Answer to Question #194776 in Management for Warda Bintey Rahma

Question

Some people have claimed that the increasing technological sophistication required by many of today’s corporations has led to a return to job specialization. In your opinion, what would be the consequences of a sharp increase in job specialization? Consider both positive and negative outcomes in your answer.

Answer 1

Positive consequences of a sharp increase in job specialization

A benefit of job specialization is that it reduces your risk of making mistakes. When you are highly specialized in a certain job function, you have mastery of tasks within that function. With the decreased likelihood of making mistakes, you will provide value to the company you work for in both time and dollars. Job specialization makes you a more competitive employee because it’s better for a company to have highly specialized workers in a given area than those who have a base-level understanding of required job duties.

Another advantage of job specialization is an increased level of morale across employees. Employees that work in specialized jobs tend to band together in a positive team mentality. With improved morale and the support of other specialized employees, you may experience less work-related stress. This often results in improved performance in addition to a better work environment. Even if you’re the only specialist on your team or in your company, that uniqueness could come with a level of pride and fulfilment. When employees feel that they bring a distinctive responsibility or role to an organization, they also perform it with more motivation and care. Job specialization results in a higher sense of purpose for employees, which translates to improved morale for you and those around you.

Task proficiency might be the greatest of advantages to job specialization because it is an optimal scenario for both parties: the employer and the employee. A relationship with you, as a specialized employee, is valuable to both you and your employer.

For people who like to learn new things, the equipment specialization perk that often occurs in workplaces with job specialists might be advantageous. It’s a phenomenon that occurs when equipment is deployed or re-engineered to meet the needs of the specialist. These office environments can become hubs for the learning and development of equipment skills that can help you throughout your career.

The more you specialize, the fewer tasks you are responsible for. For example, think of an HR generalist. This is someone responsible for a wide number of HR tasks, which could include payroll to processing new employees. However, an accounts payable specialist would only be responsible for the myriad of tasks that fall under accounts payable. Due to this factor, specialists can often reduce the time it takes them to switch tasks.

Negative consequences of a sharp increase in job specialization

A niche business can have trouble finding knowledgeable and qualified staff. One reason is that academic programs at colleges and universities may train graduates only in one specialty that doesn't meet the needs of businesses that are hiring. Another reason is that job descriptions about vacancies are so specific about the desired qualifications that job seekers might shy away from applying.

The consequence of specialization on small businesses is that it puts a greater burden on management to bring all of the smaller tasks together into one large product. This might mean that the business has to hire more managers to oversee projects and operations. These are additional overhead expenses that many small businesses cannot afford.

Small businesses that cannot find specific employees and managers may need to outsource those business functions to other organizations. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that third-party consulting firms will see an increase in demand for specialized knowledge and expertise through 2018. For example, as small businesses go online to attract more customers, IT and social media consultants might be necessary to pull off the endeavour. "Outsourcing" is a dirty word in relation to periods of high unemployment and a dour economy; another consequence is that there is less local small business hiring that is vital to many local communities.

A small business' specialization is generally localized. However, the labour force is nearly global. Skilled individuals can receive temporary work permits or obtain permanent citizenship in many developed countries around the world that have a great need for a skill set, such as scientists and engineers. In-demand job seekers can choose the compensation package that is most attractive. This creates a type of talent acquisition competition in the back office between businesses, large and small. Competition is healthy in the marketplace for consumers, but in terms of staffing, competition hurts small businesses that lose out on vital skilled labour.