Meta-functional expertise

Meta-functional expertise is the breadth of one’s strategically important knowledge.<ref>Bunderson, J. S. (2003). Team member functional background and involvement in management teams: Direct effects and the moderating role of power centralization. The Academy of Management Journal, 458–474.</ref> It differs from the traditional conceptualization of expertise, which is generally considered to be a great depth of knowledge in a defined area, and where thus experts are people who are distinguished as knowing a lot about a particular subject. Comparatively, a meta-functional expert is considered to be somewhat knowledgeable in many different areas but not necessarily an expert in any single domain.

Compared to generalists

Someone high on meta-functional expertise is similar to a generalist in that they have a wide array of knowledge. However, where generalists know many different things meta-functional experts have enough depth of knowledge in each area to be considered knowledgeable by other members of their team at work.<ref>: Bunderson, JS., & Sutcliffe, KM. 2002. Comparing Alternative Conceptualizations of Functional Diversity in Management Teams: Process and Performance Effects. The Academy of Management Journal 45(5): 875-893</ref>

Results of meta-functional expertise

Individuals high on meta-functional expertise are:

• Better able to acquire social power at work because they can translate between specialists.<ref>Bunderson, J. S. (2003). Team member functional background and involvement in management teams: Direct effects and the moderating role of power centralization. The Academy of Management Journal, 458–474</ref><ref>Dahlander, L. & O’Mahony, S. 2011. Progressing to the Center: Coordinating Project Work. Organization Science. 22(4): 961-979</ref>
• More successful as entrepreneurs<ref>Beckman, C.M. & Burton, D.M. 2008. Founding the Future: Path Dependence in the Evolution of Top Management Teams from Founding to IPO. Organization Science, 19(1): 3–24</ref>
• More innovative<ref>Mors, M. L. (2009). Innovation in a global consulting firm: when the problem is too much diversity. Strategic Management Journal, 31(8), 841–872.</ref>
• More likely to get promoted at work<ref>Kelly, et al Combining diverse knowledge: knowledge workers’ experience of specialists and generalist roles. Personnel Review, 29(4): 384-427

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• Better able to get information from people outside of their work team<ref>Tushman, M.L., & Scanlan, T.J. 1981. Boundary Spanning Individuals: Their Role in Information Transfer and Their Antecedents. The Academy of Management Journal, 24 (2): 289-305</ref><ref>Tushman, M.L., & Scanlan, T.J. Characteristics and external orientations of boundary spanning individuals. Academy of Management Journal, 24(1): 83-98</ref>

Groups with more meta-functional experts on them perform better because they:

• Communicate better with one another and share more ideas <ref>Bunderson, JS., & Sutcliffe, KM. 2002. Comparing Alternative Conceptualizations of Functional Diversity in Management Teams: Process and Performance Effects. The Academy of Management Journal 45(5): 875-893</ref><ref>Somech, A. 2006. The Effects of Leadership Style and Team Process on Performance and Innovation in Functionally Heterogeneous Teams, Journal of Management, 32: 132-157

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• Understand their surroundings better <ref>Cummings, J.N. 2004. Work Groups, Structural Diversity, and Knowledge Sharing in a Global Organization. Management Science, 50(3): 352-364</ref>
• Gain knowledge external to the group more efficiently<ref>Haas, M.R. 2006. Acquiring and Applying Knowledge in Transnational Teams: The Roles of Cosmopolitans and Locals. Organization Science, 17(3): 367-384</ref>
• Are more innovative<ref>Fay, D., Carol Borrill1, Ziv Amir, Robert Haward and Michael A. West. 2006. Getting the most out of multidisciplinary teams: A multi-sample study of team innovation in health care. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 79: 553–567</ref>

See also

• Interdisciplinarity, utilization of specialist knowledge from several areas to solve a problem
• Interdiscipline, a discipline based on several disciplines, but which can also be considered an independent discipline