Foxes v.s. Hedgehogs

Should you be a generalist or a specialist?

In The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith champions the division of labour as the primary source of productivity, using the vivid example of a pin manufacturing factory: “One person draws out the wire, another straightens it, a third cuts it, a fourth points it, a fifth grinds it.” By specialising in one task, each worker becomes highly skilled at what they…