Case studies
Charities
'interim executives are sometimes used by Charities to bridge a vacancy or run a special project. Radhika Holstrom, of Third Sector magazine assesses the costs and benefits of bringing in such staff.
Click here for page 1 and here for page 2.
These examples illustrate how interim executives bring specialist expertise to facilitate significant change. Each assignment plays to the interim's strengths and previous experience - minimising risk and leaving lasting value.
From time to time, interims fill an unexpected gap in a management team - but the majority of assignments are planned to help an organisation adjust to changing circumstances and new challenges.
Case Study 1
Interim Head of Transition for an education charity
The assignment had two key elements:
- First, to support an education charity that had an immediate need to complete a tender bid to manage a high profile government education programme; and
- Secondly, on the assumption that the bid was successful, to manage the period of transition from the central government department managing the programme to the charity having full day-to-day management responsibility for the programme.
Staff shortages and illness meant that key business development staff were not available to complete the tender bid. While not having an education background, the Ashton Penny interim manager quickly came to terms with the conceptual elements of the charity’s bid proposal and played a significant role in writing the ‘transition’ elements of the bid. The interim manager also played a key role in presenting the bid to the department’s tender evaluation committee. Within six weeks of the interim manager commencing this assignment the charity was advised it was the preferred bidder and contract negotiations for the multi-million pound 5-year contract had commenced. The interim manager assisted in the contract negotiation phase, which included the development of key performance indicators.
Management of a 9-month ‘Transition’ phase then became the primary responsibility of the interim manager. During this phase responsibility for management of several multi-million pound service delivery contracts were to transfer from the department to the charity. This necessitated detailed due diligence work and novation of the associated contracts. All but one of these contracts concluded during the Transition phase and there was therefore a need to procure new service providers. The interim manager played a key role here in formulating a new market-based approach for the provision of services and then managing the associated multi-million pound procurement exercise. In addition to this work the interim manager managed an additional procurement exercise added by the department during the latter stages of its contact negotiation with the charity.
In the initial part of the Transition phase the interim manager proposed internal governance arrangements to assist the charity’s oversight of the change activity. These arrangements ensured the provision of appropriate organisational support for the project and resolution of significant stakeholder management issues. The interim manager also lead the charity and its service delivery partners in business planning for the programme and development of a new website, which was designed to be a portal for all stakeholders involved in the national programme.
By the midpoint of the assignment the interim manager was able to begin handing over more responsibility to the charity’s steady-state management team. The appointment of operations manager during the latter part of the Transition phase ensured effective knowledge transfer from the interim manager before the conclusion of the assignment. The Transition phase culminated with the new website going live.
The use of an interim manager enabled the charity to win a major government contract. The interim manager’s ambitious Transition Plan provided the charity with a competitive edge in bidding and the win will enable the charity to improvement its annual turnover significantly. Moreover the implementation of the concepts used in the bid will position the charity to bid successfully for other contracts both in the UK and overseas.
Case Study 2
Interim CEO- Hospital, Israel
Asked to provide an interim chief executive for a hospital on the West Bank, our man was working in Jerusalem within three weeks - followed some months later by the interim finance manager he needed to install new systems.
Case Study 3
Interim Change Manager - leading association for the blind
Over recent years, we have handled six assignments for a leading association for the blind, helping them move through massive change in their central administration and the personnel issues arising from it.
Case Study 4
Interim Finance Director for a children's charity
For a national children's charity, we provided an interim to cover for their Finance Director's absence through illness, an interim Appeals Director during a recruitment campaign - and an interim Head of Database Marketing to renew their systems.
Case Study 5
Interim HR Director - TUPE for an education charity.
The assignment was to support an education charity that had an immediate need to progress two separate TUPE transfers/assimilations arising from the establishment of two new Academies. Plans to recruit an HR Director were underway but would not produce results for some time. The Deputy CE who had been handling the processes needed to be released for new projects. They needed someone who could take up both projects very quickly: the AshtonPenney interim had some education experience to support his specific HR/OD background.
In the first project the legal transfer was effectively complete, and work was beginning on the merger of the two schools. There was suspicion amongst staff but no hostility: there had been good consultation and effective reassurances had been provided, but words now needed to be turned in to action. The interim’s role was to provide sufficient time and expertise for this process. After initial consultations, he interviewed every member of staff from the two schools to review their expectations and aspirations, taking the opportunity to reassure where possible and prepare others for the possibility that, in the short term at least, there was no opportunity for advancement.
He also had to address particular concerns of individuals such as salary positions, pension entitlements and fixed term contract issues.
The second project was less advanced. The interim oversaw the conclusion of the TUPE consultation process and resolved a number of concerns. In this case there was more antipathy towards the new organisation and some of the issues became more protracted. Once the transfer was confirmed he again interviewed all the staff to ensure that they understood the position and gave them the chance to discuss their expectations prior to the actual merger of the schools.
In both cases information gathered by the interim provided the basis for decisions on the next stage of the processes. This involved identifying detailed staffing structures and how individual staff should be treated in line with the reassurances provided at the time of the initial transfer: those who had an expectation to be slotted in to new roles and others who had protected interview rights, as well as working with the Heads to resolve possible areas of disagreement.
A number of other unforeseen issues arose, for example staff on ad hoc or multiple contracts and others who would not accept positions in the new school. There were also several complaints about the fairness of the selection processes that were applied and the interim facilitated the resolution of these matters.
He was able to deploy a whole range of HR skills: Employee Relations, Communications, Pay and Benefits, Employment Law and Training and Development which gave the schools more confidence in the actions they were taking.
It was the view of both Heads that, by using someone from outside the organisation, but with credibility of having experience in this area, it had been possible to head off many of the concerns of the staff and the process was more effective as a result. The investment in providing this opportunity demonstrated genuine commitment to the staff affected and was an important aspect of the overall process.
Case Study 6
Relocation of offices can be a major upheaval - an international campaigning organisation turned to AshtonPenney for an interim
executive to manage the whole process for them and later, a facilities manager for their Human Rights Centre while they recruited a permanent replacement.
AshtonPenney Interim also operates a Non Executive Appointments
practice where we have helped charities appoint new trustees.