Rethinking the perennial problem of generalists vs specialists: applications in a 5th Generation headquarters

Operational C2 systems, as realised in military headquarters, will involve in the future a far greater diversity of knowledge domain specialists than the traditional paradigm, expanding to encompass experts in warfare and manoeuvre across non-traditional domains, emerging digital technologies, and multi-agency linkages as demanded by the increasing complexity of the cooperation-competition-conflict environment. The integration of these elements will be critical to enable timely and accurate awareness and decision making to meet the challenges and threats of an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape in which military force is but one element of national power.The integration of these specialists is not without its challenges, including problems with cross-domain communication, role ambiguity and team orientation. Generalists, individuals with a broader gambit of knowledge but less depth than specialists, are frequently touted as the solution to multi-disciplinary teams. Generalists alone however lack the domain expertise to complete the same depth of tasks as specialists. Organisational theory provides a plethora of literature examining the specialist/generalist composition of an organisation, which is known as the specialist vs generalist dilemma.This paper will draw upon this body of research to build on the design of a 5th Generation Headquarters, a concept previously presented in ICCRTS. Included will be a model that enriches the binary conceptualisation of generalism v specialism, to explore the broad spectrum of knowledge heterogeneity and depth. Changes in structure, staff training, and automation/autonomous technologies are discussed as possible parameters that may be modified to enhance organisational effectiveness and agility.