UK Manufacturing sector turning to specialist Change Managers

We are seeing growing evidence that the UK manufacturing sector are using interim change managers to improve their performance.

I have personally visited a number of companies in recent weeks which have made the concious decision to use specialist change managers to bring about change in their existing working practises.

We are currently engaged on a number of projects with clients, mainly in operations, to introduce philosophies such as lean manufacturing and busniess process re-engineering. I think this trend will continue as companies put on temporary hold their permanent recuitment decisions due to the uncertain business climate. As a result, specialist Interim Management providers like ourselves which focus on the manufacturing sector, should be able to fill the void will well qualified, interim change managers.

Are employers changing recruitment policies?

I have read a number of articles in the past few weeks identifying the possible changing recruitment habits of some employers. The uncertainty in the stock markets, fuel price movement and the relatively weak pound against other currencies would appear to be causing employers to think twice about recruiting permanent executives in some cases. Perhaps they are playing a waiting game and are turning to contractors and interim managers to plug the skills gap until such time as the way ahead becomes more predictable.

This could a blessing in disguise for the interim management sector although I am a little too old in the tooth to get excited too quickly. We have seen no evidence of this trend as yet but we have seen an influx of first time interim managers registering with us as a result of changing career aspirations and increased corporate redundancy programmes.

We mainly supply the manufacturing sector with interim managers and the demand is still consistently buoyant but with no spike in extra demand as a result of changing recruitment policies as yet. Rest assured we will keep you informed if it materialises.

Interim Management Training

There are a number of training providers who provide specialist interim management training courses for those individuals about to embark on an interim career.

To be honest Aster run very few courses on this topic because I guess on the whole we are dealing with experienced executives who determine that they already know what is required to be successful in their interim career. Does this sound familiar?

I am not trying to sell our training courses but I do think it would be sensible particularly for those budding interim executives not from a general management background (disciplines such as HR, Sales and Marketing, IT, Facilities etc) who may not have been exposed to the financial side of running a business in their permanent career to take some advise and guidance from people who have already trodden that path. Also marketing one self is a whole new ball game for some people who have not had exposure to this type of activity before or are not naturally disposed to ‘the gift of the gab’.

There are a number of providers who provide this type of interim manager training. I think it would be sensible to use it, don’t you?

Top Tips for Business Coaching Success

Question: Which type of companies might benefit from Business Coaching Services?

Answer: All types of companies, but it is particularly useful for SMEs, partnerships and sole traders which tend to need extra support at crucial times in their development.

There are many people and companies in the UK purporting to be business or executive coaching specialists. Some are accredited business advisors; others are experienced individuals from within a particular business sector. Irrespective of their background or credentials it is important before you part with you hard earned cash that you have a strategy in place to select the right coach/mentor for your business.

Aster Interim Solutions Ltd is a specialist interim management service provider which provides business coaching / mentoring services through its interim managers. Paul Wilson, Aster's Managing Director identifies what you should be looking for in your chosen business advisor:-

• Accreditation - Is the individual or the company they represent formally recognised by a trade body or bound by a code of practise?
• Relevant Experience - make sure your potential coach has experience of either your business sector or the type of issues your business faces now or in the future.
• Take up References - too many companies ask for references but never take them up. A reputable business coach should be able to give you a list of several companies with whom they have worked.
• Understand the Costs - tie in tangible objectives to the coaching schedule.
• Review Periods - the whole point of employing a business coach is for them to add value to your business. Make sure you build in formal structured reviews with your coach to ensure you are getting value for money.
• Recognise the end point - Coaching assignments come to an end, both parties should be able to recognise a natural end point.

In summary, employing a business coach can be an extremely beneficial to a business. However, in order to get the most benefit from the arrangement take time to select the right coach, identify the key objectives together and recognise the end point.