When a company faces a sudden leadership gap — a departing CFO, a new market entry, a restructuring — interim management is often the fastest and lowest-risk solution. Here is what every CHRO needs to know.

Definition

Interim management is the temporary placement of a highly experienced executive (CEO, CFO, COO, CTO, etc.) to lead an organization or a specific project for a defined period — typically 3 to 18 months.

Unlike a consultant who advises, an interim manager takes full operational responsibility and is embedded in the leadership team.

When to Choose Interim Management

– Sudden departure of a key executive

– Business transformation or restructuring

– International expansion requiring local expertise

– Bridge leadership during a permanent search

– Post-merger integration

Interim vs. Permanent: Key Differences

How to Find an Interim Executive Quickly

CEO Worldwide’s Management on Demand™ program maintains 16,300+ vetted interim executives across 183 countries. Submit a search mandate and receive a first shortlist of interim managers within 7–10 business days.

Key advantage: any interim assignment can be converted to a permanent contract at any time — giving companies the flexibility to assess cultural fit before committing.

→ Submit your interim management search now: www.ceo-worldwide.com/submit-your-executive-search.php

What is Interim Management?

A few words for those who do not know the business of Interim Management. It is an activity consisting in integrating experienced managers into organisations for a period of a few months to approximately 2 years, to lead a major transformation, lead a strategic project, support a manager in difficulty or replace one urgently. All managerial positions can be the subject of interim management assignments, the most concerned are those of managing director, finance manager, human relations manager and those of operational positions.

What is Impact Interim Management?

Isn’t Interim Management by definition impactful? Yes, of course, but here the notion of impact is the same as that given for impact investing or impact companies. I therefore propose the following definition.

Impact Interim Management (IIM) is based on the notion of overall performance of an organisation, integrating economic, social and environmental performance. An IIM assignment is therefore defined as a temporary management job incorporating a significant improvement in either social, societal or environmental terms, or on 2 or 3 of these dimensions. Improvement should not come at the expense of one of the 4 pillars of Overall Performance.

Is Impact Interim Management relevant?

My promotion of IIM to Interim Management professionals and my practice of IIM as part of my interim manager assignments for 13 years suggest that the answer is no, it would not be relevant! Indeed, apart from a few rare assignments for experts in ISO 14000 or 26000, the concepts of Overall Performance, Sustainable Development or CSR appear very rarely in the specifications of the assignments. And asserting its commitment in this area can leave the impression of a lack of commitment in the economic dimension, the priority of almost all assignments. Thirteen years ago I heard expressions like “we don’t want a green manager”, nowadays I still hear reactions like “your image as an operational manager will suffer from this positioning”.

And yet the latest dramatic scientific data on climate change, the fall in biodiversity and various pollutions; our experiences of record heat and drought and the disappearance of birds and insects; the progress of ecological political parties; the European Union’s Green Deal; the rise of impact investing… all these phenomena upsetting society can only soon prevail in the definitions of most interim management assignments.

So fundamentally the IIM is relevant but, promoting it is still avant-garde to this day and requires caution in formulating its presentation and motivations. It should soon become obvious and it risks falling victim to usurpation or becoming fashionable which would distort its true meaning. Ultimately, it will therefore only be able to keep its relevance if it is based on the measurement of its impacts within the framework of a standard, such as ISO 26000 or the SDGs (the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals) for instance.

Examples of Impact Interim Management assignments

• Assignment including in its definition an objective and an assessment of progress in terms of …
  • … personnel safety
  • … management of psychosocial risks
  • … quality of life at work
  • … environmental impacts
  • … CSR approach, ISO 14000, ISO 26000 or other standards.
  • (some of these points seem obvious, but I don’t remember having read them in any of the assignment definitions I accessed).
• Turnaround of a company integrating Overall Performance goals (not just economic)
• Improvement of Overall Performances (not just operational)
• Project management with Overall Performance goals
• Leading a business transfer, integrating the revitalization of the place relieved of its activity
• Definitive shutdown of an industrial site (provided that this has an indisputable economic or other meaning) integrating Overall Performance objectives
• Development of a non-harmful activity for society, by integrating an approach such as eco-design or circular economy or carbon footprint
• And finally, the ideal IIM assignment in my eyes: definition with the parties concerned of the “raison d’être” and the culture of the entity concerned, then transformation of its organisation and its processes in order to align them with this ” raison d’être “.

A Impact Interim Management assignment does not have “to change the world”. It can be an ordinary mission, simply integrating a priority such as “staff safety” and without negative impact on other dimensions of Overall Performance. Finally, an assignment with a purely economic objective can become an Impact assignment, thanks to the circumstances and / or the opportunism of the interim manager, allowing a social or environmental impact to be added during the assignment.

Conclusion

A rapid development of Impact Interim Management or something equivalent would be a sign that the business world has aligned itself with the social and environmental challenges facing our society.

After the fast departure of a leader from a subsidiary with 1000 people of a large group, this interim management mission is to support the group’s interim general manager, to implement my methodology of taking a position in the interim management of general direction and aiming at giving to teams dynamism again, to make proposals in accordance with the unit’s strengths and weakness.

• Name of the interim manager: Anne-Claire Humeau.
• Date of completion of the mission: November 2018 -April 2019.
• Company name: confidential (subsidiary of a large group).
• Activity sector: Services to individuals.
• Company type: Subsidiary of 1000 people, turnover of 100 M €, 450 employees in production and a network of 10 shops.

Challenges of the interim management mission

The company was put in a bad position by a general manager in office for several years, due to the non-existent management, a contemptuous stance, reprehensible actions, and a construction of isolated services. The whole staff is discouraged, does not perceive light at the end of the tunnel, does not understand what is happening, is not heard neither when faced with difficulties nor when offers solutions. The financial results are catastrophic.

Results

• Communication is well established, hope is reborn, ideas emerge, proposals are made. 100 % of the people that wanted to leave the subsidiary decided to stay in their position.
• The dialogue is put in place. Commercial team “liberated” make a 10% increased of turnover.
• Bad practices are identified, and corrective actions are proposed.
• Major changes are recommended and followed by actions (departures and arrivals of staff, adjustment of the organization chart).
• The group makes key decisions for the unit’s future.

