Book excerpt: People and culture the two most important ingredients in generating new sources of gain and intellectual property in a merger or acquisition are all too often underleveraged. In this book for HR professionals, Dr. Bellingham focuses on how you can manage these critical components in the change process, elevate your strategic importance and personal positioning in the organization and contribute to the lasting success of the business. In eight chapters, this must-read manual will prepare you to handle the critical areas in which HR should play a major role before they come up. These include organization design and staffing, key talent retention, strategic engagement, leader transition, senior leadership summit, team alignment, culture alignment and change leadership.