The Career Lattice

Over is the New Up

Coming May 2012from McGraw Professional

Career ladders only work for a fewAnd the view from below isn’t inspiring

Sideways isn’t progress, either

Diagonal career paths let workers go over and up

Career lattices support growth

Career lattices cultivate collaboration, networking and creativity

Career lattices support organizational growth

What can a lattice do for you?

• Help you invest in the right training and education so your career doesn’t dead-end

• Show how to make the most of lateral assignments and jobs

• Help you network strategically – and help others likewise

• Help you see new possibilities – and pursue them

What can a lattice do for your team?

• Offer professional development even with few resources

• Provide context for relationships• Add value and opportunity when collaborating

with other teams

What can a lattice do for your organization?

• Close your skills gap by growing your own• Career pathing shows employees their future,

so they stay• Provide context for training• Increase ROI for training and education

What can a lattice do for economic development?

• Train people to manage their own careers, not just in technical skills, which become obsolete

• Provide context for collaboration among employers, workplace training, and schools

• Synchronize workforce readiness with job availability

Deliberately diagonal career paths support journeys and destinations

Lattices are popping up all over

• About 40% of employers are expanding lateral career paths

• About 33% of employers used lateral paths to retain high-potentials during the 2007-2009 recession

Sources: Wilson-Taylor Associates Inc.; Catalyst

Learn more about lattices

• The Career Lattice will be published in spring 2012 by McGraw Business

• Contact author Joanne Cleaver, who speaks about lattices based on research conducted through her company, Wilson-Taylor Associates Inc.

• Connect with workplace training consultancy CAEL, a major source for The Career Lattice

Can’t wait?

• Contact Joanne Cleaver: jycleaver@wilson-taylorassoc.com