Actions taken

Step one

• Field visits inside the company: production, shops, services.
• Meetings and interviews with the management committee (7 people), and then meetings with their N-2 even N-3 at the request of the committee.
• Staff meetings are requested when situations are in crisis, either personal or within their professional responsibilities.
• Analysis of data provided by financial, management control, marketing, purchasing, HR, transport logistics.
• Throughout the interviews, the first report made to the leaders of the sector in the group.
• Feedback of this first round to the management committee: interviews and conclusions on the analysis of the context and the paths for the future.

Step two

• 2nd round of meetings, interviews, solutions with management committee members.
• 2nd mission report with specific proposal regarding the changes of organization chart and the daily team management organization, and point out the urgent decisions that need to be taken.
• Feedback exchange with the leaders of the company and its group.

Talents implemented

• Rapid understanding of complex corporate contexts and their leaders.
• Acquisition of new sectors’ related knowledge.
• Understanding of complex production systems.
• Knowledge of the functioning of Small to Medium-sized Enterprises, Employee Representative Bodies, and large groups.
• Capacity of listening and analyzing, leadership and ability to reassure, transmit dynamism and give impetus.
• Competences: financial, management control, HR, transport logistics, purchasing, production, management, experience as a member of Management Committee and Executive Committee.

A few words to conclude this interim management mission

• Exciting discovery of a new sector and an excellent company. Staffs are mostly qualified and passionate about their work.
• Satisfaction for having successfully established the internal communication, relieved the staff in difficulty, given dynamism, opened other potential leads, generated solutions and actions to exit the crisis.
• Satisfaction to see a big part of my proposals are accepted.
• New start for the company.

Final feedback from the client (CEO)

• Communication well established”, “necessary though difficult”, and a “big THANK YOU”

Interim management mission key figures to keep in mind

• 43 people interviewed, even more contacts during field visits.
• 1000 people, 100 million turnover and network of 10 shops.

The background of this article are two French firms in trouble, with around one hundred employees and twenty million in revenue each, hiring an Interim Manager. These two manufacturers of industrial equipment are subsidiaries of two international Groups of about 1,000 employees and € 200 million in revenue. Each local company suddenly loses his top manager, for different reasons, but that lead the Groups in both cases to assign an Executive Interim Manager. This aims to take control of the French subsidiary to drive organizational change and allow time to set up a sustainable solution for the management of the company.

This is not a fiction, both cases were experienced by the same Interim Manager 1 year apart

In parallel to the operational takeover of his organization, the Interim Manager begins each assignment with an “integral audit”(1) of the company per four dimensions: functional, operational, communication and value system. Regarding the functional dimension, he analyzes the quality system, procedures, rules, flows, … At the operational level, he evaluates each key person, implementation and impacts of processes, and staff involvement. He also analyzes the quality of communication between people. Finally, using Spiral Dynamics method, he studies the culture of the organization and its environment and ways of thinking and behaving of key people.

He concludes from these detailed analyzes that the two organizations, at the Group level as at the French entity level, have in common a pyramidal organization, dominated by a traditional and autocratic management style, sometimes even repressive. Search for optimization of financial profit and cash management takes over social considerations. The competitive environment is very harsh and exacerbated by several large accounts very demanding in terms of price, quality and reliability of delivery.

Based on these diagnosis, in both cases, the Interim Manager establishes an action plan to reorganize the local company

The difference in freedom of action of the Interim Manager between the two situations is accentuated by the contrast between the levels of independence of the two subsidiaries

Obviously, the impact of these differences is visible in the results of the two assignments

The chemistry necessary for the success of an Interim Management assignment is complex

Among its ingredients, such as for a conventional Manager or an employee, the degree of autonomy and freedom of action given to the Interim Manager are key success factors.

(1) : The “Integral Diagnosis” is part of the tool box to optimize organizations entitled “Management 21”, used by the Executive Interim Manager who performed these two jobs. Management 21 consists of 5 steps: Needs, Integral Diagnosis, Choice, Change and Perpetuation. Some of the “tools” used by Management 21 : The Work, Process Communication, Lean Management, Appreciative Inquiry, Spiral Dynamics, …

(2) : PSE = Redundancy and restructuring plan according to the French law

Companies cannot afford to waste time to achieve its strategic goals, such as correcting an existing problem, proceeding with a M&A or a project that impacts the whole company. When they delay their decision to hire a competent manager, many companies get into trouble, loose their competitive advantage or fall behind on their market.

The following case studies show how some companies, for different reasons, hired a transition manager to get out of difficult situations.

A) Case N# 1

Field of activities: Consulting

Problematic

his company suffered from permanent underinvestment in their IT system, resulting in an instable IT environment which did not meet the company’s needs. Finally aware of this problem, the company first invested heavily, recruited an IT Manager and hired consultants, though without the anticipated result. After 18 months, the company totally changed tactics and decided to work with subcontractors. In the end, this decision created new problems, such as increasing IT related staff threefold, because the subcontractor had to increase staff dedicated to the company in order to compensate system inefficiency while trying to ensure a high reactivity. One year later, the company hired a restructuring manager to solve the problem. The first five appointed managers, who have been recruited without the appropriate diligence, failed to find an efficient solution … until the arrival of the sixth.

Solution

Within 18 months, the transition manager, aware that IT difficulties can prove very complex, adopted a methodical approach. He first corrected the network hardware (cabling, router, hubs, etc.) before dealing with the network management and security. He then operated a revision of the servers and the applications (optimization of the installation on the individual systems, analysis of the interfaces, optimization of the data bases, etc.). The goal was to create an efficient and customer service oriented organisation, based on a clear hierarchical structure of the interventions and a reduction of the number of problems through prevention (instead of intervention). By quickly solving critical demands and pushing back non critical demands, customers could be satisfied with less resource. Today, the required IT staff has been reduced from 55 to 23, while improving the system efficiency.

