--- title: A Talent Target That Skips a Level Is a Wish | Case Study description: How a multilateral organisation scored its talent management on an outside scale, compared it with 8 peers and set a target it could reach by 2028. image: https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/hubfs/social-sharing/cases/case-talent-management-vision-and-strategy-at-a-multilateral-organisation.jpg --- [Skip to content](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/blog/talent-management-vision-and-strategy-at-a-multilateral-organisation#main-content) [![PeopleCentrix](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/hubfs/assets/images/peoplecentrix-logo.svg "PeopleCentrix")](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/) [LET'S CONNECT →](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/work-with-us) - [People Strategy](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/people-strategy) - [People Centricity](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/people-centricity) - [How We Work](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/how-we-work) - [Insights](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/our-thinking) Show submenu for Insights - [Our Work](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/our-work) - [Our Thinking](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/our-thinking) - [About Us](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/about-us) - [Work With Us](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/work-with-us) - [People Strategy](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/people-strategy) - [People Centricity](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/people-centricity) - [How We Work](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/how-we-work) - [Insights](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/our-thinking) Show submenu for Insights - [Our Work](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/our-work) - [Our Thinking](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/our-thinking) - [About Us](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/about-us) - [Work With Us](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/work-with-us) People Centricity case study # A Talent Target That Skips a Level *Is a Wish* **8**talent areas scored on one 4-level scale **8**peer organisations interviewed on the same scale **2**levels between the strongest and the weakest talent area **5**actions chosen where the gap was widest and mattered most Snapshot Client A multilateral organisation (anonymised) Sector, size, geography International Public Sector; 1,000–2,500 staff; headquartered in Europe, mandate delivered through partners in the field Engagement People Centricity · Unleash Our role Led the talent management maturity assessment — maturity scoring of 8 areas, internal interviews and focus group, peer benchmark, targets to 2028, priorities by area and the 5 actions to start with; strategy and delivery by the client Mode of engagement Led Timeframe 2025 Project duration 3–6 months · 4 steps: score today, look sideways, size the ambition, choose the few; strategy and delivery by the client The situation ## The question behind *the question.* This organisation’s [people strategy](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/blog/post-pandemic-people-strategy-refresh-at-a-multilateral-organisation) had promised proactive talent management, and its talent practices had grown one at a time: a performance cycle, a learning offer, a calibration pilot, a first list of critical positions. Nobody could yet say how mature they were together, how they compared with peers, or what to fix first. And the question arrived mid-restructuring, with a team and a budget under pressure. As it was asked “Help us define our talent management strategy.” As we reframed it Score where talent management stands on a scale nobody inside wrote, compare it with peers, set a target the organisation can reach, and choose the few actions that close the gaps that matter most. How we worked ## How the work *unfolded.* 01 ### Score today We started with an outside scale, so the answer would not depend on who was asked. A published maturity model, 4 levels from basic to market-leading, scored 8 talent areas, from performance to careers and succession, and scored separately how well they worked as one system. 7 interviews and a focus group with the HR business partners who run the processes fed each score, and each owner agreed theirs. Overall: 1.5 of 4, with 2 full levels between performance and development, the strongest, and careers, the weakest. 02 ### Look sideways Then the peers. 8 organisations, UN agencies, humanitarian bodies, global health partnerships, a research organisation and international associations, answered 10 to 15 targeted questions each. Every area showed where they sat on the same scale, next to the global benchmark behind the model, and what the most advanced did differently. Research on the cost of investing in talent, or divesting from it, framed the stakes. 03 ### Size the ambition Then the target. An organisation usually needs 1 to 3 years to climb one level, and this one was restructuring. The area owners pushed back on 3 by the end of 2028; the target came down to 2.5, a rise they could absorb. Each area got its own target, 12-month priorities and priorities to 2028. Succession, for example, started from the [critical positions already identified](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/blog/critical-positions-and-succession-management-at-a-multilateral-organisation) in the talent review, with no systematic succession process yet behind them. 04 ### Choose the few Then the choice, made where the gap was widest in the areas that mattered most to the strategy. 5 actions came first, in order: build the frame, a talent management strategy of the organisation’s own and a governance framework for talent decisions, then fill it, with a leadership development programme, internal mobility and careers, and transparency on talent decisions. Each came with peer practices and resources, so the team could start without a new mandate. The instrument ### One level at a time **Score.** Every area on a scale written outside the organisation, agreed with the person who owns it. **Compare.** The same scale for peers, so a 2 here means what a 2 means elsewhere. **Climb.