We develop the concepts of net Goos–Hänchen (GH) shift and reshaping shift, and apply these concepts to lateral beam shift arising from k (wavenumber) domain dispersion. Specifically, our interest is in cases in which the traditional concept of GH shift loses its meaning. We analyzed the effects of finite beam size, complicated beam profiles, and phase modulations on GH shift. We experimentally examined the GH shift for surface plasmon polaritons and a leaky waveguide mode. The results agreed well with those from analyses based on the net GH shift and reshaping shift, indicating that these concepts are useful for extending the traditional concept of GH shift to complicated reflection systems.