Key points to remember

The company underestimated the problem and tried to solve it by making investments and hiring consultants. Then it hired subcontractors, but without satisfactory results. A strategic correction cannot be carried out just theoretically or operationally, but by using a rare blend of expertise, operation and people leadership.

It is difficult to select the right transition manager, and only the sixth was able to perform the requested assignment.

The company lost 36 months before finding the right solution to its problem, and then it took another 18 months to create a healthy environment.

CEO Worldwide’s +

Reactivity: with its pool of selected and certified profiles, CEO Worldwide is able to qualify, interview and present a first selection of candidates within only a few days.

B) Case N# 2

Field of activities: Software editor for a niche market

Problematic

This young company was encountered massive financial and technical problems and was very close to liquidation. The shareholders decided to fire the former managers and to call upon two experienced transition managers, a CFO and an IT manager to rescue their failing subsidiary.

Solution

In less than 48 hours, the two leaders succeeded in negotiating with the banks the continuity of the company. After 5 days, the disastrous internal organization was completely revised. At the end of the first month, they decided to transform the company’s BtoC approach into an indirect distribution model (thus B2B). The two transition managers needed 16 months to perform this transformation with, at the end, the opening of 500 points of sale and the sale through 40 Internet sites. This company now has good chances to survive, but the heavy loss before acting weakened it financially, impacting its development for the next 5 to 7 years. Indeed, the losses were “converted” into capital cost over 10 years, representing 30% of the operational expenditure. However, with a 45% market share and healthy margins, the company now benefits from a good repositioning.

Key points to remember

The decision to call upon experienced leaders was belatedly made. The subsidiary was put in a very difficult financial situation.

The two transition managers confirmed their adaptability by learning in less than two weeks how this market niche operated.

The managers successfully repositioned the company on its market.

CEO Worldwide’s +

Experience: By certifying only profiles with a minimum of 15 years experience, CEO Worldwide offers transition managers that already have been successfully dealt with the problems met by its customers.

C) Case N# 3

Field of activities: Training platform

Problematic

After years of growth, this company realised that the European market was too limited for its market and decided to expand its operations to Asia and the USA. The existing management wanted to manage this critical project internally. But they did not have the necessary experience to lead that kind of project and they underestimated the budget and the completion time. Thus the estimated budget was quickly exceeded and the start of the project was delayed. To solve the problems, the company decided to hire a transition manager for a 18 months assignment. Moreover, this project would change the internal organization and no director wanted to be responsible for such significant changes.

Solution

In less than 14 months, the transition manager successfully transformed the European structure in a worldwide acting company, providing services in the USA, Singapore, Japan, Australia, Brasil and Saudi Arabia. To achieve this, he created a new offer, which corresponded to a global market and created a convincing Internet infrastructure offering the complete product range via a simple Internet connection. Today, the company grows very fast and is able to deliver its services offered on any site worldwide in less than 3 days.

Key points to remember

The company very quickly made the decision to recruit a transition manager and gave him the necessary means to succeed.

The transition manager worked with each director to transform the company in a global mode and made every one of them feeling personally committed.

After the end of the project, the transition manager accompanied the directors for 2 months to ensure the smooth transition of the new operational mode.

CEO Worldwide’s +

International: with more than 16,880 iCEO certified managers available in 180 countries, CEO Worldwide offers profiles with a strong international knowledge.

D) Case N# 4

Field of activities: Internet SSII

Problematic

One year after the merger of two subsidiaries of two different groups, the new company did not reach the expected results. Internal conflicts increased and the development of new products and services almost stopped. After nine months of internal conflicts, both groups still had not come to a compromise how to run this subsidiary and it was decided to engage an external expert taking up the position of transition CEO.

Recommendation

The transition CEO very quickly took control of the company and got the sales and the development of new products started again. He set the solution of the conflicts as a priority in order to create a healthy environment with motivated and active employees. Sales staff once again attacked the markets, the IT department worked with the marketing department to launch new products. In-house, the transition CEO took
complete control of the commercial/marketing department, the R&D, and then of the financial department. His strong involvement enabled the company to obtain a 50 % growth and a 20 % net profit. At the same time, the number of employees increased by 42 %. After the departure of the transition CEO, the company still enjoys great success in its market.

Key points to remember

Over nine months of conflict before the transition CEO arrived, made the company lose important customers and created a feeling of failure regarding the merger.

The recruitment of an experienced CEO made it possible to solve internal conflicts and to industrialize whole departments. At the same time, the launch of new products and services boosted sales again.

The transition CEO also recruited successfully (and within the deadlines) his successor.

CEO Worldwide’s +

Professionalism: By proposing interim managers, CEO Worldwide offers its customers external managers, neutral to the internal conflicts of companies, which enables them to just attack the pressing problems.

E) Companies in Jeopardy: Conclusion

Many companies get themselves into trouble by delaying an obvious decision. These four cases confirm that a good transition manager can make all the difference, by restructuring a company, opening new markets or defining a winning strategy. CEO Worldwide commits itself in this process to facilitate the selection and to find the best suited manager with the right set of competences within a very short time span.

About the author: Erik Van Rompay

Executive (CEO/COO) specialized in the developing of high volume Internet companies by making them financially secure through the development of new innovative services.

View Erik’s short bio

After the Swiss telecom operator Salt, the French TV operator Canal+ launches a new offer and provides his subscribers with an Apple TV as a terminal, replacing then its own decoder by an App that will give access to Canal+ pay-TV programs and services (see the link below). Is this the coming end of the STB business?

Indeed, for broadband TV (i.e. xDSL, Fiber and Cable – Satellite being of course a different story), in countries where Network PVR is legal, this is a smart way to go : no investment in developing a new terminal, faster – and cheaper – time-to-market, no dependency on a middleware vendor, use of the Apple brand, relying on a first-class partner for a high quality terminal… In the case of Canal+, it allows the pay-TV operator to reach the subscriber independently from the broadband service provider.

