MSHRMCapstone -Howland

Running Head: HRM EFFECTIVENESS IMPROVEMENT PLAN 1
HRM Effectiveness Improvement Plan
Creating Culture in a Merged Organization
Michelle L. Howland
HRM 5920
HR Management Capstone

HRM EFFECTIVENESS IMPROVEMENT PLAN 2
Table of Contents
Abstract........................................................................................................................................... 3
Importance of Culture in Mergers................................................................................................... 4
Overall Plan to Create a Culture..................................................................................................... 5
HR's Role in Creating Culture ........................................................................................................ 6
Figure 1. Change Management Process ...................................................................................... 8
Communication............................................................................................................................. 10
Types of communication........................................................................................................... 10
100 day communication plan .................................................................................................... 11
Figure 2. 100 Day Communication Plan................................................................................... 12
Ongoing communication efforts................................................................................................ 12
Technology ................................................................................................................................... 13
Technology Systems ................................................................................................................. 13
Figure 3. Selection of HRIS ...................................................................................................... 15
Implementation.......................................................................................................................... 15
Figure 4. Implementation of HRIS............................................................................................ 16
Risks and Benefits..................................................................................................................... 17
Talent and Workforce Management ............................................................................................. 18
HRM practices to talent and workforce management strategies............................................... 18
Figure 5. Talent Management Process...................................................................................... 18
Job Descriptions........................................................................................................................ 19
Recruiting.................................................................................................................................. 19
Figure 6. Recruiting Process ..................................................................................................... 20
Training..................................................................................................................................... 21
Performance Reviews................................................................................................................ 21
Succession Planning.................................................................................................................. 22
Headcount.................................................................................................................................. 22
Figure 7. Monthly Headcount Sample ...................................................................................... 23
Implementation of Talent Management .................................................................................... 24
Measuring Success........................................................................................................................ 24
Ethical and Legal Responsibilities................................................................................................ 25

Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 27
Abstract
HR professionals have a responsibility to their organization to find and develop ways to create a
workplace that is functional, efficient, and engages employees. When two organizations merge,
the need for this is all the more important. To achieve continuity within the new organization, a
plan for change has be developed to actively engage employees into the process in order to gain
both their trust in the new organization and their feedback on how the process of assimilation is
being handled from an employee standpoint. This plan includes an aggressive communication
plan that contains a continuous loop process to gain the aforementioned feedback needed to be
successful. It also includes a plan for bringing the organization together through the means of
technology as well as talent management. Both of which reach to further engage employees
through their implementation. Through all of this, the ethical and legal responsibilities of HR are
explored and great consideration has been given to ensure the gained trust of employees and
other stakeholders is retained throughout the process. The new organization will have many
obstacles as it grows and develops; this plan is designed to make this process easier by valuing
its most important commodity – it employees.
.

Mergers and acquisitions affect many workplaces in the U.S. More than 1 in 4 U.S.
workers are affected over a 10 year period (Milligan, 2015). Changes in the workplace due to
merger activity have a profound effect on how the workplace operates. From how desks are
arranged in the office to the organizational structure itself, there are a number of things that can
directly affect how the new culture forms and how employees either embrace or reject what is
being presented.
According to Merriam-Webster (2015), a merger is defined as “the act or process of
combining two or more businesses into one business.” Keeping this in mind throughout this
process, it is important to remember that the goal is to create one business that reflects the new
values and ideals of the organization. The change involved with a merger will create differences
in both environments of the old organizations; but by having stages where both experience
transformation into the new organization, one company will not feel like they are being devoured
by the other company - as is the case with an acquisition. Through all of this, the largest impact
of the result of the merger depends on the culture that is created.
Importance of Culture in Mergers
As much as every management team wants believes in the perceived success of a merger
the day that the papers are signed, it is not a guarantee of success. While many things go into the
details of a merger like financial advantage, impacts to stocks and who will be on the board of
directors, culture of the two organizations that are to be merged are often left until last or not
considered at all. It is culture that will lead to the overall long-term success of the merger.
Without it, there is a confusion of identity within the organization that will eventually lead to low
morale, low employee engagement and turnover issues throughout the organization (Holbeche,
2009).

