Are specialists grumpy?

I came across the folllowing a while ago but hadn’t got around to adding it here. It seems to be a gross generalisation (no pun intented), but interesting nevertheless:

Karl Weick writes:

Generalists, people with moderately strong attachments to many ideas, should be hard to interrupt, and once interrupted, should have weaker, shorter negative negative reactions since they have alternative paths to realize their plans. Specialists, people with stronger attachments to fewer ideas, should be easier to interrupt, and once interrupted, should have stronger,more sustained negative reactions because they have fewer alternative pathways to realize their plans. Generalists should be the the upbeat, positive people in the profession while specialists should be their grouchy, negative counterparts.

via Bob Sutton.

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