The client was the German sales company of an international medical technology company with 7,000 employees worldwide and 180 employees in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The company had been acquired by a private equity company and was at the beginning of a transformation from a local corporate culture with corresponding processes to an international matrix organization with a corresponding change in corporate processes. As Director HR/Administration (DACH), the HR Interim Manager was responsible for Human Resources, Facility Management, Customer Service and Marketing Service. Her task was to actively support and steer the transformation processes.
Reorganization of the company structure and HR department
Together with the Managing Director, the interim manager changed the cross-product and cross-therapy sales & marketing organization into a product-related business unit structure. As part of this process, she was also involved in putting together the new management team. As there was no professional HR department in the company at the time of the interim mandate, the interim manager gradually introduced new HR processes and tools. She succeeded in establishing the Human Resources department as a recognized business partner function within the company.
Cultural change in the sales force
One of the goals of the interim mandate was to fundamentally change the sales force, which had previously been less performance-oriented. In order to achieve this cultural change, 40 percent of the sales force was replaced by an external service provider. Company-specific assessment centers were used to select these employees. The cultural change also involved the interim manager introducing various new HR tools such as performance-enhancing bonus programs and a competency-based performance appraisal system. The vehicle fleet was converted as part of a sale-leaseback process and the vehicle policy was revised.
Successful relocation of customer service
As part of a European centralization project, the interim manager was tasked with relocating the German customer service from Munich to Brussels. This was done successfully in close coordination with the European colleagues, the employees and the German works council.
In addition, the CS team had to be prepared for the relocation, the transfer of tasks and the loss of jobs without affecting ongoing customer service. This project was successfully managed by the interim manager within the given timeframe thanks to her consistent, constructive and motivating management style.
As part of her facility management responsibilities, the HR interim manager was looking for a new, more cost-effective location for the company. She was responsible for the search, the supervision of the new building, the establishment of a new office concept and the relocation. The result was a significant saving on rental costs and a modern, prestigious building with an open, communicative office design.
All projects required close coordination and cooperation with the works council. Thanks to the clear, open and trust-building way of working, all the necessary works agreements were concluded quickly and constructively.
