What Is an Individual Contributor?

In the modern business world, a new category of worker is becoming increasingly popular: the individual contributor. They’re not mere team members, but they’re not managers either. In many ways, they handle the responsibilities of both.

So what exactly is an individual contributor, and what skills do they need? Let’s take a look.

What Is an Individual Contributor?

An individual contributor is an employee who manages a specific project or aspect within a company. They often work as one-person teams, and though they typically have to report to someone in the organization, they tend to handle their daily responsibilities independently. This requires plenty of self-management skills, but individual contributors never manage other employees, and generally aren’t on a management track.

In a startup, it’s common to find individual contributors in technical roles, like engineering. In these types of highly valued roles, an individual contributor could still progress up the company heighracy, despite never managing people. Although it is generally less likely they would make it to the executive level of a company.

What Is the Difference Between an Individual Contributor and a Leader?

As we’ve seen, individual contributors have to manage their projects. However, unlike managers—and other leaders within the business world—they don’t oversee other employees. No one reports directly to an individual contributor, or else that title would no longer apply.

Individual contributors also usually execute specific tasks, while managers are more likely to plan big-picture strategies, then delegate tasks to other employees and supervise their work.

Because of these distinctions, individuals are often free to focus on honing their craft and becoming experts in their field without needing to prioritize people management skills. That said, an individual contributor still needs a well-rounded skill set.

What Skills Does an Individual Contributor Need?

Communication

While an individual contributor is largely in charge of their own tasks and projects, they will still need to interact with other employees. Many individual contributors have to share information with coworkers, take part in meetings, and update managers—or even the executive team—on their progress.

In short, communication can be just as important for an individual contributor as for any other employee.

Time Management

Because individual contributors work independently, they have to be able to manage their time usage appropriately. Unlike a traditional employee in a team setting, it’s less likely that they’ll have a manager or coworkers monitoring them throughout the day or assigning a schedule for tasks.

This means that individual contributors generally have to plan out their work calendar, stay on task, and ensure that they hit any and all deadlines.

Collaboration

Again, despite working independently, most individual contributors still have to collaborate. This means not only communicating with other employees, but also sharing aspects of a project. An individual contributor may need to pass a certain task off to a colleague to complete a piece of the project, then take over again once they’re done.

Independence

Working autonomously—without direct reports to think about on a daily basis—may sound like the dream job for some people, but it can present plenty of challenges, too. Many employees just aren’t cut out for working alone. It can leave workers unproductive, listless, and even depressed.

Anyone considering a career as an individual contributor should be sure they can handle working alone for long periods while still staying happy and productive. (This is especially true if you’re seeking a remote position.)

Organization

Individual contributors may have to manage multiple projects at once. This requires switching back and forth between tasks and even juggling multiple professional roles. As you can imagine, this makes organizational skills an essential part of any individual contributor’s toolkit.

Are You Interested in Becoming an Individual Contributor?

If you think you’d make a great individual contributor, one of the best ways to plan your career journey is by using a public organizational chart. This will help you see where you stand and how you could progress toward your long-term goals.