There are several examples of organizational mergers that that failed due a lapse in in
creating a cohesive culture. Daimler and Chrysler is one such example where two organizations
attempted to merge and where culture and communication issues kept them from being
successful. There are numerous of other examples such as Compaq and HP, AOL and Time
Warner, & Sprint and Nextel. Each of these mergers, entered into their agreement with high
hopes based on their similarities in industry and market share. However, each of these mergers
broke apart within a few short years because of issues steamed from not bringing together the
culture (Jacobson, 2012). New mergers in the business world today can take lessons learned from
the mistakes of these other mergers in order to work from the start to help foster the new
organization and work to make the organization a homogeneous unit. An example of this would
be the recent merger between H.J. Heinz and Kraft Foods. This merger comes with its own set of
challenges for a logistics standpoint, partially because they have decided to maintain two
separate headquarters in the U.S. (Kraft Press Release, 2015).
Overall Plan to Create a Culture
Integration of the culture ideally should take the best from both companies to create a new
identity that values both organizations rather than just equally (Holbeche, 2009). The concept of
using the best is a great way to embrace parts of both organizations in the merger. The parts that
need more from completing this exercise can be researched further to find best practices and give
suggestions that fit in with the cultural goals of the new organization. Through this paper, the
role of HR in creating culture will be explored along with how culture is influenced by change
management. A communication plan for an organization will be highlighted as well as the steps
for incorporating both technology and talent management into the culture change of the
organization. A plan for measuring success will be outlined. The ethical and legal responsibilities

of HR to the organization and society will be emphasized and challenges and opportunities will
be articulated.
HR's Role in Creating Culture
HR has a very important role in terms of helping foster a new culture because it is the HR
professional who acts as an influencer both with management and throughout the organization to
assimilate programs into the new merged organization and bring both sides together. The best
way to influence stakeholders in this way is by bringing them together through common values.
It is true that not both merging organizations will likely have identical values, but there is a good
chance that both organizations can relate to common values such as honesty, integrity, and trust.
By relating stakeholders to these common values, HR can create within everyone a personal
motivation towards accepting commonality – leading to accepting the culture (Patterson, 2008).
Through the process of creating a new culture, HR needs to be involved in an internal
rebranding of the organization. This includes creating training for employees to inform them
where the organization is heading and how it plans to get there. This will help to engage the
employees and may even produce other ideas to help improve the process as it happens. HR can
encourage this by creating a continuous loop communication process with employees to submit
new ideas (Holbeche, 2009). Employee training programs put together by HR ensure employees
fully understand their role – especially if it changes with the new direction of the new
organization. These trainings can be as simple as a review of job description to creating
development plans for employees to continue to improve themselves within the organization.
This will help to create an engaged workforce that understands the organization and their role
within it. Finally, the organization can embrace a more diverse workforce through not only
evaluating the talent acquisition process, but also by embracing the employees they already have

and valuing them for who they are and what they contribute. Overall, this plan will lead to a
more competent workforce that will help to support quality and sustainability throughout the
organization.
Culture and Change Management
Change management is big part of culture change. In order to help employees adapt to
change, managers and leaders can utilize positive reinforcement. They should expect that people
are going to be human and have emotional reactions. It is important to use communication to
listen to others to help to understand their troubles with what the changes are occurring.
Reinforcement of the behavior that is being changed needs to stay the course in order to be
successful (Daniels, 2000). Strong cultures, those who are recognizable to the outside world,
have shown to perform more successfully than other such organizations. Kotter and Heskett did
testing on this theory by looking at 207 firms. Their findings were moderately conclusive with
positive findings and long-term economic performance (Nelson and Campbell Quick, 2006). In a
merger situation, it would be ideal to be able to create a strong culture. It would help to show the
employees and the outside world that the merger was a success and the new organization is
stronger than when it was two separate companies.
HR practices have many applications when it comes to creating a culture and affecting
change within an organization. For example, programs such as talent management help to shape
the culture of the organization through steps to select, train and foster employees towards the
new culture. These changes can be trying on the workplace and can cause confusion,
apprehension and resistance from stakeholders across the organization. These things must be
faced in order to successfully create change within the organization. By using a structured
approach, the new organization can be made into a strong culture that engages its employees.

