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Bridging the gap - are STEM and 'People' really so different?

2/3/2023

3 Comments

 
One of my audacious professional goals is to help bridge the gap between two previously very distinct worlds: STEM and 'People'.

And, maybe, just maybe, together we can bring these two silos much closer together?

From outside, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) is focused on science, numbers, data, analysis and the pursuit of precision. A lot is 'hard' skill-based. In my professions, there is also significant importance placed on 'judgement', after analysing and synthesising the data though i.e. there is space for intuition honed from experience, provided it is evidence-based.

People disciplines are far more 'soft' skill-focused, with adaptability and gut-feel highly prized. There are often no checklists, or step-by-step manuals, and 'best practice' tends to be more anecdotal. Being able to:
  • respond to the group or specific situation as it evolves,
  • manage change as we proceed, and
  • foster human creativity and expression,
are valued.

There's even debate about whether social sciences (like psychology) are part of STEM. People Analytics is one (emerging) discipline that sits in the space between - thank you to its experts who share their knowledge with me to help me understand more about how things are evolving. Also, some People topics (like psychometrics) have long involved STEM elements like statistical validity.

But, why are STEM and 'People' still so far apart? Is it: 
  • a backlash against Taylor's Scientific Management? 
  • because very different types of individuals are attracted to each discipline, with alternative emphasis on what's important? 
  • our human nature to want to be different/special, defy neat classification, and act depending on how we feel or who we are with? 
  • our overconfidence that we're especially good at harder-to-measure skills, like leadership, communication, influencing and more?
  • something else?

Any suggestions to shed more light on this? 💡
3 Comments
Bradley
3/3/2023 15:12:05

If STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, and (according to Twitter) PHLEGM is Philosophy, History, Languages, English Literature, Geography and Music, where does 'People' fit then? 🤔

Reply
Samta
3/3/2023 15:21:09

Indeed a bold goal!

Something else: the school system... Conditioning starts at school - you are either a STEM or PHLEGM (I would think PHLEGM students are more naturally people-oriented), and the interconnectedness piece is missing.

For example, the study of a simple plant shouldn't be limited to its physical structure in a school book in confines of a class or a science lab. Instead it should consider all aspects of its nature - maybe a field trip to understand its very existence, how it comes to be, the seasonality, its importance to the ecosystem, the golden ratio at work in nature, the concepts of impermanence, beauty and fragility and maybe different feelings it invokes in each of the pupils, some deeper questions like imagining a world without flowers etc?

Imagine the possibilities for graduates of such a system! I don't think there would be any silos then.

[This is an edited repost of a comment on the LinkedIn shares of this article]

Reply
Bradley
3/3/2023 15:26:10

Perhaps education is based on the drive to specialise i.e. pick your lane and stick in it? Wouldn't it be wonderful if we instead encouraged children (and adults) to like/be/learn this AND that?

There is value in 'interconnectedness', yes - a great term to use. Thanks for adding your thoughts!

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