The AI Overview (I can hear you groan, you know) define T-shaping as “the concept of developing individuals with both deep expertise in a specific area (the vertical bar of the "T") and a broad range of general knowledge and skills (the horizontal bar of the "T").
T-shaping is all about skills.
You can also get N-shaping and M-shaping – about deepening your skills in a couple of areas.
In my case, the deep expertise is copywriting, content design and content strategy (although all these disciplines are one job, IMO).
I lengthened my T by being able to design content because I know what’s involved in creating a webpage or building a component. So I can make decisions on the best approach based on budget, time scale and objective.
I can also write social media posts, emails, blogs, web journeys, app journeys, leaflets, textbooks, videos, infographics, ads, PPC, display and ATL.
Due to my experience working in digital and marketing teams that I rely on to make these happen, I have general knowledge about CRM, social media, development, product ownership, legal, UX/UI design, brand, CMS, business analysis, project management and corporate bollocks.
I wouldn’t say I’m an expert in these fields or that I’d be able to do these jobs but I know enough to represent them in meetings and to factor them into any plans or ideas.
Basically, it makes me a better Content Experience Architect and leader.
However, T-shaping is now about jobs.
In the current episode of the enshitification of working life, corporates have bastardised this to mean one person should take on several disciplines without being remunerated or trained.
So organisations can cut the workforce, therefore making a cost saving without compromising on the book of work.
However, this tactic will compromise the quality and cadence of work, distinctiveness and innovation as have non-experts muddling through skills they don’t have.
It would take me ages to design a journey in Figma. It would take a UX designer ages to write copy and get it approved.
BUT WHAT ABOUT AI?! WHAT ABOUT AI?!
This still needs a human to quality check it and it will still be signed off by a human. And again, where’s the distinction and innovation.
Most importantly, I see my job as being a behavioural scientist – it’s important to understand what motivates and inspires people, it’s the only way to get them to click and pay. How could a machine possible understand how to make people see themselves in a product/service and influence them to think, feel and/or do something.
The biggest reason why everything is so frustratingly shit is because there aren’t enough people answering phones, there aren’t enough people making websites easy and there aren’t enough people thinking about what real-life everyday problems need solving.
For that organisations need is V-shaping.
Customer needs + business operations feeding into the one discipline, content.
Of course I’d say that but as mentioned above, only influential words will sell what you’re selling.
All the data, tech and pretty pictures won’t do it.
Content will then Y-shape, sending the output to business operations, who will then build and distribute it to the audience.
Or how about we’re fully resourced to get our jobs done without the