Ulrich et. al. (2008) describes four factors for HR to be a Culture and Change Steward. These
include crafting culture, facilitating change, personalizing culture, and enacting culture. Using
these four factors, HR can work with management to design the process for change. This will
create a support structure for implementation while working with stakeholders in groups and one
on one to gain buy-in. Finally, it will identify areas to audit for future measurement. The use of
these factors helps to influence the creation of a process that takes into account not only the
culture that the organization wants to achieve, but also steps towards creating real change and
includes an all important step to measure progress and restart the cycle with lessons learned. It is
through the creation of such a process that the real work of HR can take place.
Figure 1. Change Management Process
The change management process starts with working with management to develop the
overall goals of the change to take place. In the case of the merger, it is to create a new
organizational culture. From there, the goals need to be broken into manageable steps that meet
smaller goals along the way. These goals should be measurable so that milestones can be
reached. Next, the communication plan needs to be established and announced to stakeholders.
Gaining feedback from employees and other stakeholders can help to handle concerns, questions,
as well as, work with employees to both accept the changes that are occurring throughout the
Develop Change
Goals w/ Mgmt
Break Goals into
Manageable
Steps
Communicate
Change Plan to
Stakeholders
Gain Feedback
from
Stakeholders
Implementation Measure Progress Evaluate Process

organization and take into consideration any issues that they bring to light. From here,
implementation of the various steps can begin with possible adjustments based on the feedback
received. Measurements should be taken with throughout the implementation process to make
sure that milestones are being reached. Finally, evaluation of the process should be done to
determine any lessons learned throughout the process so that improvements can be made for
future changes in the organization.
Culture change is the work of good leadership. According to MacDonald et. al. (2012),
three tools that are keys to leaders being successful include the use of behavior, systems and
symbols. These tools are good assets in order to direct change and create productive culture in
the workplace. For example, a leader’s own behavior can directly affect how news of change is
interpreted within a department or group – good or bad. Systems help to create structure within
an area of an organization that doesn’t change regardless of the manager. By creating systems,
changes can be handled in a systematic way to help adapt faster and easier. Symbols can be very
effective in helping to instill change. For example, giving all employees a new polo shirt with the
new company logo on it and the leadership wearing it can help to show their support for the
changes.
One of the things that help to support leader’s behaviors in the workplace is a code of
ethics. According to Daft (2007), code of ethics clarifies the ethical expectations of the
employees as well as what the company stands for. This is an important step in bringing together
two corporate cultures because it helps to define the ethical foundation of the organization as
well as its behaviors. Integration of culture into the workplace requires balance. This includes
balance of capability, opportunity, and motivation along with culture. This can be done by
working within a systematic framework to allow all aspects to work together (Boudreau and

Ramstad, 2007). It is important to bring these other ideas into the mix because it helps bring a
broader perspective to the goals of culture change within the merger. For example, without this
type of perspective, HR may choose to look at solely training employees on ethics and the values
of the new organization and not take into consideration other things like working one-on-one
with employees to incorporate them into the process.
By working through this process and creating a strong culture, the organization will
greatly benefit from having a structured system in place for future change development. As the
organization grows into its new culture, new things will begin to present itself and change will
continue occur. Through this, it is important to continue to embrace the changes while steering
the organization towards its goals and objectives.
Communication
One of the most vital parts of an effectiveness plan, especially one that involves direct
changes with employees, is communication. In the case of a merger, continuous communication
is important to have with employees to help them to understand the goals and objectives of the
organization and how their contributions will affect the achievement of these goals.
Communication with employees throughout the various aspects of the transition to gain buy-in
for the change itself will be an important step in making culture change work because it answers
questions for employees for why things are happening and what the timeline for change to take
place. It also gives them a chance to give their own suggestions and further bringing them into
the cycle of communication with managers. (Holbeche, 2009).
Types of communication
There a various types of communication that are effective in order keep employees and
other stakeholders informed of the what is going on throughout the organization. Press releases

help to let society and investors know about any plans for the organization as it proceeds with
post-merger activities. Newsletters are a more employee targeted communication that focuses on
what the organization has done and what they are doing to work towards future goals. In order to
stay up-to-date with employees on a weekly basis, weekly bulletins from upper management can
share via emails to supervisors with information that is happening each week. This information
helps supervisor communicate to their employees by having up-to-date information.
100 day communication plan
In creating an effective communication plan, it important throughout the process to not just
concentrate communication efforts on outside stakeholders and others that have an influence on
finances of the organization. The employees will be the ones that are the most greatly impacted
on the changes of the organization not matter which side of the merger they are on. A solid
communication plan for employees will help to alleviate some on the initial confusion and
misunderstands that can come with drastic change, such as a merger.
A 100 day communication plan is an ideal way to get information out to employees and
extend through more than a full quarter in order to show results of the progress that has been
made in the early days of the new organization. Planned weekly bulletins from the CEO and/or
CFO of the organization will help to keep everyone from the factory floor to the C-suit up-to-
date with the high level progress that is going on in the organization and how far the organization
is with its progression with the integration. Newsletters will also give information to employees
through departments sharing what they are working on with each other. This gives more of the
employee perspective because it shows how change management is directly affecting the projects
they are working on. These bulletins and newsletters will help managers with their individual

