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Meaning Of Specialization
Specialization is one of the most demanding and advantageous concepts that many companies follow and rely upon. In this competitive world, there are many companies that produce specific goods and services. There are many other companies as well that specialize in producing particular products. The production of such types of specific products is known as specialization. It is a scenario where a company is focused on a particular task for its operation, success, and growth.
Specialization is a method of production in which an entity focuses on the production of some specific range of products. Specialization is basically done to achieve a great degree of efficiency, productivity, and experience. In other words, it can be said that a business is said to be in specialization when it is producing a product in which it is an expert.
Examples Of Specialization
Let us consider a company, ABC Ltd., that is producing fruit wine for the purpose of selling it. The company also exports this fruit wine to nearby countries. There is no other company that can make such fruit wines. The company uses fresh fruit and some other ingredients to make its wine different and unique. Also, the company has been dealing in this wine for years. Thus, the company is said to be focusing on specialization as it specializes in producing a particular product, i.e., fruit wine.
Let us take another example of specialization. A company called Blender is making organic tea bags in different flavors and varieties. The company deals in tea bags only and specializes in making them. Its unique formula, taste, and manufacturing and production process make it one of the best companies in the tea bag niche.
Advantages Of Specialization
The greatest benefit of specialization is that it allows you to gain a competitive advantage over a particular product. When a company regularly makes a specific product, it becomes proficient at making it, which allows it to make the same product at a lower cost and with greater efficiency.
Moreover, when you are engaged in making a particular product for a long time, your customers also increase and you gain access to the market. Specialization helps you earn customers’ trust over a particular product and retain them for a long time. Apart from this, other advantages of specialization include:
Helps in increasing brand recognition
Specialization increases a company’s brand recognition by making it professional in a particular field of product or service. It helps the company to explore its product to the fullest and find the best possible ways to make its brand more reputed and recognised.
Helps in Innovation
When a company is specialized in the production of a particular product, it continuously develops new ways to make that product more reliable, efficient, and profitable. It helps the company find innovative ways related to production, packaging, promotion, and marketing.
Creating economies of scale
Another benefit of specialization is that it allows the company to take advantage of economies of scale. The term “economies of scale” here refers to the ability to do more production with less cost. Economies of scale allow a company to produce more and more products on a large scale while saving money. This further helps the company to increase their profit and control costs.
Attracting more customers
Specialization helps the company to attract more customers with its specialized and unique products and services. A company engaged in specialization can produce more products at a lower cost and offer its customers high-quality products at a comparatively lower price. This makes them more preferable and helps to attract a larger pool of potential customers. Moreover, specialization not only attracts a pool of customers but also helps to retain them by delivering utilities to them.
Enhanced skill development
When you perform a particular task regularly, you gain experience in it and become proficient. In specialization, you are not only allowed to perform a particular task on a continuous basis but also critically think about it and go for innovation.
Disadvantages Of Specialization
As we all know, a coin has two phases. Similarly, anything that has advantages also has disadvantages, which makes it a matter of concern. Specialization, too, has some disadvantages, which are as follows:
Leads to lethargy and mistakes
When a task or production takes place on a continuous basis and there is no change in its process, it makes employees lethargic and increases the chances of mistakes. The new tasks and routine jobs engage the employees with themselves and let them focus on the product with their entire concentration. But, if employees are required to produce a particular product regularly and work on it for long hours, it will increase the chances of mistakes as they will perform it with negligence.
Suitability
Specialization does not suit every organization. It is good for some specific organizations in the long term. For organizations dealing in technology, clothes, and other related items, specialization is not suitable. This is because specialization means dealing with a particular product for a long time. But, in the case of technology and clothes, they become outdated and they are always replaced by the new trends. So, it is not suitable for all organizations.
Focus on a particular skill
Specialization focuses not only on a particular product but on a particular skill as well. It binds the person to a specific or limited range of skills and doesn’t allow them to learn anything else.
Inflexible
Specialization is inflexible in cases of emergency. When an employee is excellent at a particular skill and has been performing the same skill for a long time without any alteration, you cannot give him another task in case of an emergency. He will be incompetent at performing any other task when required.
Conclusion
Specialization is one of the most demanding branches in the field of commerce that allows a company to gain specialization over a particular product or services. Specialization reflects the uniqueness and efficiency of a company over a particular product. It is very advantageous to the company as it allows it to build its brand, promote innovation, attract and retain customers, and enhance an employee’s experience in a particular field. But, it has disadvantages also, and the biggest one is that it limits the employee to a particular or specific skill. Therefore, it does not allow them to develop or experience something new. Although specialization is a very famous concept, it still suits some specific organizations.