If one looks at the organisations that have excelled in their core operating areas and also considered as employers of choice, one will find that employee growth and development are deep rooted in the ethos of such organisations and act as strategic drivers for professional and organisational success. While for individuals, it is the path to relevance, fulfilment, and creating impact, for organisations, it is the engine that sustains innovation, resilience, and long-term performance. Yet, the way we define and pursue growth has changed over time. Not too long ago, professional success was often seen as a straightforward climb, progressing through structured roles within well-defined functions. This approach worked well in stable environments, where responsibilities were clear and change was an exception rather than the norm. Today, the business context is very different. Organisations need to thrive in the VUCA world, team are more fluid, challenges are cross-functional, and the pace of transformation demands more than just technical expertise.
This shift calls for a broader definition of growth, one that is no longer only vertical. It is layered, multidimensional, and shaped as much by perspective as by proficiency. One can imagine such growth curve to be Tshaped rather than linear, a growth framework that embraces both depth and breadth, and reflects the kind of agility and adaptability the modern world demands.
What is a T-shaped growth curve?
At its core, the T-shaped growth combines deep expertise in a core discipline (the vertical bar of the ‘T’) with the ability to engage across adjacent areas (the horizontal stroke). The horizontal dimension varies by role, but its purpose is consistent: to enable collaboration, build contextual understanding, and foster more informed decision-making. For example, a regulatory affairs professional may enhance his effectiveness by developing fluency in data tools, while a clinical trials expert might broaden her insight by exploring digital health or patient engagement. When professionals understand how their work fits into a larger system, they ask sharper questions, anticipate downstream impact, and become better partners in decision-making.
Why does this matter now?
In today’s complex and fastpaced environment, the challenge for most organisations isn’t a lack of expertise, it’s the inability to connect that expertise to broader context, strategy, and outcomes. As decisions are increasingly influenced by a multitude of dynamic variables, the capacity to integrate knowledge across disciplines has become a critical differentiator in how organisations adapt, evolve, and deliver impact in an agile manner.
According to the World Economic Forum’s 2025 Skills Outlooki, 63 per cent of employers identify skill gaps as a critical barrier to transformation. Yet, in many cases, the challenge lies not in a lack of depth, but in a lack of perspective. Professionals may excel within their domains, but often struggle to operate confidently across the broader system.
Those who combine deep expertise with cross-functional insight are inherently more adaptive. They grasp how upstream decisions influence downstream impact, collaborate effectively across boundaries, and bring clarity in times of ambiguity. Their strength doesn’t stem from having all the answers— but from understanding the system well enough to ask the right questions and navigate complexity with confidence.
Role of individual ownership
T-shaped growth is not confined to informal or accidental learning. It can take shape through both self-driven curiosity and planned cross-functional assignments that intentionally broaden exposure. What matters is the willingness to stretch beyond the familiar. Professionals who grow in this way make conscious choices—to engage in conversations beyond their immediate remit, contribute to cross-functional initiatives, and invest time in understanding how success is defined across the broader organisation. Over time, these choices expand not just capability, but perspective—enabling deeper impact.
At mid and senior career stages, this often requires a mindset shift. Once expertise is well established, it becomes easy to remain anchored in familiar roles and routines, which in most cases acts like a barrier to sustainable growth. Self-driven professionals defy these boundaries. They deliberately step outside their comfort zones, taking on unfamiliar challenges, seeking diverse experiences, and embracing ambiguity. This willingness to go beyond the safe zone or routine is what unlocks the breadth of T-shaped growth. They continue to learn not out of necessity, but because expanding their perspective sharpens their judgment and enhances the value they bring to complex decisions.
How mentorship expand strategic range
While T-shaped growth often begins with self-driven curiosity, it accelerates through structured planning and purposeful mentorship. Cross-disciplinary mentorship—especially from fields seemingly unrelated to one’s own—can profoundly reshape how professionals think, solve problems, and connect ideas. When a healthcare strategist learns from an expert in behavioural economics, or a regulatory professional is mentored by a commercial strategist, the outcome is more than cross-functional awareness. The mentees begin to think in systems: understanding how priorities evolve across domains, how constraints shape decisions, and how longterm impact is often determined far upstream.
This kind of contrast fosters more than growth, it builds diverse skillsets. It challenges professionals to look beyond their own assumptions and to lead with a broader, more integrated perspective. In fact, according to an article ‘A Better Approach to Mentorship’ii published in Harvard Business Review, 75 per cent of executives credit their success to mentors, and 90 per cent of employees with a career mentor report being happy at work.
Making T-shaped growth sustainable
Self-driven growth is often framed as an individual pursuit. But its long-term impact depends on whether the organisational environment supports it. Professionals may be willing to expand their perspective, but they also need to see that such growth is viable, visible and valued.
According to Deloitte’s 2025 Global Human Capital Trends reportiii, while 72 per cent of organisations acknowledge the need for agility, only 39 per cent have made progress in enabling it. The gap is not only strategic, it is cultural. Especially in specialised fields like technology and research, early career paths are typically deep and narrow. In the absence of cross-functional exposure, professionals may not recognise where broader understanding is needed, or how their expertise contributes to larger outcomes. This is where organisational culture matters. When teams engage across disciplines, context becomes visible, and growth becomes more intentional.
Leaders play a pivotal role in enabling this shift. Recognition must move beyond outcomes alone to include the behaviours that foster cross-functional insight and collaboration. Growth should be measured not just by progression in title, but by expansion in perspective and influence. Ultimately, sustainable Tshaped growth lies at the intersection of individual intent and organisation’s strategy— and hence both must take ownership for it to take root and thrive. Leaders who have themselves experienced T-shaped growth are uniquely positioned to guide others in this journey. Having balanced deep expertise with cross-functional perspective, they are better equipped to navigate complex realities, make informed decisions across domains, and model behaviours that encourage broader collaboration and adaptability. Their example helps embed a culture where growth is not only possible, but also more valued and visible.
Redefining growth beyond role and rank Some of the most effective professionals aren’t defined by how quickly they rise, but by how fully they evolve. They may stay anchored in their domain, yet they operate with a deep understanding of the broader system. They lead through influence rather than hierarchy, and their value lies not just in execution, but in their ability to connect ideas, people, and purpose.
T-shaped growth personifies such contribution and reflects a reality that not all leadership comes with a title, and not all growth is linear. In today’s complex world, the most futureready professionals won’t just climb—they’ll connect. Their strength lies in integration, not direction. Because the most resilient careers are shaped across dimensions, not along a single path.