{"id":48972,"date":"2025-05-24T09:49:07","date_gmt":"2025-05-24T13:49:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ccl.org\/?post_type=articles&p=48972"},"modified":"2025-11-13T06:31:16","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T11:31:16","slug":"developing-talent-youre-probably-missing-vertical-development","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/www.ccl.org\/articles\/leading-effectively-articles\/developing-talent-youre-probably-missing-vertical-development\/","title":{"rendered":"Vertical vs. Horizontal Development: Why Your Leaders Need Both to Succeed"},"content":{"rendered":"

What kind of thinkers do you need in your organization? What types of leadership will drive the impact you desire?<\/p>\n

To answer these questions, you must think about a different kind of learning and development. Yes, you want to ensure that you\u2019re preparing a pipeline of leaders for the future. But how\u00a0exactly\u00a0<\/em>are you doing that?<\/p>\n

Your organization needs both horizontal\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>vertical development to get you there.<\/p>\n

The Difference Between Horizontal & Vertical Leadership Development<\/h2>\n

As outlined in our white paper<\/a>, when we say\u00a0horizontal\u00a0<\/em>development, we mean the traditional kind of talent development: increasing technical skillsets and building\u00a0the most important leadership competencies<\/a>. If your organization is like most, you\u2019re probably already providing all sorts of opportunities for horizontal development \u2014 disseminating more knowledge, skills, and information to people. These skills are essential and necessary \u2014 but they aren\u2019t sufficient amid the perpetual disruption that organizations face today.<\/p>\n

In contrast,\u00a0vertical development<\/em>\u00a0is entirely different. What is vertical development?<\/p>\n

Vertical development is about developing more complex and sophisticated ways of thinking, greater wisdom, and clearer insights.<\/strong>\u00a0It\u2019s called vertical development because it\u2019s based on levels, or vertical stages<\/a>, of thinking. It involves gaining new perspectives and leadership mindsets needed to make your organizational strategy work.<\/p>\n

For example, with vertical development, managers and groups learn to tackle a problem with\u00a0inquiry<\/em> \u2014 questions, observation, and reflection \u2014 before jumping into advocating, lobbying, or deciding. This sensemaking<\/a> opens the door to deeper understanding, greater clarity, more options, and multiple right answers \u2014 which are especially needed for leading in complex, uncertain situations.<\/p>\n

In short, horizontal development builds skills, while vertical development helps build a more interconnected, interdependent leadership culture in your organization<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Our<\/a>
\nIn the face of perpetual crisis, leaders must adapt, not just react. Explore our guide to Leadership in Disruption<\/a> to learn how leading with culture, vision, and collective agility helps organizations thrive through complexity.<\/p>\n
Get the Guide<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

How Vertical Development Happens<\/h2>\n

3 Conditions That Catalyze Vertical Development for Leaders<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Our research<\/a> has found that\u00a0these 3 primary conditions support vertical leadership development:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Heat experiences<\/li>\n
  2. Colliding perspectives<\/li>\n
  3. Elevated sensemaking<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Many well-intentioned leadership development programs fail to deliver lasting results because they hit on only 1 or 2 of the conditions needed for vertical development. And any one of the above can provide\u00a0some<\/em>\u00a0value, but it\u2019s not until you combine all 3 that you have vertical development, and vertical growth really takes off. Let\u2019s take a closer look at each of these 3 conditions.<\/p>\n

    \"Infographic:<\/a><\/p>\n

    Heat Experiences: The What<\/em><\/h4>\n

    When leaders face complex situations that disrupt and disorient their habitual ways of thinking, when they know the pressure is on<\/em> and the results matter, <\/em>they are in heat experiences<\/a>. These situations help leaders discover that their current way of making sense of the world is inadequate. As a result, they seek out new and better ways to make sense of their challenge. Heat experiences are the what<\/em>\u00a0that initiates vertical development.<\/p>\n

    For example, a general manager who\u2019s been successful in the US gets transferred to India to open a new facility. She\u2019s out of her depth, and the consequences of failing are real.<\/p>\n

    Colliding Perspectives: The Who<\/em><\/h4>\n

    Leaders also can challenge their existing mental models when they\u2019re exposed to others with different worldviews, opinions, backgrounds, and training. These relationships increase the number of perspectives through which leaders experience their world. Colliding experiences are the\u00a0who<\/em>\u00a0that enables vertical development.<\/p>\n

    For example, bringing together leaders from different functions and departments who normally wouldn\u2019t work together and asking them to solve real problems together. Suddenly, they\u2019re exposed to beliefs, perspectives, and priorities that they had little or no exposure to before.<\/p>\n

    Elevated Sensemaking: The How<\/em><\/h4>\n

    As leaders process and make sense of these perspectives and experiences, they enter an elevated stage of vertical development. A larger, more advanced worldview emerges and, with time, stabilizes and becomes their new way of thinking. This is the\u00a0how<\/em>\u00a0that integrates development, particularly when\u00a0preparing high-potential leaders for the unknown<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    For example, members of an executive team use action inquiry tools to examine a difficult issue. As they uncover the beliefs and thinking behind their behavior, they begin to discard, keep, or update their mindsets to align with the leadership culture needed for their organizational strategy.<\/p>\n

    Is Your Organization Focused on Both Horizontal & Vertical Development?<\/h2>\n

    Questions to Ask<\/h3>\n

    Are both horizontal and vertical development factored into how you think about your organization\u2019s culture, and how you are tackling talent development challenges<\/a>? Consider these questions:<\/p>\n