Hi Neil.  Not sure if this will be helpful but I was really struck by a comment in a previous Disruptive HR presentation that BMW have “leaders” and “experts”.  The leaders are in the managerial roles and the experts are those on the coal face who are the specialists in what they do.  I found this really helpful – often the experts get overlooked when it comes to shaping change and also getting acknowledgement, so I thought this is a really nice way to give equal recognition and also to help “experts” understand they don’t have to climb a ladder – more rounded development when viewed in this context may have more appeal.  This is perhaps more of an opinion than anything else, but I thought I’d drop it in as it had an impact for me.

Hi Neil,

Not sure if there is a more common term, but we do use “in role development plans”, which may (or may not) result in a pay rise when objectives/milestones are achieved. This keeps people motivated, knowing they are working towards something, but it doesn’t have to be a promotion to a more senior role.

I agree, sometimes people can be too focused on “vertical” career progression up the ladder, rather than expanding their skills/remit “horizontally”.

Kind Regards, Elinor