Broaden your professional mastery.
A lateral move involves a change in job or position but not necessarily a change in responsibility, status, or pay.
A “sideways” move can provide you with an opportunity to expand your base of knowledge and skill in a particular area, or across different functional areas of the organization. Lateral moves broaden your experience and can be beneficial for later success.
Lateral moves increase your portfolio of marketable skills and widen your network of personal contacts.
Some organizations recognize individuals for acquiring strategically important new skills through lateral moves. If you want to learn new skills, seek the stimulation of new colleagues, relocate to a different geographic region, or transfer into a faster growing area of your organization, you could benefit from repositioning yourself by seeking a lateral move.