Lateral Moves

What are Lateral Moves?

A lateral move is considered a career change within an organization wherein an employee gets employed in a different position or department and the level of responsibility and compensation is the same as in his/her previous position. Unlike promotion, which is an upward movement, a lateral move is a sideways transfer within the organization. Employees might redirect to lateral shifts to master new skills, widen their experience, and explore an entirely new sphere of interest without the anxiety of advancing up the hierarchical ladder. For example, a marketing specialist can switch to the product development team to dive into a new aspect of the business. The lateral moves, for both employees and organizations, can bring about cross-functional cooperation, indigenous mobility, and retention of valuable talents in the business.

Example

Among the lateral moves is when the software engineer in the web development team of a company decides to change his job role and starts working in the data analytics department. Although the engineer has thoroughly learned the art of coding and web technologies, he wants to delve into the territory of data analysis and machine learning. The lateral shift allows him to study the organization's new tools, methods, and tasks. As a result, they get an opportunity to draw on their acquired knowledge and to acquire new skills, which is then utilized in their overall professional development. From the perspective of the company, the lateral move is an opportunity to hire a talented employee and also keep the vacancy in a key business area in check. On the other hand, it boosts internal mobility, facilitates interdepartmental collaboration, and creates an environment of lifelong learning and progression within the organization.