What’s wrong then? sharing its subscriber base with Apple? this is already done. The caveat could come from the UI ownership: the subscriber will be first in the Apple UI before entering the Canal+ world. And last but not least the App needs to be approved by Apple. More generally, in one word, Canal+ et al. could simply become “Netflixed”… but we know that business model can fly, especially when new watchers are less TV screen addict and more tablet/smartphone users.

Next step will be to apply the same model with Android dongles or Android TVs (such as TPV/Philips or Sony): this is in a certain way already possible by the use of Google cast feature when supported. With App scheme or Cast feature becoming available on most of the TV OS this could be extended to Samsung, LG and others.

I have always been a great promoter – and manufacturer – of STBs… but I really believe this new model will grow further. For Telco and Cable operators, the battle will then be, in terms of terminals, about the home gateway.

About the author: Didier Zwierski

Didier has 30 year experience in management of high-technology business (Digital TV and Telecommunication industry):
– Successful experience in creating new company, with fast value creation and profitability
– Demonstrated talent in high tech Business Units and general management, dealing with major international key accounts
– Proven ability to develop business strategies in B2B and B2C high tech domains. Initiation, management and leverage of major partnerships and alliances
– Senior experience in landing successful innovation to the market
– Extensive experience of installing, changing and managing international organisations through market and customer driven culture, leadership and teamwork

 To view Didier’s full short bio, click here

Before we go into the details of the brand turnaround project, I would like to give a short statement about being a women leader: YES, I AM A WOMEN BUT I have always behaved without thinking I am a women. Work place is competitive for all (men and women) and what will make difference is results, how to get them and how you develop your team& work with others. I have always tried to lead by example. When I took this turnaround challenge, I was the first women to do so and my sales force and customers were mostly men. I gained respect step by step from all. Then I tried to balance the team with more women as I believe the balance creates a good mix and is part of diversity.

Let’s look at the brand turnaround project:

• Industry: Apparel
• Positions held: Sales Director and then General Manager
• How hired: Internal promotion via internal interviews
• Brand turnaround context: First signs of decline when I applied for the role. At that time I held a sales director role on a smaller brand within the company and became with the new role the first women in that role for this brand in this market!

STEP 1: FACE REALITY

• Meet customers, spend time in the field with the sales team on different channels
• Assess in depth & evaluate impact of decline on your budget in terms of revenue and profitability
• Hold conversation with your top management and be transparent
• Hold meetings with your direct and indirect team and be transparent about the challenge to over come
• Start working on actions to minimize the current gap to prepare the brand turnaround

STEP 2: CHANGE – “INSANITY IS DOING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER AGAIN AND EXPECTING DIFFERENT RESULTS” EINSTEIN QUOTE

Same behaviors will generate same results. Once you know that you need to identify what changes are required. You need to be radical and drive their implementation.

STEP 3: FASHION APPAREL REQUIRES ALSO PROCESS AND STRUCTURE FOR A SUCCESSFUL BRAND TURNAROUND

Apply the same principals in apparel than in FMCG but in a simple, smart way. This approach was new at that time for apparel industry.
Principles:

1. Prioritize your accounts (revenue/profit criteria)
2. Plan your visits/calls 4 weeks in advance
3. Share your final plan a week before with your manager of the whole organization
4. Prepare each call with clear quantified objectives and define agendas
5. Debrief on agreed actions regarding the next steps and the achieved results
6. Keep all information in the customer file.

Drive execution of this new way of working via your managers team and ensure by yourself it’s done. Be consistent on it if you want your team to believe in it and do it.

STEP 4: CELEBRATE SUCCESS WITHIN YOUR TEAM AND GROW YOUR TEAM CONFIDENCE

Failing at delivering budget creates tension and month after month, team starts lacking confidence. This is reason why it’s key to start celebrating even small success from one team member or one region with all. It gives a light and put everyone in a different mode. It’s like in sports. If you believe you can make it, you train yourself and there will be a day when you will be successful.

STEP 5: NEVER COMPROMISE SHORT TERM WITH MEDIUM TERM

Brand turnaround comes from several factors but there is a big one called “brand equity” on which sales have a great role to play. Sales have to drive revenue within the frame of brand equity! This is never to forget. Align with marketing and merchandising on brand objectives and ensure sales force understand them and have also qualitative objectives to reach and reason behind those targets. Ensure you deliver your short term with quick win that will not damage your medium term objectives

STEP 6: BRING RETAIL BEST PRACTICES INTO WHOLESALE

• Sell out focus is key any case.
• With a retail back ground, it’s obvious.
• For ones having work in wholesale, it has been a learning path.
• Focus most of your team on improving sell thru results of their customers.
• Act as a retailer for your customer! It’s has been a key mindset to develop and actions to put in place.

STEP 7: CELEBRATE SUCCESS WITH ALL

Important to take time to celebrate and pause to review progress and how success has been achieved. Celebrate with all within the company to ensure team spirit is kept in good time also!

STEP 8: BE DEMANDING, CONSISTENT AND RESILIENT AND FAIR TO YOUR TEAM!

If you want your growth to be sustainable, you need to keep driving implementation all initiatives and ensure processes are used at any time. This is restless effort!

STEP 9: KEEP DEVELOPING YOUR TEAM AND EMPOWER THEM

Spend time in coaching and developing your team. Identify within your team who could be your potential bench and prepare him as best as possible. It will allow you to be promoted and feel secured if you have a successor ready for the role.

WHAT I LEARNED:

• Work under business and financial pressure
• Be transparent
• Say what you do and do what you say
• Be consistent
• Be demanding
• Encourage your team especially when times are tough
• Invest time in coaching & developing your team

About the author: Nathalie Schneider, an experienced commercial executive director, with significant expertise of leading multi brand brand retail operations. She has a strong track record of aligning teams. As a senior business leader, she is adept at strategic planning, change management , driving execution of profitable sales results and delivering continuous improvement in sectors of retail, wholesale and fashion.

View Nathalie’s short bio

The world is changing rapidly under the influence of the monetization of society, the pressing environmental issues (1) and the digital transformation (2) that affects all fields. The functioning of organizations is inevitably impacted by these changes, as well as the way we work and therefore the role of an Interim Manager. But how?

