The maturity multi-Level models: a brief report of its history, dissemination and application on people management by People Capability Maturity Model (P-CMM)

The aim of this theoretical article is to discuss the development and application of maturity multilevels models on people management in organizations, specifically, the People Capability Maturity Model or P-CMM (Curtis, Hefley, & Miller, 1995, 2002), an innovating methodology to measure the maturity level on people management in organizations. Starting from a bibliographic research effort about this subject, the article, featured on a theoretical and explorative approach, recovers recent historical development of maturity models and shows its main contributions. Initially, the multilevel models theoretical bases are introduced. On sequence, the dissemination of these models on organizational field is overviewed. Finally, the People Capability Maturity Model is introduced and its methods and application are examined. In conclusion, it is evidenced that the P-CMM can provide a diagnostic view and an organizational processes orientation, measuring the maturity level advance and providing, at each level, the best practices to develop, organize and to stimulate the continuous improvement on people management.