The interim manager was commissioned by a large Asian group of companies as HR manager for a staff reduction. The German sales and service subsidiary of an Asian group had to be restructured in order to reduce high costs and counter the increasingly precarious loss-making situation.
The mandate included the preparation, negotiation, implementation and follow-up of a reconciliation of interests and redundancy plan. The interim manager then initiated a management survey. This was intended to provide the basis for inspiring the new start, identifying the long-term need for change and creating a "spirit of optimism".
COVID-19 crisis exacerbates existing problems in the HR structure
The problems were homemade and had little to do with the COVID-19 crisis in structural terms. However, they became apparent immediately in the face of the pandemic and lockdowns. The interim manager quickly analyzed that the company's organization was too complex, unclear and confusing compared to its medium-sized size. This made decision-making and implementation as well as internal collaboration and the assumption of responsibility cumbersome.
Balancing of interests and social plan negotiated and implemented
Despite this difficult context, the negotiating team led by the interim manager was able to reach agreement with the works council on the content of the balancing of interests and social plan within a short space of time. The restructuring was implemented largely without a hitch. The interim manager led the negotiations and at the same time ensured transparent communication with the company's employees within the legally permissible framework in order to minimize uncertainty.
Once the implementation of the redundancy measures had begun, the interim manager was faced with the question of whether demotivation and disorientation could spread among the remaining employees. The downsizing was not only intended to reduce the headcount in the short term, but also to have a long-term effect. The painful cut was to open up the opportunity to grow the company both quantitatively and qualitatively and to rule out further headcount reductions in the future as far as possible.
Survey to specify risk and need for action after the headcount reduction
To this end, it was important to improve the efficiency of processes, restructure the organization in an agile manner and accelerate communication flows, among other things. It was also important to prepare the future of the company in such a convincing way that the top performers and high-potential employees would be retained and remain loyal to the company during this period of upheaval. Some significant further changes were therefore necessary. Before the corresponding projects were set up, the interim manager succeeded in convincing the management to conduct a management survey in order to:
- reliably determine which changes the managers consider necessary
- make those affected into participants by suggesting or demanding changes themselves.
Managers selected as target group and external service provider engaged
Shortly after the negotiations on the staff reduction were concluded, the situation became emotionally charged. In order to avoid immediately opening up new wounds or provoking unreflective reactions, the interim manager decided to limit the survey to the managers. They were very close to the events and people in the medium-sized organization and were not affected by the staff cuts themselves, making them the ideal target group.
In order for the results to be reliable and meaningful, it was essential that the participants had complete trust in the voluntary nature, anonymity and data protection of the survey. For this reason, the interim manager selected a renowned provider for the survey that has been recognized for its strict data protection standards. In addition, the external data protection officer and the works council were closely involved in the project. The survey was web-based. Due to the low number of participants (less than 50), the provider even offered the survey free of charge.
Questionnaire targeted at grievances
The targeted questions were decisive for the success. The interim manager was able to convince the management to address those points in the survey where the "pain" was - and where he had already recognized a clear need for improvement in the previous months. This was the only way to ensure that the managers felt that they were being taken seriously and that the survey was not an alibi event.
Concrete pointers for improvement gained | managers motivated
The survey exceeded expectations: The management received concrete indications of the need for action - and at the same time gained the commitment of the managers.
The management survey was rewarded with a very high participation rate. Many of the participants expressed their enthusiasm. They found it extremely appreciative that they were asked for their opinion. Instruments of this kind had not been used in the company in the past.
The managers were correspondingly committed and expressed their opinions openly and constructively, which increased the value of the survey enormously. The management did not just receive a picture of the mood. Rather, the managers provided numerous impulses for structural and cultural changes.
The involvement turned the managers into multipliers of change in passing. The management received a commitment in advance without having to laboriously obtain it later.
