In this age of specialists, it’s quite common to find individuals who possess strong vertical skill sets. At SilverFern, by contrast, we foster a culture in which employees are encouraged to think outside of their core competencies. What we've learned by gathering this type of talent is that it organically creates an environment for fascinating Friday lunchtime conversations about politics, the arts, the economy, education,  philosophy, sociology, and more.

Sure, we eventually get around to talking about technology, but opinions regarding our own industry always seem to be framed by these wider perspectives. And that's a great thing. For SilverFern. And for our clients. This week's discussion was a lively one that started when one of our developers began talking about a movie called Mindwalk and how the central theme of the movie focused on "Systems Thinking".

Perhaps you've seen job descriptions for IT positions that require “strong analytical thinking.” This describes the Specialist who has a vertical aptitude – he/she does one thing extremely well, but may be limited in other diverse skills. A "Systems Thinking" person, on the other hand, is one that has a wide array of skill sets and who is more concerned with broader insights. 

We have gotten to a point in this new economy where the age of the generalist, by necessity, is coming back. Individuals who are able to empathetically grasp the repercussions of a client's greater business needs are increasingly in high demand – especially by small businesses.

This movement to break down interdepartmental walls for the sake of the larger business picture also has a name. It’s called Agile. In the coming weeks we’ll be featuring a series of educational blog entries on the very nature of Agile in business and technology.

In the meantime, if you’d like to participate in one of our Friday lunchtime discussions, you’re welcome to join us and help sort out all of the world’s problems!