Traditional career trajectories have tended to go in one direction only – upwards. Climbing the career ladder was part and parcel of working life. But this linear model of progression is now being replaced by what’s known as the “career lattice”, which ostensibly enables career mobility in a 360-degree fashion.
This novel framework means employees can move vertically, horizontally and diagonally, within and outside their organisation. And while it may not mean an immediate gain in terms of job title or salary, long term the view is that it leads to a more enriching career and opens the door for future opportunities.
Prof Anne Keegan is full professor of human resource management at University College Dublin. She says the concept of lattice careers – and similar terms like “spiral staircase careers” – represent alternatives to traditional linear career trajectories.
“Unlike linear careers, which involve progressively senior roles within the same domain, lattice and spiral staircase careers are characterised by upward, lateral and even downward movements across roles or industries,” says Keegan. “Each role adds new skills and experiences, contributing to long-term growth while avoiding the narrow upward climb. These shifts represent a broader trend towards career models that prioritise continuous learning and adaptability in an ever-changing professional landscape.”
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Career development within this framework can look pretty different; it may involve acquiring new skills and knowledge, stepping off traditional career ladders to pursue broader learning experiences, returning to more senior roles after developing expertise in new areas or even being seconded to junior roles to learn specialist skills that over time function as an “investment”.
One 2016 survey found that 89 per cent of employees would consider making a lateral career move, even with no financial incentive. When asked why they would be willing to make a lateral career move, the most common answers included greater personal satisfaction (57 per cent), pursuing an entirely new career path (41 per cent), and taking up a professional challenge (40 per cent).
“A HR professional might pivot into HR analytics to gain expertise in a rapidly evolving domain,” says Keegan. “This can mean leaving a specialist highly paid role and temporarily suspending career growth while they invest in learning new skills with an eye to future though uncertain career prospects. Or a marketing professional might transition to product management in a more junior role and based on this inter-departmental knowledge being seconded onto a strategic multi-functional team, and eventually into leadership, each step building on prior roles albeit not in a linear way.”
She also attributes this shift to the growth in new forms of work, particularly gig and platform work, which means the traditional career ladder is giving way to more flexible forms of resourcing that include project-based work, gig work, self-employment and freelancing. “As these trends intensify, individuals are pursuing more flexible options in response to both opportunities but also declining options for stable employment,” she says.
“In a post-Covid world where work-life balance is a protected asset, professionals may be drawn to pivot their careers within their profession, take up enriching and rewarding careers while avoiding the senior management stresses that come with the ladder approach,” agrees Geraldine Carroll, associate vice-president of graduate and professional studies at University of Limerick (UL).
Carroll believes the lattice approach can ultimately be a winner for both employer and employee. “It enables better strategic resilience, foresight to contend with economic slumps, and agility in ‘topping up’ on skills needed to complement AI and automation-dominated workplaces,” she points out.
Micro-credentials and flexible master’s degree options are a good example of the career lattice in action. “For example, at UL, a learner can undertake a 12-week, online micro-credential in cyber-security law and regulation,” Carroll says. “The key motivation may be to have an understanding of the topic of study rather than gain mastery of that topic.” That same micro-credential is part of a larger postgraduate award in law and technology, so the learner can choose to take the learnings in isolation or continue towards a further award, curating their own lattice.
The Irish Universities Association’s (IUA) national MicroCreds project has been a huge success to date. Research recently conducted by UL showed that while learners cited “career progression” as a reason to undertake a micro-credential, a larger proportion cited “carrying out my current job better”. This is positive news for employers who should consider that the career lattice can happen within their organisations, Carroll says. “Learners may find fulfilment by optimising their current experience with their current employer. Investing in micro-credential learning is a limited risk, high-reward route for both employees and employers.”
Mary Lyons, director of enterprise, employees and skills at Solas, agrees, saying lattice-style career upskilling is “quietly happening all the time”. “For example, with new technologies, or new sustainability or data regulation legislation, employees must adapt their skills to move forward and enable their company to remain compliant,” she says.
According to Lyons, the education and training agency has witnessed a definitive move towards lattice-style career development through its Skills to Advance initiative, which provides upskilling and reskilling opportunities to employees and employers all over Ireland. “Since 2019, over 86,000 employees have undertaken a Skills to Advance programme,” she says. “The programmes have been developed collaboratively between Solas, the 16 ETBs nationwide, and industry partners to ensure targeted upskilling for employees.”
Training is available in online, in-person and blended learning formats, and all programmes are flexibly scheduled to suit the needs of each company.
Skills to Advance also incorporates Further Education and Training (FET) micro-qualifications. “These bite-sized, accredited programmes are highly subsidised and aim to deliver employees with the maximum upskilling in the shortest time commitment,” Lyons says. Programmes are available in rapidly transforming skill areas, such as digital business skills, green skills, market development and robotics, with more programmes launching in 2025.
Lyons believes the rise of the lattice career is a direct response to the changing demands of the modern workforce.
“Nowadays, employee expectations go beyond salaries and traditional promotions,” she says. “Today’s workforce values learning and development opportunities that will assure employability and retention while providing growth in skill areas that align with their interests. The career lattice enables individuals to pursue a more personalised, adaptable path to acquiring the skillset and experience they want.”
Keegan says notable examples of organisations attuned to the new career framework include initiatives by PwC and Deloitte, which use talent or gig platforms to manage staffing while empowering employees to choose projects aligned with their development goals.
According to Keegan, organisations need to adapt career structures to mirror the lattice approach. She warns that those that fail to provide meaningful development opportunities risk losing talent. “Professionals may leave to escape stagnation, particularly when they are valued for being experts, but see no clear path forward,” she says. “Spiral staircase and lattice careers offer a way to avoid becoming trapped in narrow roles, enabling professionals to diversify and thrive.”
Carroll agrees. “The lattice leader, with their multidisciplinary, multi-departmental perspective is most likely to thrive in an increasingly disruptive, volatile and innovation-led workplace reality.”