T-Shaped Managers—One Size Does Not Fit All: Exploratory Study from the Military

People are an organization’s most important resource. Managers who are collaborative and innovative ensure that organizations remain competitive. This type of manager has been referred to as a T-shaped manager. “T” given that the vertical portion represents the depth of expertise, and the horizontal portion represents the breadth of expertise. How this type of manager is created has yet to be explored. I contend that the experiences that managers have along their professional development pathway is influenced by the organization. An organization can make decisions that develop a manager’s ability to sustain positive productivity. This research proposes that there is variance in the T-shaped manager and makes a distinction between what I classify as Little T-shaped managers (LtMs), and big T-shaped (BTMs). LtMs are managers whose experiences are more tactical and whose depth of knowledge is in a specific skill area. BTMs have tactical depth but also have developed a knowledge base that crosses several functional areas and are capable of more strategic thinking. I illustrate my reasoning using the United States Army as a research setting. I conducted interviews with senior leaders and leveraged additional data to form propositions for future exploration. The research highlights that often what the organization wants in its future leaders is not necessarily what it actually develops or promotes to positions of senior leadership. This work provides a framework for discussing how an organization can create the T-shaped manager it needs.