Professional Interims

Insight Piece

© Partner Financial Ltd 2018.

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As the member of the Leader-ship team I’m sure the fact that the only ‘constant’ in an organi-sation is, ironically, ‘change’ reso-nates with you.

In order to be successful, organ-isations and those leading them must be accepting of the fact that change needs to happen in order to retain market share and continue driving enterprise value.

‘Change’ has many different guises, and there is no one true solution to change...or is there? Perhaps if that solution was adaptable then maybe there is. Professional interims may, on the surface, seem expensive, but if your organisation needs to embark on a period of change, whatever the reason may be, a proven interim can assist and lead this change in a longer-term, cost effective manner.

WHAT CONSTITUTES ORGANISA-TIONAL CHANGE?There is no doubt that Organi-sational Change incorporates a multitude of focus areas, but in summary:‘Organisational change is about reviewing and modifying man-agement structures and business processes…To stay a step ahead of the competition, companies need to look for ways to do things

more efficiently and cost effec-tively.’ 1

It is very easy to become com-placent when an organisation is successful. However, in today’s market, there is evidence of smaller, leaner organisations that have the funding required to take market share from the more established and larger businesses who fail to evolve. ‘Business lead-ers tell us they feel great urgency to respond to rising market disrup-tion with innovation, but knowing where and how to start can be daunting.’ 2

• Target Operating Model: ‘The primary purpose of a Target Operating Model is to enable the application of a corporate strategy or vision to a business or operation.’ 3 When an organ-isation is, and has been success-ful for a long period of time, it becomes increasingly difficult to spot early enough when strate-gies need to change to ensure retention of market share. ‘Inter-ims provide the continuity, sup-port and leadership needed to assess next steps, shape strate-gies and create clear direction for the long term.’ 4

• Today vs. …? What your organi-sation looks like and needs today, tomorrow and in 12 months’ time

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will inevitably differ. As it embarks on a period of organisational change, the roles that you need people to do in the organisation will also change. An experienced professional interim will be able to assess what is needed now, and how to develop the role to a point of BAU when a permanent hire can then be sourced. • Systems implementation: The implementation of a new sys-tem is rarely approached with enthusiasm, yet ‘how success-fully an ERP’ or any system ‘inte-grates into a company’s pro-cesses can influence its strategy and rate of success for years to come.’ 5 One of the biggest chal-lenges with a systems implemen-tation is ‘implementation brings significant changes to a compa-ny’s conventional business model and the day-to-day practices it has been using for years or even decades.’5 A professional interim who has experienced a number of systems implementation proj-ects will not only understand the challenges that will be faced, but also the benefits of such a project and will have the tenacity and influencing skills to help the rest of the team understand the bene-fits to not only them but also the organisation and how to maxi-mise results.

• Life-cycle: It is obvious that an organisation will go through many stages as part of its life cycle, and the disruptive world that we are in means organisations are achieving exceptional lev-els of growth, and the next stage in their life cycle much quicker ‘“Technology allows businesses to start and gain scale with stun-ning speed while using little cap-ital”’. 6 This can mean that the strategic direction that the busi-ness was originally founded upon can quickly become less rele-vant. A professional interim can help the business realign what they are looking to achieve now and what strategies need to be in place to positively impact on that next stage of the life cycle, rather than entering it blind. WHAT CONSTITUTES A PROFESSIONAL INTERIM?It is essential that, when you are looking to increase capabilities to ensure successful delivery of organisation change, you under-stand the difference between a professional interim and a ‘temp’.

Experience: A professional interim will have seen many more organisational change projects, than those in the earlier part of their career. They will understand not only the difference between

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levels of execution, but will have the skill set and knowledge to ensure delivery and success. Thought Process: Successful pro-fessional interims have an ability to think strategically, but impact immediately. They are able to ‘apply calculated change against a backdrop of varying and unique challenges’ 7

Outcome focussed: ‘One of the key benefits of an interim exec-utive is the experienced, inde-pendent view he or she brings. With no history or axe to grind, a talented interim executive can boost the morale of the team and provide tangible short-term solutions or longer term strate-gies.’8 Many interims believe they are only as good as their last assignment…

Flexibility: By the nature of the work they do, a professional interim will be flexible, adaptable and be able to go from ‘rolling up (their) sleeves…to...operating in the boardroom’ 7

There are many organisa-tional benefits to recruiting a

professional interim, and whilst it may initially seem like an expen-sive hire, when you consider that ‘Organisational design and change are complex. Many organisational redesigns fail because they are reduced to an exercise to cut costs’ 9

Organisational change is about future proofing your business and if you invest at the start, the right professional interim can help you identify and implement initiatives, create synergies and drive out-comes, which in turn are likely to impact positively on both the top and bottom line.

ABOUT USPartner Financial have been sup-porting businesses with organi-sational change in many forms over the last 10 years. To dis-cuss the strategic direction of your business, the current posi-tioning within the life-cycle or perhaps how a professional interim can support you and your organisation in achieving the short, mid and longer term objectives please contact us on 0203 178 4996.

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1 1 http://smallbusiness.chron.com/meaning-organizational-change-35131.html

2 https://www.forbes.com/sites/kpmg/2016/11/18/how-companies-can-stay-ahead-with-rapid-innovation/#3140773d2aa6

3 https://www2.deloitte.com/lu/en/pages/strategy/solutions/target-operat-ing-model.html

4 https://interim-management.org.uk/about/

5 https://www3.technologyevaluation.com/research/article/the-5-biggest-chal-lenges-when-implementing-erp-for-the-first-time.html

6 https://yourstory.com/2015/12/wave-disruption-business-strategies-tips/

7 https://www.theguardian.com/careers/careers-blog/interim-manager-essen-tial-skills-attributes

8 https://interim-management.org.uk/about/benefits-of-using-an-interim-manag-er/

9 https://www2.deloitte.com/insights/us/en/focus/human-capital-trends/2017/organization-of-the-future.html

© Partner Financial Ltd 2018.

CONTACT US

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T +44 (0)20 3178 4996

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