Enough with T-shaped people. Let's build 上-shaped (Shang-shaped) people
By George ILIEV
Repurpose Education
T-shaped people have breadth of knowledge (the horizontal stroke of T) and depth in one particular area (the vertical stroke). They are the ideal employees of consulting firms: knowledgeable enough to collaborate with everybody and specialist enough so that their skills have value on the market.
However, there is an even better metaphor to describe the type of people we need in a knowledge-based society: "上" [shang], the Chinese character for "Up", as in 上海 (Shanghai).
Here is the rationale for 上, with its three elements: foundation, aspiration and a hook.
1) The horizontal stroke is the breadth of generalist knowledge: a FOUNDATION which modern high-school education is expected to develop.
2) The vertical stroke is the ASPIRATION towards a particular area of expertise, which ideally should be your hobby. After all, you are what you take time to become. If you often do something that you are passionate about, why not turn it into your vocation and make a living out of it.
3) The little horizontal bar is the "soft skills" HOOK with which you connect with others: communication, negotiation, leadership, influencing, ethical decision-making, creativity, curiosity.
The key differences between T and 上 are the hook and the vertical stroke. The T model usually omits soft skills although occasionally soft skills are lumped together with the broad-based knowledge in the horizontal stroke of T; whereas 上 separates the two into distinct categories: the foundation and the hook. The other main difference is the direction of the vertical stroke. T only suggests depth/specialisation, irrespective of what it costs you to achieve this depth, e.g. Malcolm Gladwell's proverbial 10,000 hours of practice required to achieve expertise/proficiency in a field. While in 上 the aspiration for specialisation seeks alignment with your hobby and passion, in search of fulfilment of the Japanese concept of "ikigai" (reason for being, or life's essentials).
In a way, the focus on T model skills puts you in a path-dependent rut from an early stage in your career, which then risks evolving into a downward spiral if the field of specialisation is chosen wrongly. 上, on the other hand, gives you a free choice of trajectory through life. So why give a dog a bad (specialist) name? And why hang him if you can "shang" him: help him go higher following his passion.*
*Note: The original proverb is "Give a dog a bad name and hang him". In both the extreme interpretation (bad reputation) and a less extreme version based on one's specialisation (professional / industry fame), confirmation bias makes observers give more weight to evidence that supports their pre-conception, e.g. HR professionals recruiting people for a given field primarily based on past track record in this field.
Repurpose Education
T-shaped people have breadth of knowledge (the horizontal stroke of T) and depth in one particular area (the vertical stroke). They are the ideal employees of consulting firms: knowledgeable enough to collaborate with everybody and specialist enough so that their skills have value on the market.
However, there is an even better metaphor to describe the type of people we need in a knowledge-based society: "上" [shang], the Chinese character for "Up", as in 上海 (Shanghai).
Here is the rationale for 上, with its three elements: foundation, aspiration and a hook.
1) The horizontal stroke is the breadth of generalist knowledge: a FOUNDATION which modern high-school education is expected to develop.
2) The vertical stroke is the ASPIRATION towards a particular area of expertise, which ideally should be your hobby. After all, you are what you take time to become. If you often do something that you are passionate about, why not turn it into your vocation and make a living out of it.
3) The little horizontal bar is the "soft skills" HOOK with which you connect with others: communication, negotiation, leadership, influencing, ethical decision-making, creativity, curiosity.
The key differences between T and 上 are the hook and the vertical stroke. The T model usually omits soft skills although occasionally soft skills are lumped together with the broad-based knowledge in the horizontal stroke of T; whereas 上 separates the two into distinct categories: the foundation and the hook. The other main difference is the direction of the vertical stroke. T only suggests depth/specialisation, irrespective of what it costs you to achieve this depth, e.g. Malcolm Gladwell's proverbial 10,000 hours of practice required to achieve expertise/proficiency in a field. While in 上 the aspiration for specialisation seeks alignment with your hobby and passion, in search of fulfilment of the Japanese concept of "ikigai" (reason for being, or life's essentials).
In a way, the focus on T model skills puts you in a path-dependent rut from an early stage in your career, which then risks evolving into a downward spiral if the field of specialisation is chosen wrongly. 上, on the other hand, gives you a free choice of trajectory through life. So why give a dog a bad (specialist) name? And why hang him if you can "shang" him: help him go higher following his passion.*
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| 上 [Shang], the Chinese character for Up |
*Note: The original proverb is "Give a dog a bad name and hang him". In both the extreme interpretation (bad reputation) and a less extreme version based on one's specialisation (professional / industry fame), confirmation bias makes observers give more weight to evidence that supports their pre-conception, e.g. HR professionals recruiting people for a given field primarily based on past track record in this field.
上有志向,
ReplyDelete下有基床!
The location of the HOOK is also crucial: it is not a coincidence that the social skills are attached to the ASPIRATION stroke. You can arouse the interest of others through your distinctiveness, not through your encyclopedia-type knowledge of the world.
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