What is T-shaped Skills ?
‘T-shaped Skills’ refers to a set of skills possessed by an employee that makes them desirable for the company. It is referred to as ‘T-shaped’ as the stem of the T signifies deep knowledge in their core discipline while the horizontal top line of T signifies the ability to gel well with others and collaborate on any project.
While trying to hire a candidate for any position, HRs would often look for individuals with T-shaped skills as they are the most desirable due to their ability to make their team stronger by cooperating with other team members.
McKinsey & Co. were the first who adopted the ‘T-shaped man’ into consideration while searching for candidates as well as partners and consultants in the 1980s. Later, David Guest referred to this concept in 1991 and it became popular due to it being applied by Tim Brown, the CEO of Ideo Design Consultancy.
