Main image of article Ladder vs. Lattice: Exploring Different Types of Career Mobility

Evidence suggests that upward mobility has slowed to a crawl as companies hire fewer managers and move towards flatter organizational structures. Plus, job hopping for career advancement has become increasingly challenging due to the slowing job market.

“In today’s matrix organizational structure, a linear career track is more difficult to see,” noted Brett Coakley, founding manager and principal executive coach for Close Cohen career consulting.

Instead of relying solely on promotions for career advancement, embracing a career lattice offers a more flexible and diverse approach to professional growth.

A career lattice is a framework that promotes movement in multiple directions- lateral, diagonal, vertical or even downward to acquire skills and experience. When the moves are planned and strategic, they can accelerate career progression instead of waiting for promotions.

Here’s a how to weave together various types of “moves” to achieve professional growth.

Summary

Vertical career mobility is most commonly achieved through promotions within your field, specialty and organization. On the plus side, they usually come with bigger titles and pay raises.

Today the best way to get vertical growth is by working for a high-growth company during its adolescent phase Coakley said. In that type of environment, it’s possible to move from a mid-level individual contributor role to a management position.

However, if you stay on the same management or individual contributor track you will likely be doing very similar work to what you were doing before, just more of it, he cautioned.

“There’s a lack of skill diversification,” he said. Unless you make a lateral or diagonal move, you may hit a learning plateau or burn out.

That’s why relying solely on vertical moves can limit your long-term growth and progression.

Lateral career mobility is moving from one department or field to another without a significant change in the level of responsibility, title or pay.

Lateral moves are ideal for broadening your experience, getting exposure to other verticals, and helping you stay competitive in a skills-based economy, whether you want to become a manager or remain on a specialist track. In fact, one study confirmed that employees who move laterally within an organization are more likely to receive promotions and experience larger salary increases.

For example, today’s senior executive probably managed more than one function during their ascent, noted Brian Elliott, CEO of Work Forward. An engineering manager may have stretched themselves by moving into business operations and/or product management, allowing them to learn more about product strategy, vision and market fit.

Moving laterally into software design, digital marketing or customer success can help you build stronger problem-solving, communication and analytical abilities, which are highly valuable soft skills. Professionals who have made strategic lateral moves often find themselves better positioned for senior leadership roles or even CIO Elliott added.

In fact, the best way to acquire “next level” experience is through lateral or diagonal moves and mentoring.

As its name suggests, diagonal career mobility refers to a career path that combines both vertical and horizontal movement. It involves taking on a higher-level role but in a different area of the organization, offering best of both scenarios.

For example, a project engineer transitioning to a project manager role in a different department- such as R&D, risk management, compliance, or product development- could be a diagonal move.

An experienced technical expert moving into a role that involves training other employees on AI ethics or AI tools could also be seen as a diagonal move.

While moving backward into a less senior role may seem counterintuitive when you’re trying to move forward, but if it’s part of a deliberate plan to make a career pivot, acquire new skills or get into a company that offers long-term growth potential, it can be beneficial.

For instance, if you've been out of work for a while, accepting a lesser position can be a strategic move to help you earn some money while ultimately advancing your career.

In today’s environment, the most successful career paths often involve a combination of different types of mobility and strategic moves. The best plans are flexible and agile.

For example, you may be able to build T-shaped skills in your current role by taking on stretch assignments, engaging in cross training or moving to a hybrid role. Working in a fractional role a few hours per week or starting a side hustle is a great way to gain entrepreneurial skills.

It doesn’t matter whether your moves are internal or external. Hybrid career mobility can include lateral moves, formal education, switching teams, mentoring, company changes and even volunteer work.

Today, professional development is about building value, not chasing titles.

Create your initial framework by performing a skill gap analysis, a process that identifies the difference between the skills you possess, and the skills needed for current and future roles. Then use a platform or tool to help plot your various moves, including those that support the flexible approach of a career lattice.

Try to connect with a career ally or sponsor, someone outside of the chain of command because an internal perspective can be limited, Elliott advised.

A sponsor is particularly valuable because they serve as your advocate and take an active role in opening doors and supporting you as you lattice your way forward.