interactions with their teams by creating discussion and giving employees a chance to get
questions answers.
Ongoing communication efforts
After the 100 day communication plan has been executed, communication must still be a
large part of the organization in order to both empower and engage their employees. This can be
done by creating a continuous loop communication path where employees can weigh in on what
is going on in the organization and make suggestions for improvement. The other side of this
plan is where Management evaluates all the suggestions and feedback given and gives a response
in a timely manner to those contributing employees. By creating a loop, employees feel that they
are an important and valued part of the organization. It also contributes to the overall
effectiveness of the organization and embraces the fact that the organization, despite all the
changes going on, values its employees as an asset.
The continuous loop communication plan needs to be accessible to all employees. Having
an online way for employees to submit suggestions is one way. But not all employees may have
access to a computer in their position. It help with this, manufacturing employees should have
meetings at the beginning and end of their shift to talk about what went right and what went
Management
Interactions
with
Employees
Employee
Newsletters
Weekly
CEO/CFO
Bulletins
Figure 2. 100 Day Communication Plan

wrong. This is also a time for employees to put out suggestions. This dialogue can be tracked by
the supervisor and passed along to Management to evaluate and return feedback within 3
business days. This allows employees to have buy-in and feel like they are really part of the
organization.
Technology
Technology is the center of business in today’s world. It allows organizations to be
competitive in ways that it has not previously by providing instant access to information
regarding market trends and direct communication with customers via social media. Technology
has revolutionized business into a truly global marketplace. Through this, technology has also
impacted HRM services and programs to help with both strategic efforts and advocating for &
supporting employees. For example, performance management can help to identify high
potential employees to be considered for succession planning. The tracking of training efforts
helps to make sure that the organization is compliant for ethics and sexual harassment trainings.
Programs are now available for employees for Employee Assistant Programs (EAPs), wellness,
financial advice, and managing and filling out their timecards all from a PC, tablet, or
smartphone. As these technologies continue to evolve, HR must too continue to stay attuned to
what is changing in order to make improvements to the workplace.
Technology Systems
In regards to the Kraft-Heinz merger, there are a number of things to take under
consideration for a successful implementation of HR programs when it comes to technology.
First, the needs of the organization should be evaluated in order to make a decision on whether or
not one of the current systems will sufficiently meet those needs. With the growth of the size of
the enterprise, not only in number of employees but also facilities, it may be a better course of

action to pursue a new and more comprehensive HR system that interfaces all facilities together.
This will also help coordinate efforts with the managerial decision to have two headquarters in
the U.S. (Press Release, 2015).
When two companies come together, there is bound to be a multitude of different
software, servers and just ways of doing things that differ from each other. An interesting way to
deal with this situation is to use an ambidextrous approach. This approach uses both the creative
side of an organic structure to explore new ideas to find the best solutions while traditional
mechanistic structures also exist for things like implementation (Daft, 2007).
This approach is great for a merger situation because it allow the IT and HR people to
look for the best possible solution for the new organization in new and creative ways with new
technology while still affording those affected with a structure that seems more traditional and
not as disruptive while the details are being worked out in the background. This is helpful to the
culture because it brings IT and HR departments together under a new umbrella within the two
companies to exchange ideas and foster a good start to the implementation. It also helps to not
shell shock everyone until decisions are made on what the best systems will be for the
organization (Daft, 2007). Though this approach they are able to do some creative digging by
getting feedback from departments on things that they need to do their jobs and IT can try to
adapt accordingly. This is especially helpful for the HR department with its specific needs. There
are a number of different systems when it comes to HR. Performance management, employee
records, applicant tracking and training to name just a few of the various areas that are tracked on
a daily basis by HR.
Once the needs are identified, it is time for the team to research options that help to fit the
wish list. This involves working with various vendors and trying their systems to see how they

