Human Capital Management
A Shallow Bench at a Critical Moment
A defense contractor with $800M in annual revenue was facing a succession crisis. With 40% of senior leadership eligible to retire within 36 months and no formal succession plan in place, the organization was at risk of losing institutional knowledge, customer relationships, and operational continuity simultaneously.
Previous attempts to address the problem through external hiring had been expensive and had produced leaders who struggled to integrate into the organization's culture. Leadership engaged IBG to redesign their talent development system from the ground up.
Build the System, Not Just the Training
IBG began with a comprehensive talent assessment across all leadership levels — mapping current capability against the organization's 36-month strategic requirements. The assessment revealed that the talent existed within the organization; the problem was that it had never been systematically identified, developed, or planned for.
- A formal high-potential identification process using behavioral assessment, performance data, and manager nominations
- Individual development plans for 45 identified high-potential employees, each tied to specific succession targets
- A cross-functional rotation program that accelerated development by exposing high-potentials to unfamiliar business functions
- A quarterly talent review process embedded into the executive calendar, with defined discussion protocols and decision criteria
IBG designed and implemented all four elements simultaneously, with an 18-month implementation timeline that allowed early elements to inform later ones.
3x Pipeline Depth. 40% Less External Hiring.
Within 18 months, the organization had tripled its ready-now leadership pipeline from 8 to 26 qualified internal candidates. External leadership hiring dropped by 40% in the 12 months following full implementation, saving the organization an estimated $1.2M in recruiting costs alone.
The talent review process is now embedded in the annual planning cycle, and the high-potential program has been extended to include the next generation of mid-level leaders. IBG is no longer required to run it.