Y axis

Also called the ordinate axis, it is the vertical axis along which the ordinate is measured and from which the abscissa is measured.

In a talent matrix or 9Box, the Y-axis generally describes the employee's potential, which increases from low to high, although the meaning of the Y-axis may change depending on the organization's priorities.

However, it is important to keep in mind that the meaning of the Y-axis can vary depending on the talent model or the organization's strategic priorities.

What do we mean by potential?

Potential refers not to current performance, but to a person's ability to take on greater responsibilities in the future. It can include aspects such as:

Learning ability.
Adaptability to change.
Leadership skills.
Strategic thinking.
Agility to develop in new roles.

Therefore, evaluating potential requires a more predictive than descriptive perspective.

In a practical example using a 9-Box matrix, you would use:

X-axis (horizontal) represents performance.
Y-axis (vertical) represents potential.

An employee positioned at the top of the Y-axis demonstrates high potential, indicating strong capacity to take on more complex roles, potential for medium- or long-term promotion, as well as high adaptability to new challenges.

On the other hand, lower positions on the Y-axis reflect more limited potential in terms of future growth, without necessarily implying low current performance.

We also talk about it in our blog:

How to make a 9-Box Talent Matrix (Nine Box)

Building a Nine Box Talent Matrix has never been easier. With Hrider's N-Box functionality, you can create 9-box matrices as well as 4-, 16-, and 25-quadrant matrices that correlate different variables such as performance and potential. In this tutorial you will learn what they are and how to easily create them step by step.

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