Why is the interim manager
manage to implement change in such a short time, whereas regular
management gets bogged down? Seven practical guidelines based on more than twenty years’
experience.
1. Being present on the shop floor
It’s said often enough, but
it isn’t done often enough. Being present on the shop floor. And that’s more than
just the obligatory walk round. It also means genuinely communicating with the
various people and roles on the shop floor. And communication is more than
just listening to ‘the grumbling’ on the shop floor. It also means
asking probing questions. Get straight to the heart of the problem. Often, there are [emotional]
values underlying the complaints. Address those. Explain what you can do in the short
term and what will take a bit longer. Provide feedback on this to the workplace as well. Re-engage
check in with the employee again and explain what you’ve done and achieved. This helps you build
a bond of trust. And do this every day. Make time for it. Your staff
on the shop floor determines your organisation’s performance. All the more reason to
devote your full attention to this.
2. Honesty
Above all, be honest. Don’t beat
the issue. Say what you can’t say. Also say that you don’t
know. Be honest, too, that some decisions may have negative consequences for certain departments or
roles may turn out less favourably. This is particularly true in supply chain issues, where the
chain takes precedence over individual departmental interests. Also be honest that
change is painful. That it’s difficult. Staff can see right through
see right through evasive stories. So explain why it’s necessary. The
necessity, the aim and the expected outcome. But also where the pitfalls
lie.
3. Confrontation
This can be confrontational. Not
just for the employee. But also for you as a manager. Because do you
really why you want to implement the change? What outcome you’re aiming for, and
how realistic that is? Can you truly, and convincingly, explain why the
change is necessary? Because this is often where things fall short. A lack of clarity regarding
changes leads to more stress and resistance among staff. It is precisely then that
people start to fear for their role or job and dig their heels in. Change is
never pleasant because people, by nature, prefer the status quo. The more you beat about the bush, the more you stir up unease.
So, are people going to be made redundant? Tell them! Don’t wait until the last minute. Get
what needs to be done.
4. Perseverance
If you have a clear idea of what
needs to be done, stick to the chosen course. Bear in mind that
some people will actively challenge the change, some will shy away from it, but there
there are also those who ‘go through the motions’. They ‘embrace’ the change but in fact
, through their behaviour, slow down the change and try to steer it in a different direction
. Keep a close eye on your schedule. Manage it rigorously and
do not accept excuses or external reasons that slow down the change. Have the courage to
to have that conversation with individual staff members about their behaviour.
Bear in mind, however, that by the time you have to have such a conversation, you
are actually already playing catch-up. In that case, the desired change has not been
prepared.
5. Think small
Managers sometimes have a
tend to think big all the time. This provides excellent talking points to
showcase themselves. Change, however, is the accumulation of many small
steps, which, admittedly, can follow one another in a very short space of time. If you
and act in small steps, staff will be much better able to follow and understand you. Thinking
thinking also ensures that you can steer the change much more effectively. You can better
address deviations and spot the
effects of adjustments in good time. Your
change project becomes manageable if you think small.
6. Offer support
Change is primarily a matter for the
workplace. They need to behave differently, think differently and
act differently. To achieve this, you need to provide the right conditions, resources, machinery,
methods and materials. You act as a facilitator so that the shop floor can
can bring about the change. Also offer support when it comes to the mental
change. Change processes follow a recognisable cycle of Hope –
Scepticism – Depression – Renewed Hope – Stabilisation. Each phase has its own
‘mental state’ within the organisation. Managers, too, go through this cycle.
So offer the organisation the right mental and practical support, taking
the cycle.
7. Independence
The main advantage of an interim
manager is that they are independent. They do not have to get involved in the organisation’s
. They are also detached from it. Furthermore, the interim manager has the
advantage that their project has a fixed duration. There is no need to
build long-term relationships. This relieves the interim manager of a great deal of
pressure. However, a good interim manager knows that building good relationships
in a short space of time is essential for the project. Relationships across all levels of the
organisation. This enables an interim manager to get to know the company quickly and
knows where to turn to for support or to offer assistance. These relationships often prove to be
project. Not so much on a deeply personal level, but
very good professional relationships. The focus is more pragmatic.
One final tip: 80 per cent of
change is about behaviour. Your behaviour and that of your staff. The willingness to
think differently and behave differently. Or, as top athletes always say
why they’ve reached the top: a little bit of luck, a bit of talent and
otherwise, training, training and training again every day so that, step by step,
get a little bit better every day.
Hans Groen - Supply chain and performance management consultant
