TL;DR: Strict specialization is not as helpful as you think it is.
The Lens: We’ve recently been trying to increase the effectiveness of our teams by increasing the amount of communication between departments.
If our designers understand more of the technical limitations, they will be able to design in ways that will produce better outcomes.
In the same way if our developers have a better understanding of what the designers are trying to achieve, they can more efficiently develop the solutions.
If team members have even a 3-5% overlap In skills with an adjacent department it radically improves the effectiveness of the entire team and puts less pressure on the team lead / project manager to function as a translator.
Reference: Hansen, M. T., & von Oetinger, B. (2001). Introducing T-Shaped Managers: Knowledge Management’s Next Generation. Harvard Business Review.
Reference: Marks, M. A., Sabella, M. J., Burke, C. S., & Zaccaro, S. J. (2002). The Impact of Cross-Training on Team Effectiveness. Journal of Applied Psychology.