** One level per area, sized to what the organisation can absorb, with the first 12 months spelled out. Maturity is climbed one level at a time. A target that skips a level is a wish. What moved ## What changed, *and what didn't.* **2.5**target maturity by the end of 2028, one level up from 1.5, sized to what the organisation could absorb Evidence Decision taken Adopted in practice Measured impact What moved The talent leadership adopted the targets and the 5 actions as its plan: maturity from 1.5 to **2.5** by the end of 2028, area by area, starting with a talent management strategy of its own. The peer benchmark went back to the organisations that took part, and the client later asked for the model’s definitions to share with its team. What didn't move The future-state design, leadership workshop and implementation plan in the original scope were not run: the restructuring came first, and days moved to the talent review. Workforce planning, recruitment, onboarding and reward were outside the assessment, and the scores rested on interviews, not on a survey of managers. What we'd say to a peer Score your talent management on a scale someone else wrote, and compare it with peers on the same scale. Then set a target one level up, not two: maturity climbs a level every 1 to 3 years, and a restructuring is not the moment to promise more. Start with the few actions where the gap is widest and matters most. [Let's talk](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/work-with-us) [Discover People Centricity](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/people-centricity) [Read more cases](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/our-work) **Method note:** Own approach in 4 steps; Bersin 4-level talent maturity model across 8 areas; 7 internal interviews and an HR business partner focus group; 8 peer interviews and global benchmark; targets to 2028; gap × importance prioritisation. ## Keep reading [![Same Behaviour, Different Ratings: Blame the Boundary](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/hs-fs/hubfs/social-sharing/cases/case-culture-and-performance-capability-building-at-a-multilateral-organisation.jpg?width=300&name=case-culture-and-performance-capability-building-at-a-multilateral-organisation.jpg)](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/blog/culture-and-performance-capability-building-at-a-multilateral-organisation) ###### [Our Work,](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/our-work)[Case Study](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/our-work) ##### [Same Behaviour, Different Ratings: Blame the Boundary](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/blog/culture-and-performance-capability-building-at-a-multilateral-organisation) [Tanguy Dulac](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/about-us) [Read More](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/blog/culture-and-performance-capability-building-at-a-multilateral-organisation) [![A Skills Taxonomy Needs a First Job. This One Was Staffing.](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/hs-fs/hubfs/social-sharing/cases/case-skills-based-organisation-vision-strategy-and-roadmap-at-a-professional-services.jpg?width=300&name=case-skills-based-organisation-vision-strategy-and-roadmap-at-a-professional-services.jpg)](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/blog/skills-based-organisation-vision-strategy-and-roadmap-at-a-professional-services-firm) ###### [Our Work,](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/our-work)[Case Study](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/our-work) ##### [A Skills Taxonomy Needs a First Job. This One Was Staffing.](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/blog/skills-based-organisation-vision-strategy-and-roadmap-at-a-professional-services-firm) [Tanguy Dulac](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/about-us) [Read More](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/blog/skills-based-organisation-vision-strategy-and-roadmap-at-a-professional-services-firm) [![Early Leavers Are Warranty Claims on Your Hiring](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/hs-fs/hubfs/social-sharing/cases/case-new-hire-attrition-analysis-at-a-life-sciences-company.jpg?width=300&name=case-new-hire-attrition-analysis-at-a-life-sciences-company.jpg)](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/blog/new-hire-attrition-analysis-at-a-life-sciences-company) ###### [Our Work,](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/our-work)[Case Study](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/our-work) ##### [Early Leavers Are Warranty Claims on Your Hiring](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/blog/new-hire-attrition-analysis-at-a-life-sciences-company) [Tanguy Dulac](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/about-us) [Read More](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/blog/new-hire-attrition-analysis-at-a-life-sciences-company) WeAreHuman@Work One piece of evidence on sustainable work, every Sunday. 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All rights reserved. PeopleCentriX name and logo are registered trademarks of PeopleCentriX SARL. - [Privacy statement](https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/en/privacy-page) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/#organization", "@type" : [ "ProfessionalService", "Organization" ], "address" : { "@type" : "PostalAddress", "addressCountry" : "CH", "addressLocality" : "Founex", "addressRegion" : "Vaud", "postalCode" : "1297", "streetAddress" : "Chemin du Lac 19A" }, "alternateName" : [ "PeopleCentriX Consulting", "PeopleCentriX SARL" ], "areaServed" : [ "Worldwide", "International organisations", "Private sector", "Public sector" ], "audience" : [ { "@type" : "Audience", "audienceType" : "Chief People Officers and Chief Human Resources Officers" }, { "@type" : "Audience", "audienceType" : "Chief Talent Officers and Heads of Talent Management" } ], "contactPoint" : { "@type" : "ContactPoint", "availableLanguage" : [ "English", "French" ], "contactType" : "sales", "email" : "tanguy.dulac@peoplecentrix.eu", "url" : "https://www.peoplecentrix.eu/work-with-us" }, "description" : "PeopleCentriX is an evidence-based people-strategy advisory founded in Switzerland in March 2022 by Tanguy Dulac, PhD. 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