One of the things leaders often ask is: “What should I do if a team member doesn’t want to progress?”. When I explore the dilemma further, for the leader it often comes down to not knowing how else to support their team members’ development when they don’t want a new role.
Let’s just stop there for a moment.
Often in the current organisational context, ‘to progress’ is a euphemism for a promotion. Success is often measured by moving up the hierarchy, taking on larger teams and greater responsibility. And if that’s right for the person and for the organisation, then no problem. But this is where I encounter some common issues:
Most organisations are hierarchical, so progression is naturally viewed as moving upwards.
The implications of this include:
The ‘Peter Principle’ highlights another challenge: people are often promoted because they excel in their current role rather than because they are suited to the next one. Success where we are today doesn’t automatically mean we’ll thrive in a more senior position tomorrow. Before pursuing promotion, it’s worth asking whether we’re drawn to the role itself or simply responding to expectations about career success.
That’s not to say that promotion isn’t the right next step for anyone. A well-considered decision to step into a new role at a different level can be incredibly fulfilling and a wonderful development opportunity. It’s just not the only way to grow and develop.
If we were to reframe ‘progression’ away from ‘promotion’ and towards ‘growth’, it opens up a whole raft of possibilities. Growing healthily means growing in alignment with our true purpose, values and authentic selves. Sometimes growth means taking on new challenges; sometimes it means consolidating what we’ve already learned.
Healthy growth can happen within every system within an organisation. These are my definitions:
Viewed through this lens, growth might involve developing confidence, resilience, emotional intelligence, influence, relationship-building or systems thinking. Most of these capabilities can be strengthened without changing jobs. We don’t need to wait until we’re in a new role in order to grow.
Going back to our question then, if we do consider ‘progression’ to be a promotion, a few questions to ask yourself or your team member are:
If you feel aligned with your answers to these questions, then a promotion may well be the right route for you.
If, however, you or your team member would prefer to explore other ways to grow, having identified what it is you or they would like to work on, there’s a useful concept coined by Deloitte’s Cathy Benko. An alternative to the traditional career ladder, it’s called a “career lattice”, where growth can occur sideways, diagonally, or through deeper expertise. Practical options include:
The most effective organisations create cultures where people want to learn and develop. Rather than relying solely on formal programmes, they embed growth into everyday work.
This aligns with self-determination theory, which suggests people are most motivated when they experience autonomy, competence and connection with others. Growth-focused organisations meet these needs in ways that go beyond job titles and hierarchy.
Research[1] highlights several practices that support learning and growth:
Some of the ways in which I’ve seen real life organisations do this are by tailoring roles and opportunities based on people’s strengths and aspirations (sometimes called job crafting), encouraging collaboration, involving employees in decisions, and actively identifying untapped potential across the organisation.
Too often, progression is defined by status, hierarchy and promotion. Yet many people grow most effectively through developing their capabilities, deepening expertise, strengthening relationships and contributing in new ways. By redefining progression as growth, leaders and organisations can create more meaningful opportunities for people to thrive, whether or not the next step is a promotion. Maybe if we thought in this way, we’d all be progressing.
[1] Senge, P. (1990/2006). The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization.
Edmondson, A. (1999). “Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams.” Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2).
Garvin, D., Edmondson, A., & Gino, F. (2008). “Is Yours a Learning Organization?” Harvard Business Review, March 2008.
