In Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, David Epstein pushes back against specialization by highlighting the benefits of range.

The key takeaways are below. Epstein uses tons of examples and studies to support his points, and you can read about some of them in my full summary.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Specialisation is overrated:
  • We face a lot of pressure to specialise, and to specialise early. There is no entrenched interest pushing for greater range.
  • Specialisation is great at solving “kind problems”, where the goals are clear and you get accurate, fast feedback. In these cases, specialisation is efficient. But range is better at dealing with “wicked problems” (which most problems in the modern world are).
• Range makes us more creative and innovative:
  • When we learn things in more contexts, it improves our abstract reasoning abilities.
  • Abstract reasoning then helps us apply existing knowledge to new situations, such as by using analogies.
  • Epstein refers to many studies and examples that show how range has helped people be innovative or make important discoveries.
  • Teams and organisations with diverse backgrounds (greater range) also tend to be more innovative.
• The benefits of range also extend to teams and organisations:
  • Diverse teams tend to be more successful and have a higher chance of making breakthroughs.
  • Some degree of incongruence in an organisation is good.
• Sampling leads to better match quality (how well-matched a person is with their job, partner, etc):
  • Narrow, deliberate practice should only come after sampling. Elite athletes and musicians often went through a early sampling period to find the sport/instrument that suited them. Only then do they ramp up the practice.
  • Grit depends on context—it’s not a stable personality trait. When you get good fit, it looks like grit.
  • People who switch careers or take circuitous paths can feel “behind” initially, but are happier in the long run as they get better match quality.
• Things that look inefficient may be more effective in the long run:
  • Unintuitively, learning is more effective when it’s slow and challenging.
  • Early specialisation can give people a head start, but that lead vanishes or even reverses over the longer run as people with more range catch up.

Read the full detailed summary on ToSummarise.com​