work and start comparing them to each other. This will help to narrow the options to a few.
When the options are narrowed to a point of making a final decision, gaining buy-in from
management to help make the decision and begin the process of embracing the changes and the
new culture. Finally, implementation of the new system can proceed and a new team can be
formed to help with that process. To ensure that the systems being implemented will continue to
be adaptable to ever changing technologies, it is important to make sure that the components are
upgradeable or able to adapt to new technologies. For example, being able to use the system on a
tablet may make it more usable for a supervisor on a factory floor.
Figure 3. Selection of HRIS
Implementation
Implementation is the next step of the process. This involves putting together a team of
IT and a small group of test users. These users represent a sample of the entire affected employee
base from both organizations. This will allow for a number of different views of the new
software. By following an implementation calendar to keep things on schedule, the testing of the
systems can be done in just a few weeks with time in between to work with the vendor to make
adjustments so that it works more fluently with the organization’s needs.
Make a Decision
Gain buy-in from Management Move to implementation
Research Options
Meet Vendors Test Options
Selection of HRIS
Create Team ->IT/HR Create Wish List

Figure 4. Implementation of HRIS
Through this process, it is important to consider the end user. Whether it is just for
management or all employees, it needs to be easy to use and streamlined in order to see ROI.
With a merger, it most likely makes sense to create an enterprise system that will work across the
new organization. The biggest thing is, of course, communication. This includes working with a
team of test users that are in various departments with both similar and different expected
experiences with the system. This way, there are a variety of ways of looking at how the system
works – not just the IT view or the HR view. Another important thing to do is to build a
relationship with the vendor that is providing the system (Harmer, 2014). They will be able to
answer questions about implementation and can work together to create new product design to
continue to improve the system after implantation. In this process, it can be implemented in
phases. For example, performance reviews don’t necessarily need to be released at the same time
as employee records because it only happens once or twice a year. As things are released, it is
important to communicate the changes to all affected employees about the changes and why as
well as having training available. Even if it is just a quick tutorial video on how to get started,
this will help the end users get started.
Communication
Make Training Available Implement/Recieve Feedback/Make Adjustments
Test System
Gain Feedback from Group Work with Vendor to Make Adjustments
Implementation
Create Implementation/Test Team Implementation Calendar

Risks and Benefits
With any project, there are risks and benefits. In case of this project, the risks are the
added cost of implementing a new system rather than adapting an already in place system from
one organization or another. However, the efficiencies that can be gained though pursuing a new
system should provide some balance to the cost incurred. It also includes issues with employees
adapting to the new technology. With the merger process, there are literally waves of change
going on throughout the organization. There will many things that will continue to impact
employees. By communicating regularly with employees, the impact can be minimized.
Along with the risks of this project, there are also benefits. One of the benefits of this
project is a clean start for the new organization. This helps bring together to the two
organizations because they are both going through similar changes, not just one being absorbed
by the other. This way, the burden of change is equal, thus helping in creating a culture of
togetherness. It also assures that the technology being used by the new organization is adaptable
to future changes and technologies. This will always be important as technology is changing.
Overall, the benefits of the cultural and organizational goals outweigh the risks presented.
There are many things that go into the decision to create change in a technology system
of an organization. For this merger between Heinz and Kraft Foods, it makes sense to help bring
them together by sharing the burden of change. This includes the selection and implementation
of a new HRIS that will help them to be competitive as a new merged organization. There will
continue to be challenges as the merger comes together; however this is a good step to help
provide structure to this new organization.

Talent and Workforce Management
Talent and workforce management is another area that will be greatly affected by the
merger and changes to it will have a great deal of influence in the culture of the new
organization. Human resources can use this as a great opportunity to both bring together two
organizations, but take this opportunity to really assess the talent that exists between the
organizations. It also gives HR a chance to evaluate the work that each employee contributes and
look for duplication. Not only will this allow for efficiencies to be made, but it will also make
sure that the right people have been assigned to the right positions.
HRM practices to talent and workforce management strategies
HR has many tools in its toolbox in order help organizations strategize and make
decisions that will be overall benefit them. These include recruiting, creating and maintaining job
descriptions, succession planning, training initiatives, and managing headcount. Each of these
strategies help to develop the overall culture in their own way. For example, recruiting helps to
identify new employees that fit into the new culture. Succession planning helps to create a map
for future opportunities. These practices make up the total talent management package.
Figure 5. Talent Management Process
Job
Descriptions
Recruiting
Training
Performance
Reviews
Succession
Planning
Headcount
Reporting
Talent
Management