A prospective study (3) presented in the article “The Future of Work” in the Futuribles Magazine of September 2017 (HÉRY Michel, LEVERT Catherine, « L’avenir du travail. L’impact des technologies sur l’emploi et sa pénibilité », Futuribles, n° 420, septembre-octobre 2017, p.5-18. ) postulates 5 assumptions regarding the evolution of society and their impact on the way we work (4). I have taken some excerpts from this study, marked “in quotation marks and italics” and supplemented them with other sources and my own managerial experience to present you 5 assumptions of evolution within the context of the work of an interim manager.

 1st assumption: Financial profit comes first => Interim manager: victim or executioner?

In this assumption, “the demands of shareholders in terms of return on investment, which have constantly risen over the last thirty years,” continue to increase. They aggravate the “very strong growth of medical conditions such as musculoskeletal disorders and those associated with Psychosocial Risks… The increased intensification of work causes accidents and medical conditions, but also premature fatigue of workers and exclusion from the labour market due to lack of suitable jobs. This leads to a society operating at several speeds, with healthy employees on one side and marginalised ones on the other,  more or less struggling on compensation packages and minimum allowances.”

Interim managers are often key players in these organisational modes, which lead to exclusion, accidents and medical conditions. They may also be victims. However, a seasoned interim manager, thanks to his independent status and his ability to alternate varied missions and inter-missions, stands a better chance to cope with the changes than other workers, and even to develop professionally and maintain his health.

2nd assumption: Digital transformation as a job destroyer => the robot interim manager

“Robotization has accelerated and the gains are concentrated in sectors and companies that have been able to take full advantage of automation and could improve their competitiveness in increasingly competitive markets.” The most pessimistic scenarios that predict the destruction of up to 50% of jobs become reality. Thus “the employment rate is falling and funds are lacking to finance social protection“. Also in this case, “a two-speed society is developing, with bands of severe poverty“. On the one hand the are the designers, makers and profiteers of this increasingly robotic world, on the other hand the “populations who just manage themselves to get by, who live on small jobs, and in precarious situations“.

To make a living from his job, whether he specializes in IT or not, the interim manager must constantly be on the lookout, re-train, and ensure the teams, he takes charge of remain at the forefront of digital transformation and bring added value to his clients. When there is an opportunity to implement a job-destroying technological “progress” and/or to downsize the workforce accordingly, the interim manager either proves himself efficient and able in carrying out this change, or he excludes himself from an increasing share of his market.

3rd assumption: Digital transformation at the service of mankind => the interim manager as moderniser

In this third assumption, digital transformation allows to “simplify tasks, but also to reduce the health and safety concerns of working populations. Value-added gains are used to finance social protection and training. They benefit everyone. The general improvement of health, living conditions and prosperity enables the population to work, train regularly and consume, maintaining general well-being.”

In this context too, the interim manager must be constantly on the lookout, training and ensure the teams, he takes charge of remain at the forefront of digital transformation and bring added value to his clients. When his mission requires him to implement technological progress that will put into question the organization entrusted to him, he will also be in charge to redeploy the affected personnel to other activities.

4th assumption: Harmonization of organizations => the energy liberating interim manager

According to the study “Future of Work” presented by the Futuribles Magazine, which inspired this publication, “excessively structured and pressured work organisation leads to such detrimental effects on the economy (loss of skills, lack of innovation, recession…) that companies” turn to radically different modes of management “looking at concepts that are collective, collaborative, return to the local level”, decentralisation of powers, self-determination and agile organisation.  Models such as free enterprise (5), harmonious enterprise (6) and other concepts that meet these needs are implemented in most of the organizations. They promote employee engagement and contribute to social stability and higher living standards. The jobs they create provide citizens not only with financial security, but also a sense of self-esteem and optimism.

In this context, organizations that use interim management need interim managers with radically different skills and know-how from traditional interim managers, who mainly bring business experience, the ability to manage and train teams and deliver results.  Rather, they favour managers who develop or maintain the performance of the organization entrusted to them, their own human dimension and that of all the people concerned. These managers take their personal development, and that of their team members very serious, and strive to master management methods that contribute to the coherence and harmony of organizations (7).

5th assumption: Search for Global Performance => the global interim manager

The excesses of unbridled liberalism aggravating social injustice, global warming, various forms of pollution, depletion of resources, geopolitical confrontations and the loss of meaning, brings on an almost generalized awareness of the necessity to react drastically. There is a radical change in the model of society. “People and quality of life play a central role in companies and society.” Gradually, influenced by the population and inspired by success models such as Patagonia, Pocheco, the Archer Group or the village of Ungersheim (8), public bodies, companies and associations are giving priority to strategies and organizational methods that genuinely combine economic development, social and societal development and environmental preservation. Greenbashing and facade CSR policies are no longer accepted.

In this context, the interim manager is selected based on his or her capacity to develop the Global Performance (9) of his or her organization, according to the following 4 dimensions: economic efficiency, staff well-being, environmental performance and positive impact of the organization on the community and future generations. And all this in synergy (10).

Which assumption to use and when?

These 5 assumptions are already a reality to varying degrees. The first, “Financial profit comes first”, is no more than the amplification of the dominant economic model. The “Digital transformation” is in its early stages and is looking for a path between the 2nd assumption “job destroyer” and the 3rd assumption “at the service of mankind”. The 4th and 5th assumptions “Harmonization of organizations” and “Search for Global Performance” can only be found in a few rare organizations, but they give rise to more and more publications, debates, awareness building, projects, vocations, globally, especially among young people. This gives a chance to the last 3 virtuous assumptions to overtake the first 2, but at what speed?

The defenders of the 1st or 2nd assumption treat, in the name of “realism”, the 3 other as utopian visions and consider them only in a minor way or, in some cases, use them to give themselves an artificially responsible image or good conscience. Utopians dream of a quick switch to the 3rd, 4th or 5th assumption. The true realists, who are still in the minority, are aware that at the risk of plunging into a devastating crisis, human civilization has no other choice but to shift towards a world driven by Global Performance and harmonious organizations within the next ten years latest. At the same time, they are aware of the huge challenge inherent to this shift in paradigm.

