Case Study: Merck achieves rapid merger integration with Lumesse Talent Management

Performance Management Speeds the Success of a Global Merger

Merck, formed by the merger of Merck and Schering‑Plough, needed a fast way to align nearly 94,000 employees worldwide to a single business strategy and a new set of leadership behaviours (customer focus, driving results, rapid disciplined decision‑making). Leadership recognized that harmonising titles and pay wasn’t enough—what was required was a unified global performance management process to cascade objectives, assess performance consistently, and embed the desired culture across the organisation.

The company selected Lumesse Talent Management and rolled it out within 100 days, integrating it with SAP and the compensation system and adding customisations for differentiation and matrix reporting. The solution became the first global tool supporting the merger, enabling HR to drive alignment from day one; employees adopted the new objectives and behaviours, Merck exceeded its scorecard targets in the first year, and managers gained a single, consistent way to set objectives, assess performance and identify high performers.

Merck