With almost 3M impressions and 32k engagements, last year’s post generated a lot of response. One of the most often made comment is that there’s more than just these two types.

While we may be able to draw an entire alphabet, I like this typology of types: I, T, M and V that was put forward by Mike Dyne on Medium. This is what the four types of employee stand for (Dyne’s descriptions):

I-Shaped Employees
I-shaped employees have a narrow area of expertise and little or no knowledge or experience in other areas. While they may excel in their specific area of expertise, they may struggle to collaborate with others and bring a diverse set of skills to their work.

T-Shaped Employees
T-shaped employees are specialists in one area with shallow knowledge in other areas. They can be valuable team members who can contribute their deep expertise to the group. Typically, T-shaped employees are more focused and task-oriented.

M-Shaped Employees
M-shaped employees have deep knowledge in two or more areas. They are adaptable and able to switch between different areas of expertise while also being able to integrate them together. They tend to be more visionary and creative.

V-Shaped Employees
V-shaped employees have deep knowledge in one area and medium-deep, medium-broad knowledge in adjacent areas. They are versatile and agile and can switch roles and grow. V-shaped employees tend to be more communicative and collaborative.

I’m the V-Shaped type; not an employee per see, but a V-Shaped entrepreneur. I have one area where I have developed deep expertise over the past 20 years. And next to that I have built and continue to build a set of adjacent skills and expertise that complement my core area.

What about you? And your the right type for you, or should you develop into another type?

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