What approach should the interim manager adopt?

For his part, the interim manager, a key actor in the implementation of these 5 assumptions, has, to simplify, the choice between 5 approaches:

1. to ignore these issues;
2. to reject the issues and to refuse to believe in it;

or to be aware of the issues and opt for one of the following:

3. to be passive, by selecting one’s missions based on criteria that correspond to one’s values, without being militant, at the risk of reducing the number of potential assignments.
4. to be cynical, by acting along any of the 5 assumptions, according to the opportunities of the assignment, to get the maximum benefit from it;
5. to show militant engagement, by selecting one’s missions according to clearly stated criteria (e. g. refusal of pre-defined missions to close down a company) or by accepting missions corresponding to any of the 5 assumptions, but by seeking to influence the course of the missions and the organizations in which one intervenes according to one’s values (e. g. supplementing a purely financial mission objective with an approach to improve the quality of life at work). The interim manager must of course respect the client’s objectives if he or she wishes to remain in the business, but he or she can also try to change them (11).

Of course, the 5 assumptions and approaches above are caricatured. Reality is likely to be a mixture of these and new realities may emerge. The purpose of these caricatures is to sensitize interim managers to the often neglected purpose of their profession. It is not just about earning a living, social integration, meeting the needs of our clients and to develop further. It is also a means of contributing to the evolution of our society, which is at a crucial turning point.  It is up to each of us to make a contribution!

Special Thanks to “Futuribles” for allowing me to quote from their article “L’avenir du travail. L’impact des technologies sur l’emploi et sa pénibilité.” (HÉRY Michel, LEVERT Catherine)

(1) Areas of influence of the environmental issues: energy transition, material depletion, water crisis, human and natural migrations linked to global warming, loss of biodiversity, etc….

(2) Digital transformation = robotization, uberization artificial intelligence, Big Data, etc… see a complete list in the Digital Innovation Glossary.

(3) INRS = Institut National de Recherche et de Sécurité pour la prévention des accidents du travail et les maladies professionnelles. The coordinators of this study are Michel Hery and Catherine Levert.

(4) The 5 assumptions presented in the article of Futuribles of September 2017 (www.futuribles.com) which inspired this publication are 1. Work intensification. 2. Privatization of the benefits of robotization. 3. Robotisation with distributed profits. 4. Essence of liberated companies. 5. Relocation. Article original : HÉRY Michel, LEVERT Catherine, « L’avenir du travail. L’impact des technologies sur l’emploi et sa pénibilité », Futuribles, n° 420, septembre-octobre 2017, p.5-18. URL:  www.futuribles.com/fr/revue/420/lavenir-du-travail-limpact-des-technologies-sur-le
A memo on “The future of the managerial profession: Agony or Harmony?” was also published on The Blog of B-Harmonist

(5) Movements of the liberated company: www.mom21.org, www.reinventingorganizations.com

(6) Harmonization of Organizations: www.b-harmonist.com.

(7) See Article:”Liberated enterprise and transitional management” and (8)

(8) Management mode allowing the harmonization of organizations and oriented towards Global Performance: manager21. net.

(9) Models of lead organisations: Patagonia, Le Groupe Archer,  Pocheco, Village of Ungersheim.

(10) Global Performance, a concept developed by the CJD: www.performanceglobale.cjd.net. Read articles: Why integrate Sustainable Development into the strategy and management of your company? and How to integrate the D. D. D. …?

(11) Argument for changing the objectives of the principal: Open letter to 21st century business leaders

About the author: Didier Douziech is graduated from Arts et Métiers Paris Tech, one of the top French engineering schools and he participated to the Advanced Management Programme of INSEAD. He has a 31 years’ work experience, 21 in France, 10 in other countries (Japan, Germany, England and Spain). French is his mother tongue and he uses English, Spanish, German and Japanese professionally. He has extensive experience in most of the key positions in a company: board member, managing director, sales & marketing director, industrial director and data processing manager.

With this multidisciplinary and multicultural experience, since 2006 Didier Douziech has operated as Executive Interim Manager and Consultant in industrial and BtoB service companies, as Managing Director, Plant and Industrial Director or Sales & Marketing Director. This field experience is enhanced by ongoing training in the areas of personal development, communication, change management and sustainable development. As a result, Didier Douziech has developed a structured set of skills, methods and tools entitled “Life skills and know-how of 21st century Managers” which he transmits to his employees when on mission as well as widely through conferences and on the web.

View Didier’s short bio

His service offer:

His prefered position is Managing Director of companies involved in BtoB market. He’s especially efficient in global business development and turnaround of distribution, service and industrial companies. His education and professional experience allow him to be also an efficient sales & marketing director or plant manager.

Specialities:

International environment, component business in the automotive market, glass and material industries, engineering, robotics, NC machine manufacturing, web business, sustainable development, publishing and distribution.

Energy is by definition an exciting thing. We use that word not only to describe the motor of our everyday life, the very essence of how our world works, but also to define spirit, character, even a conversation. It’s too bad if we happen to fail in comprehending the latter (that’s life), but if we also fail to understand energy as the primary and complex matter and industry that it is, then we are bound for catastrophe. As simple as it may sound, this is what has been happening in the past 10 years in the energy industry worldwide: the idea that business can apply to energy like any other, that its experts are such even if by unverified proclamation and that if we end up paying a lot for renewables it is because it’s just an unprofitable idea, at least for now.

As an executive with thirty years of managerial experience in multinational companies, working in the energy field for the last ten of my career has been a welcomed challenge. I believe in progress, in sustainable and profitable solutions, in the future. But as energy business scandals unfold in the news in these last days, I am prone to bitterness to say the least – it seems as if though we had the solutions ready, but we kept ignoring the problems. And now all hell is breaking loose.

Even if we are currently stuck in the recurring paradigm for which progress and innovation take a social and economic toll that hopefully will pass once we are forced with no other possible choice, anyone who works in the energy business knows (at least deep down) that it’s not the industry that is at risk, but rather the mindset that is behind it. Oil keeps reigning but it won’t forever. The sun and its daily irradiation of 12.000 times the energy needed by the whole planet are bound to be more reliable, for example. If we haven’t yet found a way to exploit that, we will.

