialists might find it more difficult to find as many clients as generalists. Sam Ashe-Edmunds has been writing and lecturing for decades. He has worked in the corporate and nonprofit arenas as a C-Suite executive, serving on several nonprofit boards. He is an internationally traveled sport science writer and lecturer.

Edmunds has a bachelor's degree in journalism. Career Advice.