How Interim Managers Can Help Increase a Company’s Efficiency

BUSINESS

Včas, rychle a s čísly

Časové hledisko je důležité od začátku už

při nastavení očekávání. Naše zkušenosti

ukazují, že firma pozve interim manažera,

až když vyčerpala interní možnosti a často si

myslí, že přijde pánbůh, který lusknutím prstu zajistí změnu. Nezajistí. I když předností

interim manažera jsou zkušenosti, flexibilita

a rychlost, je lepší počítat s tím, že první rok

se to „rozvrtá”, druhý rok stabilizuje a až třetí začne přinášet výsledky. Mluvím o hlubokých změnách. Proto, pokud někdo začne

vykládat o efektivitě na konci prvního roku,

tak vůbec neví, o čem mluví.

Efektivitu měříme přes čísla a čísla zobrazují ekonomiku podniku. Když cokoli

ve firmě měníme – nákup, personalistiku,

výrobu aj. – je potřeba najít způsob, jak se

tyto změny promítnou do čísel.

Komunikace na prvním místě

Vyšší efektivita firmy znamená, že se firma

musí v něčem změnit. Tato změna je pro část

firmy nepříjemná a část firmy ji naopak uvítá.

Způsobí to nejistotu v hlavách zaměstnanců,

„chodbové řeči” i fámy. Tím se efektivita přechodně snižuje. Je potřeba neustále komunikovat, mít kontakt s každým zaměstnancem

společnosti. Na to se nesmí zapomenout.

I v tomto případě interim manažer pomůže.

Ján Dolejš, předseda České asociace

interim managementu

How Interim Managers Can Help

Increase a Company’s Efficiency

Nowadays, at a time where expenses are increasing across the board, it is doubly important to

pay attention to company efficiency. It is quite possible that certain old processes, that worked

in the past, were forgotten about and no longer bear any fruit. Improved efficiency is a goal that

company owners and management staff desire and sometimes it is not only desirable, but also

necessary to prevent a company from stagnating or declining.

First, it is important to define some terms.

Company efficiency is a measure of how

effectively and productively a company

can utilise its resources, including human,

financial, and material assets to achieve its

goals and generate profit. A higher level of

efficiency would mean that a company is

achieving a larger output from a lower input,

or in a shorter time frame.

Interim management involves the temporary

assumption of control over a company or

a specific aspect of its operations, such

as finance, logistics or production. This

transfer of control is typically prompted

by extraordinary circumstances that

the company is unable to address

independently. Especially if the changes that

need to occur to rectify the situation cannot

be made by the company due to lack of

capacity, experience, know-how, or fortitude.

Setting a Clear Goal is Key

In order to enhance efficiency with

the assistance of an interim manager, it

is crucial to begin by establishing a welldefined goal. This not only provides a clear

point where we would like to reach, but

also offers context regarding the current

state and desired endpoint. Reaching

an agreement in the current situation is often

one of the largest issues. Unfortunately, these

company goals are usually not as clear cut. It

would be ideal if they were, but we are rarely

ever told “we are at point X and we would like

to get to point Y, here is the data we used to

determine this.” We are often unsure exactly

where we stand and if the data we use is

actually accurate or even relevant. More

often we are met with: “I don’t really like how

the company is running, please take a look

at it,” or “The company changed things and

now they are not how they used to be, I think

we have a marketing issue.”

The Thorny Path Towards the Goal

Generally, there are two paths that lead to

setting and achieving a goal. The first path,

which is called “the tourist trek”, involves

an incredibly detailed analysis. This analysis is

followed by recommended future steps that

are approved as the goal and then pursued.

If the relevance of data is in question or

if the company is already in a declining

state, it might be more suitable to employ

the second method, which I call “walking

through a minefield.” This approach involves

setting a direct path towards the goal and

then identifying and addressing obstacles

(mines) along the way. These obstacles may

need to be disarmed or bypassed, even if

it requires a zigzagging approach to reach

the goal. In this scenario, goals are defined

as they become necessary, making it more

challenging to unify data points and quantify

changes in efficiency.

On time, Quickly, With Numbers

to Back it Up

Setting a time scale at the beginning is very

important in order to establish realistic

expectations. From our experience,

companies often bring in an interim manager

only after depleting internal resources,

hoping that they will magically fix their issues

with a snap of their fingers. However, this is

not how it works. While interim managers

bring strengths such as experience, flexibility

and speed, it’s realistic to expect the first

year for problem analysis, the second for

stabilisation, and the third year to finally

yield results. These are deep rooted changes

I am referring to here. That’s why discussing

efficiency after just one year, doesn’t reflect

the reality of the situation.

We measure efficiency through numbers,

which represent the business’s economics.

Regardless of the change within a company,

be it purchasing, HR, production, etc., we

must find a way to quantify that change.

Communication Comes First

Increasing company efficiency necessitates

change, which can be met with mixed

reactions among employees.

Some

may welcome it, while others may find

it disagreeable, leading to employee

uncertainty and even gossip. This response

can temporarily decrease efficiency.

Communication is key in such situations,

and it is crucial to maintain contact with

all of the employees. This step must not be

forgotten. Interim managers can provide

a vital role in facilitating this process.

Ján Dolejš, Chairman of the Czech

Association of Interim Management