Job Descriptions
Job descriptions are a vital part of the talent management process. They provide the
foundation for what the roles of employees by identifying the keys to what the job actually
entails. They provide expectations for employees and help set parameters between other
positions. Job descriptions provide the organization with legal protection against wrongful
termination through setting these parameters.
HR will provide clarity to the roles of the organization so that duplication can be
identified and evaluated. (Holbeche, 2009). Providing clarity does not only help eliminate
duplication, but also helps to create productivity by having one department or employee to go to
for a specific task. It helps to create lines for positions other people may have had to do a task
that was not part of their position but it became a part of their position over time. By doing this,
it creates standardization to similar jobs. For example, a supervisor in one production facility
would have a similar job description to a supervisor in another facility for the same organization.
Through this process, Kraft-Heinz should help bring clarity in this time of confusion by
reviewing the job descriptions of its organization. By grouping similar jobs from each company,
they can take the best from both and combine them to make sure it reflects the goals and culture
of the new organization. They identify duplication through this process and work with
management to see how they can make it more efficient – whether it divide the work by region
or to eliminate one or more of the duplicate positions.
Recruiting
Recruiting is the source of new employees into the organization. It is important that those
who are brought into the organization fit into the new culture that is being fostered. This can be
accomplished through a variety of behavioral interview questions and use of tools such as

personality testing that have been shown as viable tools for identifying individuals that will fit
into a specific culture. In providing the organization with high quality employees that fit into the
culture, they will quickly acclimate to the organization.
To provide consistency to the new organization as well as accomplish the goals for the
new culture, a standardized method of recruiting should be established. It should certainly
identify with things done by each of the former organizations such as type of interview
questions, process, etc. and develop a streamlined process that will seek out the best qualified
candidates while moving the culture forward. The diagram below illustrates the areas and
workflow of the recruiting process that will help to be both efficient and effective at the same
time.
Figure 6. Recruiting Process
Not only will this create efficiency of the recruiting process, it will also give the
organization a chance to inject itself with not only diversity of different races, ethnicities,
genders, etc., but also diversity of ideas. Organizations will always have a certain amount of
turnover. This turnover can be an opportunity for the organization to look for a variety of
Identification
•Identify Recruitment Need
•Requisition Approval From Management
•Hiring team Identified
•Updated Job Descriptions
•Post Position/Advertise
Selection
•Review Resumes and Prescreen Candidates
•Interview Candidates
•Personality and Aptitude Testing
•Reference Checking
•Make Decision/Offer Letter
On-boarding
•Background Check
•Drug Testing
•Pre-employment Physical, if applicable
•I-9 and other onboarding forms
•Orientation Training

different people. This will help to develop new ideas and will help bolster that there is a more
diverse group that can be involved within its industry.
Training
Having a training plan is another important part of talent management. It helps to identify
the needs of employees for future training needs not only for them to be successful in their
current position, but also so that they will be ready when employees move around according to
succession planning. Standardized jobs can also benefit from standardized training, so that jobs
can be filled and the new employee in the role can get up to speed in a more efficient manner.
Creating a training plan begins by identifying training gaps throughout the organization.
From there, priorities can be made and a budget be set to accomplish the training. Tracking when
training has been completed is an important step to ensure compliance, consistency and accuracy
of records. It also helps to show progression of the training that employees receive.
These steps help to cultivate a learning organization. This type of organization is a great
addition to the culture of the new organization because it focuses on employees and how they
can benefit the organization. It encourages communication and ideas throughout the organization
because training promotes thinking and sharing of ideas for improvement (Daniels, 2000).
Performance Reviews
Performance reviews are an important step in measuring the outcomes of period of time.
With the merger, there are things to consider with regards to these reviews. For example,
whether or not the reviews done when they were two separate organizations are used in the new
organization. In this case, the information provided by these documents give insight of the
performance of employees as should be considered when looking at creating efficiencies within
the organization. However, going forward, the performance process should be reviewed at to

