An interview with Joachim Kürten, Managing Director and Vice President Region Central of Albert Berner Group GmbH
Jo, you have had great success for over two years as Managing Director and Vice President Region Central at Albert Berner Deutschland GmbH. Prior to that, you were a partner and a valuable member of taskforce for many years. This means that you understand interim management from both the manager's and the client's point of view. In your experience, what are the key benefits of interim management for companies?
As a rule, Interim Managers are very well qualified and have knowledge and expertise that is often even broader than that of permanent managers in comparable positions, due to their multi-faceted assignments. Moreover, their fast and flexible availability speaks in favor of the deployment of Interim Managers to bridge vacancies and make up for skills or capacity shortfalls, generally after a very short induction period.
Which aspects make interim management so attractive to managers?
The exclusive responsibility to achieve the set objective and towards the client means that Interim Managers can act very freely and communicate equally openly and directly. The contracting companies also benefit from this independence, as they obtain unbiased and unfiltered assessments of their problems and about the measures needed.
What were the reasons behind you becoming an Interim Manager?
The diversity of work and precisely the independence to which you have just alluded.
As a client, for what issues would you bring Interim Managers into the company?
For which issues would I not do so? (laughs) Interim Managers can essentially be used for all issues and functions. However, mainly they are brought in for project work and to bridge vacancies.
Is the Albert Berner Group currently contracting Interim Managers?
Yes, several. Albert Berner Deutschland GmbH and the Berner Group are always happy to use Interim Managers with demonstrable results. For example, we currently have two managers deployed through taskforce.
Finally, what factors should clients and Interim Managers consider in a remit to effectively achieve their agreed goals?
The most important thing is to clearly formulate and document all objectives and expectations from the outset. In addition, continuous coordination needs to be agreed in the first four weeks. Targeted and open communication is particularly important especially during this getting-to-know-each-other phase.