But only if we adopt a renewable business mindset as well. Historic energy companies are falling in front of our eyes – such as self-styled world leader solar plants developers, gas producers, coal miners and so on, that until “yesterday” were considered as milestones of our society, compasses for anyone, from institutional investors to common savers, willing to navigate the meanders of technology and investments. And so we are bewildered. We read of financial analyses, interviews, briefs. But it appears that no one is actually describing the simple truth: companies are made of people, and if people don’t understand the game they’re playing, they will lose. You can’t fit a square through a circle hole, despite all the money you may have or be willing to lose in trying.

Speaking of money, the knowledge you may have of it will do you nothing in the renewable energies market if you don’t have a deep awareness of how it works. The risk of turning it into an economic bubble was obvious early on, but it was deemed a problem of tomorrow. Incentives in many countries paved the way for billions in investments, until national agencies closed the faucets and wished investors a good (sunny) day. In Italy for example, solar energy accounts for 18 GW of installed power, covering some 7% of the Italian energy need. It’s a lot less than what we could do, but nonetheless people have stopped to take interest or have even started to complain heavily of prices.

I doubt most of my Italian fellow citizens know that their energy bill might have hidden costs that account to approx. 0.40€ per quarter for them, but may mean a total of much over 8M€ for that utility in the business. They are barking at the wrong tree.

But not all are blind. Germany has done an amazing job in simply looking at the big picture, the long run. In sustaining the energy growth at all levels, from residential to industrial, it is perfectly in line with its intent to get rid of nuclear power within the next 30 years. On the other side of the revolution we have Italy for example, a champion of bureaucracy that has attracted developers and investors from all over the world thanks to the quality of its sun and the abundance of its incentives (included some of those ‘stars’ recalled above, who set up in North-East Italy one of the largest solar plants in the world with a power of 70 MW), and managed to fail them all.

I understand that being that thing that runs through copper cables (electric energy), or that hot fluid that flows through pipes (thermic energy) to name a few, it is hard to grasp. An oil barrel is much more reliable for our brains, you can touch it, and you can sell it by the gallon, which is still a much easier measure than a kilo-watt-hour. But that is no excuse for linking the price plunge of oil to the insecurity of a renewable future. The recipe for success here is to account for all aspects of the energy industry, not just one (money). Investment, ROI, environment, development, growth, wealth, economic stability and most of all – a long term mindset, able to adapt and see beyond the easy money of an easy investment. There is no room for neither anymore.

I had proof of all this when I was called for a consultancy about an international major project concerning a solar plant that had three different countries involved as parties, and that wasn’t performing as planned making banks and investors extremely anxious (not to say raging). I was expected to spend at least two days examining the plant and the business behind it, which instead I managed to do in no more than half an hour. There wasn’t any dark secret to be unveiled, no inexplicable economic loop that it had fallen in, no conjecture of lack of sun and poor panel quality. The simple truth was that there had been made simple mistakes. People who knew and understood almost nothing about energy decided to become energy makers. And that is why we are now left with “the result of cheap money and excessive financialization of the economy”, as Bezek said recently in one of his articles. I was never called by those investors again, for them what I stated was just too simple and too easy to be true!

My hope is that we will stop thinking just until the next bubble, the next scandal, the next problem. Great things are happening right now with renewables, like the startup Watly who doesn’t build panels or solar plants, but cleans water with the energy of solar panels, just to name one. The technology is ever-growing, and nevertheless amazing as the first day we realized we could harvest the power of the sun. I urge any and all managers that do not ‘understand’ energy and are after the great money and great career to stay away from the energy industry.

Not because it wouldn’t do it for them, but because they wouldn’t do it for her.

About the author: Dr. Liborio F. Nanni

An accomplished, multi-lingual and growth focused Senior Executive with a proven track record of international large-scale ($300M+ USD) contract successes leading General Management, Change Management, Business Development, Sales, and Operations Teams within various sectors of industry such as high-tech field with late focus on the Power and Energy, Renewable Energy, and Utilities sectors with significant exposure to the operating environments of US multinational corporations and the effective management of dispersed multicultural and multifunctional teams within multi-country environments.

A mature and credible leader with long P&L management experience, strong negotiations and market penetration skills, and highly developed customer facing skills across the entire value chain: from OEMs to key ends users, from distributors to EPC including responsibility for multi-million euro budgets. Equipped with a hands-on mind-set and a Group mind-set; employs excellent presentation, demonstrated ability to communicate and C-Level stakeholder management skills, together with whilst developing teams and individuals using a mentoring philosophy to exceed the business objectives. View Dr. Liborio F. Nanni’s short bio

Some of the most powerful people of today’s world are women. They are leading nations and fortune 500 companies and are holding up extremely well in a male dominated world, bringing change and new perspectives to the established ways of doing politics or business and setting new standards. There are numerous examples where women did prove their business acumen and ability to tackle the odds of a global business world – on many occasions, with considerable more sensitivity and foresight as their male counterparts – and with better results, as noted by a study (Catalyst, 2007, Grant Thornton) : In his study, companies with a higher proportion of women on their board had significant higher returns on invested capital, returns on equity, and sales.

Underrepresentation of women in business

And yet – the representation of women in CEO positions in Fortune 500 companies lies still below 5%.

Why – in a modern, allegedly equal and liberal society – is it so hard for women to access these top jobs?

The stereotype answer to this question lies on hand: because they chose the family way over their career. True for some, but looking at the whole picture, one will find, even with the same education and willingness to succeed, most women stay miles behind their male colleagues.

Same work, same pay?

Starting with the salary: women are paid on average 25% less than their male counterparts – and this is not just due to the generously quoted fact that women often work in lesser paid industries, such as education, healthcare etc., as this only equates for a portion of the gap. Looking closer, the pay gap stays true when comparing functions within one industry: same work, same position, less salary.