make sure that it is measuring things that align with the goals and objectives of the new
organization. It is recommended that the system use a combination of number based performance
as well as an area with specific areas to openly write about the performance of the employee
(Sandler, 2004). This helps to bring together a holistic picture of the contributions that the
employee brings to the organization as well as their areas of improvement.
Succession Planning
Succession planning helps to keep the organization moving forward in the eyes of
change. The purpose is to identify high potential individuals that contribute to the organization
and have greater capacity to lead projects and people. Through the use of performance reviews, it
can show how employees work together as well as their potential to take on other positions of
responsibility as new opportunities present themselves. Other factors that should play into
succession planning are the employees interests within the organization, which can be
determined by having them fill out an annual survey to see where they would like to go.
Employees that are taking advantage of employee benefits such tuition reimbursement should be
considered, as they are improving themselves in order to benefit the organization. Those high on
the list for succession planning should also be those who embrace the culture of the organization
and live the core values both inside and outside the organization.
Headcount
Tracking the headcount the organization is an important part of the talent management.
This gives HR an idea of where turnover is occurring, identifies recruitment needs, and gives
concrete accountability to the finance department as well as management that the organization is
working within the confides of the agreed budget. By setting up a template that each facility can

use, they can simply update their information and submit it to HR on a monthly or even a
biweekly basis, if appropriate, to compile.
Figure 7. Monthly Headcount Sample
Facility 1 Budget Actual Variance
Hourly 50 48 2
Salary 10 10 0
Total 60 58 2
Hourly 100 98 2
Salary 20 15 5
Total 120 113 7
Hourly 75 74 1
Salary 15 12 3
Total 90 86 4
Hourly 25 26 -1
Salary 5 4 1
Total 30 30 0
Totals Budget Actual Variance
Hourly 250 246 13
Salary 50 41 9
Total 300 287 13
With each of these parts of the process, it is HRM’s role to think critically about each of
these areas and how they work together towards the strategic goals of the organization. As can
been seen, they each work together to come full circle throughout each year. Adjustments can be
made from year to year to realign with new goals as they continue to move the organization
forward. Though this, the organization moves closer to sustainability with standardization of the
workforce and of the culture that is being fostered (Weber, 2013).

Implementation of Talent Management
There are many factors that may impact the development and implementation of a talent
management system within this new organization. While looking at talent management as a
process, it should be implemented as such. Starting at the beginning of the process with job
descriptions and moving around to recruiting, training and etc. can be reviewed, updated and
implemented into the new organization throughout the year. This helps to divide the work out
throughout the year and it also gives HR time to give appropriate consideration to each piece and
what ideas to take from each organization and what to start anew with. This process will for the
most part freshen the current process from the other two organizations into the new one. While
there are things that will be different in both organizations, it is important that they gain
commonality through this process. Through talent management the organization will truly
become one organization.
Through this process, the various areas of talent management have been identified and
shown how they need to be reviewed in order to bring the best pieces that reflect the new culture
of the organization. Through stages, these pieces can be implemented and adjustments made to
continually align with goals of the organization and achieve objectives to be a prosperous new
organization that shows the value of its employees.
Measuring Success
Defining success in any project must be determined before the plan is begun. Throughout
the process, there should be time markers set aside to stop and take stock of how the process is
going. In the first year of a merged organization, it is recommended to take measurements at the
beginning of the process, three months, six months, and one year. After this, annual evaluation
should be sufficient to see if numbers are sustaining, improving or declining.

There are a number of things that need to be measured throughout the process of merging
the two organizations that can be telling of successful integration. Employee satisfaction is one
such measure because it gives a baseline with the two companies still separate in all but name as
well as over time when change has been initiated. This measurement shows how satisfied and
happy employees are with the organization. This factor can be linked with turnover and getting
an overall read on the level of turmoil in the organization (Marr, 2012).
Employee churn rate or turnover rate is another important measurement while going
through this process. Not only is it expensive to have to hire new employees with the cost of
hiring and training, but also continues to create turmoil in departments with work being
constantly disrupted – directly affecting productivity. This is important to measure especially
going into the culture change to see if change is directly impacting turnover (Marr, 2012).
Other things that can be measured to check the progress of the implementation include
employee engagement and training return on investment. Both of these measurements are
considered soft measurements on the surface. Since retention and culture building will be at the
heart of success of the new organization’s success, finding a way to measure employee
engagement and what is put into training will be invaluable to showing success long term (Marr,
2012).
Ethical and Legal Responsibilities
From the integration of technology to communicating with employees, each aspect of the
process should be looked at make sure that HR is legally compliant and behaving in an ethical
manner towards the organization, it employees, and society in general.
Ethically, HR has an obligation to the organization to present change that will benefit the
organization and put it in the best light to society. They can do this by open communication with

