Term for something that is broadly known, but in different ways?

Question

I'm trying to figure out what term to use to describe this situation:

I work in a particular field that is quite vast, and has many specialized areas. When I'm asked to evaluate someone else's abilities, I don't feel comfortable, because although I'm considered an expert on A, B, and C, someone else might be an expert in D, E, and F. That doesn't make either of us better or worse than the other, but it makes it hard to evaluate someone on the field-level as good or bad because the field or position is so ___________.

For some reason I keep wanting to say "subjective", but after reading the actual definition I don't think that's the right word I'm looking for.

Answer 1

How about specialized?

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/specialized:

specialized: requiring or having detailed training or expertise in a particular field: paleography is a very specialized field; presenting detailed information used in a particular field: a specialized glossary of computer terms.

Specialized works well in your example:

I work in a particular field that is quite vast, and has many specialized areas. When I'm asked to evaluate someone else's abilities, I don't feel comfortable, because although I'm considered an expert on A, B, and C, someone else might be an expert in D, E, and F. That doesn't make either of us better or worse than the other, but it makes it hard to evaluate someone on the field-level as good or bad because the field or position is so specialized.

By the way, in my experience, performance evaluations almost always involve some degree of subjectivity; your example makes clear one of the factors contributing to that. The simplest case is one in which the success measure is something like "number of widgets processed per day."

Answer 2

The word I would use to describe your field is diverse.That means "different in character and quality." That is to say that your field is "broad," and the pieces are all very "different."

Answer 3

Compartmentalized, maybe?

To compartmentalize, in Merriam-Webster:

to separate (something) into sections or categories

Answer 4

multifarious - adjective

1. having many different parts, elements, forms, etc.

2. numerous and varied; greatly diverse or manifold:

The field is multifarious. The position, as another answer has said, is specialized.

Though if you're trying to say the field is becoming siloed, you could call it:

balkanized -

divided into small, incompatible units