As a matter of fact, the pay gap winds its way through all levels and sectors, and gets worse the higher a woman climbs in the hierarchy of a company. It is also true for the film and art industry.

A sad state of the affair, considering that its more than half a century ago, when the first women went on strike to fight for equal pay.

A recent study in Germany revealed that although over 80% of the jobs in the book industry are occupied by women, only 4% hold well paid executive positions. This inequality continues with the novelists itself. Although women novelists are clearly ahead of their male colleagues, when it comes to their representation on the top places of bestselling lists (paperback), they are rigorously underrepresented in the classy hardcover section and prestigious literature reviews. Looking at awards, it seems that the best entry ticket to win a book prize is a male name.

Lack of recognition

Which brings us to the next point of the dilemma: Recognition.

Parallel to the lack of recognition in the world of literature, women struggle hard to get the same recognition and respect for their (same) contribution to the success of a company as their male colleagues. This boils mainly down to biases towards women, both conscious and unconscious, equally from men and women.

The number of prejudices against women (and men) in our societies is huge and although many of them would not hold up against reality anymore, the people hold on to them, due to their socialisation.

I am not just talking about blunt prejudices such as: “women are no good at math, cannot take strategic decisions and are unable to park a car without denting it”. I am talking about the small underlying biases that tend to keep women in their place as perceived rightful by society.

The old mind-set

To give an example: a friend of mine, a very successful mother of three and top executive has to go on business trips on a regular basis. While her husband has no problem taking over the children and household when she is away, her mother keeps reminding her, that she ought to be careful with all those business trips, as one day, her husband might be gone. A worry her mother never aired at times when her husband joined the frequent flyer ranks. You might argue, that her mother belongs to a generation, where gender equality was still in its baby shoes, but what about her 10 years younger neighbour, who instantly offers to cook for her poor abandoned family as soon as my friend steps out of the house carrying a suitcase. A very kind, but nevertheless annoying offer, as it promotes inadvertedly the silent understanding, that a fulltime working woman needs no support caring for a family next to her job, while the same task is unacceptable for a man. This perception does not stop at her mother and neighbour, it follows her in form of the frequently asked question: “Oh, you got kids? Who is looking after them, while you are away?”

A question by the way, her male colleagues never will hear.

A question that nurtures her bad conscience towards her family, although her husband is perfectly fine looking after her children.

A question, that clearly indicates her perceived role in society and shuts her in the drawer “mother, not fully dedicated to business, not reliable”.

It’s a mind-set, so tightly woven in our perspectives that we can rarely free ourselves from the consequences: clear, linear career path for men, disrupted, then stagnant career for women. Worsened by the lack of sponsoring endured by women, though undeniably inevitable to progress to the very top. Furthermore, whereas men sponsoring men is regarded as normal, when a woman benefits from the same type of sponsorship it is often linked to a romantic interest beside the business matter.

Old fashioned? Sadly not. It’s still a typical reaction to female sponsorship, coming from both, men and women.

Assertiveness and vision versus adaptability and sustainability

Women tend to be more willing to take a step back if ought to be needed, to adapt to a changing situation and to put the interest of a community ahead of their own. Thinking in sustainability terms, these attributes should be highly sought after to lead the changing global business world into a sustainable and liveable future. Yet, it’s the lack of assertiveness and pushiness that holds them back in second and third row, while men step to the top, elbows out, a visionary goal in mind and focus rather on their own achievement than the greater worth for the company, humanity or environment. Strangely, a man displaying assertiveness is regarded as a being strong; a woman displaying the same assertive attitude is easily cast as being difficult.

But – while assertiveness can be learned, to become visionary is hard to train.
Without visionary pioneers though, the world would be at a standstill. But visionary business tycoons, who set short-term goals above long-term liveability and sustainability, act irresponsible to present and future societies. As we see well at the current state of our environment.

Out of the trap

There is one important question to ask: how can women (and men) get out of this trap?
There are many aspects to consider, many keys to turn. To begin with: changing the mind-set, where women are less able, less worthy, less important and solely responsible for childcare.
Children are the fuel oft the world, they are the future of any society; they are the most important people in any parents life. And still, when it comes to step back from a career path to raise them, men tend to disappear and hide behind the importance of their jobs not being affected, as their jobs are the better paid ones. (Remember point 2 – same work, same pay…)
In Germany, the state set a clear signal in the right direction: Women can take up to 3 years unpaid leave to look after a child and must be taken back into their old position without penalty to her career. A nice try, but what happens? Now women in the dangerous child bearing age, are less likely to be chosen for top jobs and set career paths, as they carry the risk of extended leave. Also, the state finances paternity leave, to enable shared responsibility. Still, so far this offer is rarely taken, mainly for fear to miss out on the next promotion or to weaken ones position within the company.

To change the mind-set, both, men and women have to consciously question their stereotype reactions in business situations and remember themselves again and again, that these days, there are more women than men with a University Degree out there and modern fathers are fully able to equally share household and childcare tasks. Doing so, the burden of disrupted careers no longer lies on women shoulders.

Stay true

While women should be more assertive and fight for their rights and careers, they should stay true to themselves. To copy male behaviour to become successful is pointless. Women and men are different and this is of great benefit to any company. The moment, when one or more women enter the boardroom of a company, the overall behaviour of the board will change, because the dynamic of the board will change too. Perspectives will become diverse; the board will be more inclined to see different angles of the overall picture. That’s the winning approach: to join forces (see Catalyst Study).

Bringing together the strengths of both gender will lead to the best results. Boards and C-Level positions should be equally placed with men and women and therefore, companies should create an environment, where equal pay and equal opportunities are more than phrases on a mission statement. It’s time that men not just hold the door open when entering a restaurant with a woman. It’s the doors in the heads and the doors to the boardrooms, that need opening.

About the author: Janet Clark studied in three countries, collected three degrees and started a promising career in Brussels. Then she tapped into the “woman trap”, got children and her career came to a sudden stop. It took her 5 years to get back on track. Since then she held positions as Vice-President Marketing Europe and Marketing Director before she joined CEO Worldwide as International Marketing Director.