employees, management to bring forth further discussion that may even improve the process
going forward. HR needs to make stakeholders comfortable with change not by withholding
information, but by sharing an overall goal of where the organization is headed and the steps that
will be done in order to achieve the goal. This helps everyone understand that it will not happen
all at once, and what their involvement and what they can contribute each step of the way. HR
has a responsibility to the organization to help present it to society in the best way. To do this, it
hires top talent to represent the organization and do the work that makes its mark on the world. It
also promotes the organization through strategies that benefit the employees as well as the
organization. From a technology standpoint, that means keeping them competitive both with the
products they produce and the team that produces them. By having a good applicant systems,
easy to use performance management and succession planning, HR can help the organization put
its best foot forward.
Legally, HR needs to make sure that they are compliant with local, state and federal laws
regarding how things are set up throughout the organization. For example, if I-9 files are not
properly kept, separated and shredded per federal law, it could result in the organization being
fined for being out of compliance. This affects the culture of the organization because if HR is
not in compliance with what they need to be, they will be distracted with auditors, attorneys and
legal prep instead of working towards the goals of culture change. The ability to create reports
and providing information that will be audited regarding employee records, payroll, etc. are
necessary for the organization to fulfill some of its legal obligations to laws such as Sarbanes-
Oxley of 2002 (SOX). (Renckly, 2011). This and other laws help to keep the organization
accountable to themselves and society.

With the review of the talent management process, job descriptions provide the
organization with legal protection against wrongful termination through setting these parameters.
Other legal considerations to make are performance, recruiting and the like are not used to
discriminate against others for reasons such as age, color, race, religion, etc. (Muir, 2003). The
recruiting process provides a sound and nonbiased method of selecting individuals which
provides both ethical and legal responsibilities to the organization. This also provides ethical
responsibility to society by creating a process of selecting candidates and not using biased
methods like hiring friends of the hiring manager.
Conclusion
Throughout the process of merging two organizations it is important to consider the
culture in order to realize long term accomplishments with the new organization. It allows the
employees to become engaged in the process of the two organizations becoming one through
stages of changes that directly affects employees, management and the goals of the organization.
Throughout this process, HR needs to consider a wide range of programs that will affect the
outcome such as blending technology, talent management and coordinating the entire thing with
a thorough communication plan and make plans for tracking and evaluating success. Each of
these items helps to build the foundation for success and allows HR to be a vital part of the
strategic team. It is also important to consider ethical and legal responsibility that HR has to the
organization as well as to society and its stakeholders. Not only legal compliance, but also going
above and beyond reproach ethically builds trust with employees as well as other stakeholders to
the organization. By taking all of these things into consideration, HR will have an expansive
view of what is going on throughout the entire organization and can make adjustments to the

plan as the execution begins. The merging of two organizations is no small task, but by allowing
flexibility as issues occur, the new organization can be successfully shaped.

References
Boudreau, J. W., & Ramstad, P. M. (2007). Beyond HR: The new science of human capital.
Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. ISBN: 9781422104156.
Daft, Richard. (2007). Organization Theory and Design (5th
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Western.
Daniels, Aubrey. (2000). Bringing Out the Best in People. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Holbeche, Linda. (2009). Aligning Human Resources and Business Strategy (2nd
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Amsterdam: Butterworth-Heinemann.
Jacobson, Darcy. (2012). 6 Big Mergers That Were Killed By Culture (And How to Stop It From
Killing Yours). Retrieved from: http://www.globoforce.com/gfblog/2012/6-big-mergers-
that-were-killed-by-culture/
Kraft Press Release. (2015). H.J. Heinz and Kraft Foods Group Sign Definitive Merger
Agreement to Form the Kraft Heinz Company. Retrieved from:
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3QV6OO/163505722x0x817718/BB5A3884-B3AD-4249-9FC6-
5AF812A1A437/Kraft_Heinz_News_Release_2015-03-25.pdf
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Organisations. Surry: Gower Publishing Limited.
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9780273570116
Meriam-Webster. (2015). Merger Definition. Retrieved from:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/merger
Marr, Susan. (2014). Culture Clash. HR Magazine. August 2014. SHRM.

Muir, Dana. (2003). A Manager’s Guide to Employment Law. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Nelson, D. and Campbell Quick, J. (2006). Organizational Behavior: Foundations, Realities and
Challenges (5th
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