Welcoming an interim manager well
An Interim Manager has barely 10 days to take full measure of his mission. This short period is fundamental in achieving the objective set by the company representative and the interim manager. Each of them must therefore organize the preparations that will make it possible to establish a reliable diagnosis and define clear and measurable action plans. The quality of this implementation phase nevertheless depends on the context surrounding the integration of the Manager .
The stages of the reception of the Manager
It is when choosing his interim manager that the company representative and the candidate will discuss the key elements of the contract. Integration within the company is therefore not the first step in their working relationship. While many things have already been defined, including the roadmap, the objectives to be achieved or the current human structure, many details still remain to be understood. It is during these first 10 days that everything falls into place.
Company preparations
In order to facilitate the integration of the Transition Manager , the company representative must first inform the teams in place:
- of his arrival,
- the nature and duration of the contract,
- of the responsibilities he will fulfill.
From the first days, the Company must make available to the Manager essential documents concerning the state and the life of the Company. This list depends on the position held by the Manager, but it is usual that it contains:
- the mission and values of the Company
- economic balance sheets and forecasts,
- human structure,
- the sheets of the products or services marketed,
- data on the business sector of the Company.
Finally, meetings will have been scheduled with each manager of the Business Units affected by this appointment.
Preparations for Interim Managers
When taking up their position, Interim Managers must immerse themselves in these documents. Their long experience will enable them to establish an accurate diagnosis of the situation. They will check the information they have already received, and they will detect the elements at risk or the conflicting points.
Interim Managers must meet their collaborators in order to measure the level of competence and involvement of each of them and above all to locate the people who are really decision-makers in each area of intervention. They must assess the existing relational mechanisms. Who is who, who does what and who does he work with?
The context of the integration of a Manager
The quality of the integration phase depends on the urgency of the situation, the organization of the Company and the nature of the project. This start-up phase is therefore specific to each mission. Two main reasons justify a Company Manager calling on Interim Management :
- Project Management (transformation projects, strategic or operational projects), such as Mergers/Acquisitions, Carte out, Job Protection Plan, Restructuring/Turnaround, IPO/IPO, implementation of a System of Information, creation of a department, creation of international activity, or even the improvement of performance. In this case, their mission concerns a major project.
- Relay Management : for example, when a key position becomes vacant, a Company can call on an interim Manager to guarantee the continuity of the Company on a daily basis until the return of the replaced Manager or the appointment of a new one.
At the end of the ten days of the discovery journey, the Interim Managers must meet their manager in order to establish or correct their work plan, fix the key moments and form the teams that will eventually be necessary for the accomplishment of the project. Interim Managers have special human qualities. They demonstrate a remarkable adaptability, a great speed of analysis; they have a sense of challenge and a culture of results. Their taste for sharing and communication allows them to develop a strong team spirit.
