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That sounds totally wrong. As others have pointed out, specialization is the main ingredient in successful division of labor.

Read my variant at http://shezi.posterous.com/over-specialization-is-the-curse-...

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I'd say your variant doesn't work because there's a hierarchical relationship between white-collar and blue-collar workers (one is hired by the other). This is not true for frontend vs. backend engineering in my experience. They are supposedly equal peers.

Not necessarily. A guy working in the workshop of a mechanic vs. a secretary in the same shop don't share the hierarchy you outline, yet the piece still works.

In any case, it was just a cheap shot at the silly point that specialization is bad.

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