Retiring the Ladder for the Lattice

If talent mobility were to be diagrammed, it would look like a criss-cross-mash-up. There’d be horizontal, diagonal and vertical lines showing employees’ movements within your organization. In practice, this complex movement results in a thriving organization where everyone is growing, and, together, everyone is helping the organization grow.

Talent Mobility is Non-Linear

Traditionally, the path followed in the workplace has been linear. Mostly, people moved up (or sometimes down). Lateral and diagonal reassignments were relatively rare.

Talent mobility shatters the old, linear paradigm of promotion and instead uses a complex array of movements to position everyone in the right spot at the right time. Sometimes, these movements are upwards. Sometimes, they’re diagonal. Sometimes, they’re horizontal. Yes, they even can occasionally be downwards.

Talent Mobility is for Individuals and Organizations

At the heart of every movement is the individual, because when the individual thrives, the organization thrives. The purpose of every move — including downward ones — is to put each person where they need to be so they can do the best work they’re capable of. Because people change constantly as they gain new knowledge and skills, this calls for a constant flow of people within your organization.

The old model where people stayed in the same position for years or decades has quickly disappeared. Today, employees might be with a company for just one year or less. Talent mobility is adapting to this new workplace, where talent is constantly on the move.