Or: Why many companies are not a cat, but have a cat condition

Schrödinger’s thought experiment from 1935 has gone down in history. It contrasted an approach from quantum physics with the actually perceptible world. The semi-, almost, not or completely dead cat has also entered popular culture in a simplified – and slightly misappropriated – form. The setup: A cat is locked in a box with an atomic nucleus. The atomic nucleus decays with a probability of 50%. And when it does, it releases toxic gas that kills the cat. Whether the cat is alive or dead is only known when you open the lid and look into the box. From the point of view of quantum physics, it is possible that a system has two different states at the same time up to the point of measurement – so until there the kitten is alive and dead at the same time.

Somehow half-dead cats in everyday business life

This emblematic kitten […]

In Austria, too, the interim manager industry has been growing steadily in recent years. The reason for this is not restructuring, but above all the ubiquitous change topics that require experienced strategists and implementers.

The Situation of the Interim Manager Market in Austria

In many European countries, interim management has become an integral part of business activity. Germany in particular stands out in an international comparison: the country has now advanced to become the world’s number one interim manager. In Austria, interim management is developing more slowly, but is also becoming an increasingly important management tool. A survey by an interim broker shows that 28% of companies in Austria want to use interim managers (2018). In 2017 it was still 11% – within a single year there was thus an increase of almost two and a half times. 27% of the companies stated that they had already deployed interim managers themselves. Interim management is also establishing itself in Austria. The recently published […]

Interim managers are technical and management experts who come to companies on a temporary basis to take on previously defined tasks. Very often these are complex projects – temporary managers are used for special rather than routine tasks. Although the interim managers take care of these tasks on their own responsibility, there are a number of things that companies can do to ensure that a mandate is not simply satisfactory, but inspiring.

The right choice

This starts with the right selection of the interim manager. It doesn’t matter whether you have the mediation carried out by a provider or are looking for the perfect candidate yourself: Make sure that he not only has the right knowledge, skills and experience, but also fits the corporate culture (“cultural fit”).

Good preparation

Keep as much of the important information ready as possible. Starting with organizational charts, company figures, etc., it also makes sense to define in advance why the need arose at all. When it comes to […]

Dr. Jacques Reijniers, a veteran of the European interim management scene, leaves the European Business School EBS, where he spent 14 years developing and supporting the university training program for interim managers, which is unique in the German-speaking world. Now he hands over the management of the study to the well-known interim manager Siegfried Lettmann. An interview.

JA: Dr. Reijniers, for 14 years now you have been the head of the “Interim Executives Programme” at the European Business School (EBS) in addition to other teaching activities. This is still the only provider of a certified university programme for interim managers in the entire German-speaking region. What role does EBS play in the interim management market?

Dr. Reijniers: In this respect, EBS assumes three main areas of responsibility. Firstly, the further training of interim managers, then the improvement of the quality of this service and the third area concerns the added value of the interim management service for the contractors.

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