The client for the mandate of the interim manager and automotive consultant was Consulting4Drive. C4D is the management and innovation consultancy of IAV, which has more than 7,000 employees worldwide and supports automotive manufacturers and suppliers along the entire mobility chain, from concept to series production. The interim manager helped C4D to achieve the set project goals during a critical phase. The subject of the collaboration was an innovative development project in the field of autonomous driving. Specifically, it involved the integration of a camera system in a very complex automated driving development project (AD project level 3). The automotive expert acted as task force manager between a Japanese OEM and a German and a French supplier.
Managing the development of hardware and software for the camera system
The interim manager primarily managed the development of hardware and software for the camera system. The complex project structure involved a total of more than 700 engineers working in 7 companies at more than 20 locations. Prior to the start of the interim mandate, this extremely complex process with a considerable coordination effort had also stalled due to cultural disagreements. Important project milestones were missed. Despite very short briefings, the interim manager was quickly able to position himself as a link between the manufacturer and the critical supplier.
Intercultural challenges identified as a source of error
Experts on all sides were busy solving the problem. For the automotive consultant, it was clear that the project had not gone awry due to a lack of technical expertise. Rather, it was due to the intercultural challenges. Even if it is a gross oversimplification: the much-cited Japanese attitude of "no one should lose face" clashed with the French "strike mentality". Between these poles, the parties involved had not found a common way to work in a solution-oriented manner.
Coaching executives in intercultural management
The interim manager then coached the executives and sensitized top management. He focused on the question: "What exactly do we need to implement together so that we can solve the problems on time?" This opened up new perspectives, away from the standard question: "Who is responsible for what?". Both parties were made aware of the intercultural challenges of their counterparts separately. There was a clear consensus that working together works much more smoothly if you engage constructively on a factual level instead of elevating the whole thing to a personal, emotional level. Even if you are arguing "about the matter", nobody has to lose face!
In order to overcome the challenges of different intercultural mindsets, the interim manager also introduced moderated meetings. In this way, he gave the project teams the opportunity to work on the necessary product and process developments in an objective, solution-oriented and coordinated manner.
Interface problems identified and process flows optimized
However, it was not just intercultural challenges that caused the project to suffer. As an experienced automotive consultant, the interim manager worked with the project team to identify interface problems and optimize processes. A pragmatic and customer-oriented approach drove product and process development forward in a much more targeted manner. This ensured the delivery capability of the prototypes. The project lasted a total of 10 months. Following the successful implementation of the target agreement, an internal handover took place.
