Mergers & Acquisitions Integration Handbook, 2nd Edition

CHAPTER 12HR Diligence and the Talent Assessment Process

In this chapter you will learn about:

• HR diligence scope and deliverables
• The objectives and guiding principles for talent assessment within the integration planning environment
• Some tools and tips for managing assessment, retention, and separation activities
• Managing some unique situations when talent assessment decisions affect the IMO

All newly combined organizations need good people in key positions, and thus talent selection is an important part of any integration plan. Similar to assessing culture, talent assessments should be done in close conjunction with human resources leadership, and many times, companies choose to seek outside experts to help with the specific process elements given how important assessing talent in an organization can be.

Full-scale talent assessments are more common for larger transactions in the middle and upper-middle markets. This book is not recommending that a full-scale talent assessment process is needed for every type of M&A transaction, but where you have a significant workforce and many instances of duplication or redundancies, it is important that any objective assessment process be meticulously planned and executed. A poorly planned and haphazard process will frustrate everyone involved, and you will lose good people—period.

But with any M&A event, there is always a risk of losing key people, so getting your talent assessment process documented and underway quickly during the ...