Vertical vs Horizontal Development: Why HR Leaders Must Focus on Growth That Matters

The world of work is evolving at an unprecedented pace, and with it, the demands on leaders. Traditional leadership development approaches often focus on acquiring new skills, knowledge, and competencies. While these are essential, they primarily contribute to horizontal development—learning more within the existing ways of thinking. However, in today’s complex and uncertain business environment, organisations need leaders who can think in fundamentally new ways. This is where vertical development comes in.

For HR leaders, understanding the difference between horizontal and vertical development is crucial in designing leadership programmes that prepare individuals not just to do more, but to become more.

Understanding Horizontal vs Vertical Development

Dr. Jennifer Garvey Berger, a thought leader in adult development, describes horizontal development as the process of adding new knowledge, skills, and competencies within an existing mindset. It is like adding more apps to a phone—expanding its functionality but not upgrading its operating system.

By contrast, vertical development is about changing the way a leader makes sense of the world. It is about upgrading the operating system itself, enabling leaders to navigate complexity, ambiguity, and paradox with greater wisdom.

Research from Harvard’s Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey suggests that adults progress through different developmental stages, each representing a more complex way of seeing the world. As leaders develop vertically, they move from a self-centric view to being more systems-aware and capable of holding multiple perspectives.

Why Vertical Development Matters for Leaders Today

Organisations are facing increasing uncertainty, requiring leaders to operate in volatile, ambiguous environments. Traditional training approaches that focus on horizontal development—such as workshops, technical training, and competency frameworks—do not address the deeper transformations needed to thrive in such conditions.

Vertical development enhances a leader’s cognitive agility, emotional resilience, and systems thinking—all of which are crucial for leading through uncertainty. Leaders who have developed vertically can hold conflicting viewpoints, make decisions in ambiguity, and lead with greater emotional intelligence.

According to research by Nick Petrie from the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL), vertical development enables leaders to:

• See beyond short-term tactical concerns and engage in strategic, long-term thinking.
• Manage complexity by integrating multiple perspectives.
• Develop greater self-awareness and regulate emotions more effectively.
• Foster a culture of learning, collaboration, and adaptability.

Without a focus on vertical development, organisations risk developing leaders who are technically proficient but lack the mental flexibility and maturity to guide teams through uncertainty.

How HR Leaders Can Foster Vertical Development in Organisations

Unlike horizontal development, vertical development cannot be achieved through traditional training alone. It requires immersive, experience-based, and reflective learning approaches. Below are three evidence-based practices HR leaders can implement:

1. Coaching for Vertical Growth

Coaching is one of the most effective ways to facilitate vertical development because it encourages deep self-reflection, perspective-taking, and meaning-making—essential components of adult development.

A study by HBR’s Leadership Development Forum found that coaching helps leaders develop greater self-awareness, emotional regulation, and the ability to hold multiple perspectives. One-to-one coaching provides a safe space for leaders to question their assumptions, challenge their habitual thinking patterns, and develop new ways of making sense of the world.

How HR leaders can apply this:

• Invest in executive coaching for senior leaders to deepen their self-awareness and decision-making capabilities.
• Introduce peer coaching programmes to encourage developmental conversations among managers.
• Train HR business partners and internal leaders in coaching techniques to embed a culture of vertical development within teams.

2. Immersive Developmental Experiences

Leaders grow vertically when they are placed in complex, high-stakes situations that challenge their current ways of thinking. Research from MIT Sloan suggests that stretch assignments, cross-functional projects, and exposure to unfamiliar environments accelerate vertical growth.

How HR leaders can apply this:

• Rotate leaders across different business functions or regions to expand their perspectives.
• Assign high-potential employees to "adaptive challenges"—projects where the solution is not clear-cut, requiring them to develop new ways of thinking.
• Encourage secondments or job swaps to expose leaders to different industries, markets, or business models.

3. Reflection and Meaning-Making Practices

Vertical development requires deep reflection and sense-making. Leaders who engage in structured reflection are more likely to make meaning from their experiences, leading to deeper growth.

A study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology found that leaders who engage in structured reflection, such as journaling or facilitated debriefs, show higher levels of cognitive complexity and adaptability.

How HR leaders can apply this:

• Introduce reflection circles where leaders discuss and make sense of their challenges in a structured way.
• Encourage journaling as a tool for self-reflection and insight generation.
• Provide mentoring opportunities where senior leaders reflect on their own developmental journeys with emerging leaders.

Final Thoughts: The HR Leader’s Role in Vertical Development

HR leaders are in a unique position to shape the leadership culture of their organisations. While horizontal development remains important, focusing solely on it will not create the kind of leaders organisations need in today’s complex world.

By embedding coaching, immersive experiences, and reflective practices into leadership development programmes, HR leaders can facilitate the kind of deep, transformational growth that creates resilient, adaptive, and forward-thinking leaders.

As you design your next leadership development initiative, ask yourself:
Are we just adding new skills, or are we developing new ways of thinking?

The future of leadership depends on your answer.

If you're interested in learning more about how BOLDLY can help your organisation, we invite you to explore our or write to us at connect@boldly.app.

About the Author:

Alexandra Lamb is an accomplished organisational development practitioner, with experience across APAC, North America, and MENA. With 20+ years in professional practice, conglomerates, and startups, she has collaborated with rapid-growth companies and industry innovators to develop leaders and high-performance teams. She is particularly experienced in talent strategy as a driver for business growth. Drawing from her experience in the fields of talent management, psychology, coaching, product development, and human-centred design, Alex prides herself on using commercial acumen to design talent solutions with true impact.