Unlocking the Power of Expertise in Organizations

Denise Rousseau and Jeroen Stouten’s “Experts and Expertise in Organizations: An Integrative Review on Individual Expertise” offers a compelling exploration of how expertise functions within organizational settings. Drawing from cognitive science, psychology, and professional studies, the authors illuminate the multifaceted nature of expertise, emphasizing its pivotal role in driving effective decision-making and organizational success. This comprehensive review redefines expertise, shifting the focus from simplistic measures like years of experience to a deeper understanding of cognitive mastery, learning, and adaptation.

One of the review’s central themes is the critical distinction between experience and true expertise. As one insightful academic once put it, many professionals boast “20 years of experience, but one year of expertise,” highlighting how repetition without meaningful learning can fail to lead to mastery. Rousseau and Stouten delve into this nuance, demonstrating that expertise is not merely a product of time but rather the result of deliberate practice, varied challenges, and quality feedback. True expertise emerges when individuals refine their knowledge structures over time, transforming accumulated knowledge into actionable insights.

The authors highlight the significant role of coaching in developing expertise, positioning it as a cornerstone of sustained growth. Access to knowledgeable mentors and coaches enhances the learning process by providing critical guidance, feedback, and opportunities for reflection. Coaching facilitates the development of metacognitive skills, such as self-monitoring and hypothesis testing, which are vital for refining expertise and fostering adaptive learning. In professional fields such as nursing, coaching from advanced practitioners has been shown to help individuals progress along the novice-to-expert continuum. Organizations that integrate coaching into their developmental frameworks create environments where employees can effectively set learning goals, rehearse skills, and incorporate feedback, accelerating their journey toward true expertise.

At the core of the review lies the role of cognitive processes in distinguishing experts from novices. Experts excel through their ability to identify patterns, process information efficiently, and adapt strategies to dynamic challenges. These advanced mental models enable them to diagnose complex problems, anticipate outcomes, and navigate uncertainty with precision. Such attributes are especially critical in today’s fast-changing organizational landscapes, where effective decision-making often spans multiple domains.

The review also delves into the social dimensions of expertise. Expertise is most impactful when it is not only developed but also legitimized and integrated into decision-making frameworks. When organizational culture values expertise, it amplifies its benefits, fostering collaboration and enhancing overall performance.

Rousseau and Stouten further highlight the transformative potential of pairing expertise with evidence-based tools and decision-making protocols. In high-stakes environments, these frameworks bolster experts’ capacity to make informed judgments. Moreover, the authors advocate for cultivating adaptive expertise—a form of mastery that equips individuals to innovate and tackle novel challenges, ensuring resilience in rapidly evolving industries.

Crucially, the authors underscore the importance of environments that nurture expertise. High-quality learning experiences, structured feedback, diverse practice conditions, and robust coaching frameworks are foundational for developing expertise. Organizations must move beyond outdated metrics like tenure and adopt more precise measures to evaluate and foster expertise, ensuring that it aligns with contemporary needs and challenges.

Rousseau and Stouten’s work is a powerful reminder that expertise is not a given, nor is it inevitable with time. Instead, it is an intentional construct, built on deliberate effort and shaped by the right conditions. Their findings serve as a call to action for organizations to rethink how they define, cultivate, and apply expertise, leveraging it as a strategic asset in an increasingly complex world.

Rousseau, D. M., & Stouten, J. (2025). Experts and expertise in organizations: An integrative review on individual expertise. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 12, 159–184.