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ons for panies with similar hopes of keeping their top talent without breaking the bank.1. Find the hidden gems HR and line managers need to work together during times of major organizational change to identify people whose retention is critical. Yet too often panies simply round up the usual suspects — highpotential employees and senior executives in roles that are critical for business success. Few look in less obvious places for more average performers whose skills or social networks may be critical — both in keeping the lights o n during the change effort itself as well as in delivering against its longerterm business objectives.These hidden gems might be found anywhere in the pany: for example, the productdevelopment manager in an acquired pany39。s Ramp。D function who is nearing retirement age and no longer on the pany39。s list of high potentials — yet who is crucial to ensuring a healthy product pipeline。 or the key financial accountant responsible for consolidating the acquired pany39。s next financial report. Even if the employees39。 performance and career potential are unexceptional, their institutional knowledge, direct relationships, or technical expertise can make their retention critical. In one merger we recently observed, certain sales support personnel who filled orders and took inventory turned out to be just as important as the star salespeople.Once HR and line managers have generated a thoughtful and more inclusive list of key players (usually 30 to 45 percent of all employees), they can begin to prioritize groups and individuals for targeted retention measures — in our experience, 5 to 10 percent of the workforce. The key is to view each employee through two lenses: first, the impact his or her departure would have on the business, given the focus of the change effort and his or her role in it。 and second, the probability that the employee in question might leave.When a European industrial pany conducted this exercise, it mapped the outputs on a risk matrix. The results were sobering. The pany had been launching a new centralized trading unit — requiring almost all traders and their support staff to relocate, with half of them heading to another country — and was steadily losing people. The risk matrix revealed that another 104 people were likely to leave. Among them were 44 employees who were critical for the success of the trading unit. To be sure, some were traders but most were I T, finance, and administrative staff with unique knowledge of the unit39。s systems.2. Mindsets matter Onesizefitsall retention packages are usually unsuccessful in persuading a diverse group of key employees to stay. Instead, panies should tailor retention approaches to the mindsets and motivations of specific employees (as well as to the express nature of the changes involved).When executives at the European industrial pany looked beyond their standard retention package (bonuses plus pensation for the costs of the move) and focused instead on the needs of individual employees, they found a more nuanced situation than they had anticipated. Among the key people at risk were two main groups with two different mindsets. One consisted of individuals who were worried about relocating because it would uproot their families. The people in the other, more careerdriven group didn39。t mind living and work