Art by Aaskash Nihalani
T-shaped is a metaphor to describe workers with both depth and breadth in their skills: competent in a wide range of related fields as well as expert in a particular area.
The term was popularised by Tim Brown, CEO of the innovation and design firm IDEO, who describes T-shaped people as having two kinds of characteristics that complement each other.
‘The vertical stroke of the “T” is a depth of skill that allows them to contribute to the creative process. That can be from any number of different fields: an industrial designer, an architect, a social scientist, a business specialist or a mechanical engineer,’ said Brown.
