The role: Active mediator between shareholder interest groups in family businesses.
Summary: When differences in family businesses escalate, sooner or later the business suffers. However, resolving such conflicts is often difficult, partly because family relationships are usually very complex. Business mediation offers a remedy. However, this requires more than just the willingness of all parties to actually resolve the conflict.
Challenge: How do you resolve a conflict between interest groups in family businesses? The potential for conflict seems to be particularly high in family businesses. At any rate, this is indicated by a number of prominent cases, such as the falling out between the sporting goods manufacturers Rudolf and Adolf Dassler or the fierce dispute over company succession at the Bremen coffee roaster J. J. Darboven.
Arbitration is often difficult. This is because the actual causes of such conflicts usually go back a long way. And the entangled relationships between family members rarely lead to an easing of the situation, but all the more frequently to an escalation. As a result, the fronts are quickly hardened. And that is what makes such conflicts so dangerous for the company.
Summary: Most conflicts of this kind can be resolved within the framework of a structured mediation process.
The role: CFO ad Interim for Finance and Controlling Management of a Private Equity portfolio company in the field of stainless-steel container solutions
Summary: The company, a leading manufacturer of stainless-steel container solutions, belongs to a Private Equity company in Europe. The Group was faced with the task of repositioning itself in the global market in order to become more competitive. Financial difficulties, overcapacity and falling sales figures were putting a strain on liquidity. In addition, a change in the Executive Board was underway. The financial strategy was reorganised by the CFO ad interim. Under his leadership, the Group was reorganised with the help of a protective shield procedure under self-administration. Together with the management team, measures to increase sales, control costs and optimise processes were developed and implemented. The repositioning and turnaround were successfully completed, strengthening the Group's competitiveness in the long term.
The role: Sparring partner for board and management - operational reorganisation and implementation management of a portfolio company of a stock corporation in the field of mechanical processing of composite (thermoset) materials.
Summary: The company, a GmbH for short, in the mechanical processing of thermoset materials needed an operational reorganisation and was accompanied for 13 months (6 months were planned). The aim was to transform the company into a profitable lead plant and increase its competitiveness. The challenges were to win over the management, the workforce and the works council in favour of the change and to make processes more efficient.
The solution comprised a three-phase approach in which the current situation was analysed, business excellence concepts were developed and their implementation was supported. A project management office (PMO) was set up and the agile method with sprints and spurts was used to organise the transformation efficiently and cooperatively.
The result was a significant increase in productivity and competitiveness, which strengthened the company financially for the future.
The role: Sparring partner for shareholders, advisory board as well as CEO ad interim – Business Transformation of a traditional family-owned surface coating company. From vision to strategic management and the role of the strategy team in the transformation process.
Summary: The case study describes the successfully initiated and largely implemented business transformation of a family-owned metal processing company. The company was faced with the challenge of realigning itself due to technological and economic changes. A strategy manual formed the basis for the reorganisation, which included both strategic and operational measures.
A particular focus was placed on involving the workforce and management in order to create acceptance for the change processes. The transformation included the optimisation of sales structures, the introduction of key account management, a new pricing policy and the adjustment of administrative processes. Agile methods and a project management office were used to make internal processes more efficient and implement improvements in short sprints.
Open communication and the commitment of the employees played a key role in the successful implementation. After 8 months, initial successes were recorded and the project was handed over to new management, who will continue the transformation. The optimised structures and processes as well as the realignment of the business model will make the company more competitive in the long term.
Technologiepark Heidelberg
TP InnovationCenter
Im Neuenheimer Feld 582
69120 Heidelberg
Germany
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