In response to
popular demand, this is my sixth “Ninja” article.
This is the fourth of four related articles that are
being released weekly. To recap, in my original
article
“Interim
Managers, Ninjas and a Road Map in a Downsized World”,
I introduced the terms “Ronin”
and “Ninjas” in the context of the interim
management industry. The “Ronin” were temporary
soldiers, called in to bolster troop numbers; the
“Ninjas” were highly skilled and professionally
trained individuals, capable of exceptional
specialist services.
The series of four articles introduces four
archetypes: “Executive Interim Manager”, the
“Independent Consultant”, the “Ronin” and the
“Ninjas”. This article looks at the “Ninja” (used
figuratively).
Based upon some of my earlier, published research, I
introduced a four-state model, linking cost
reduction models to organisation context. I have
adapted this model for interim management industry
segmentation.
The Interim Management Industry Four State Model#
The horizontal axis
of my earlier research dealt with Weak Market
Orientation and Strong Market Orientation. This is
simplified to degree of Innovation. Similarly, the
vertical axis of my earlier research deployed “No
Turnaround Need/Successful” and Strong “Turnaround
Need/Unsuccessful”. Again this is simplified to
degree of Improvement.
Definition of a Ninja:
The Ninja
is a
self-employed, interim executive, manager,
professional or technical practitioner, with
exceptional competencies and deliverables in core
professional, technical or management leadership,
ability to operate individually or as a member of a
multi-functional and multi-cultural team, strongly
market-oriented, strongly analytical and preferably
trained in research methods and Organizational
Development (OD).
The Profile of a Ninja:
It is likely that
the Ninja will have an established track record as
an Executive Interim Manager or Independent
Consultant, before broadening his/her competencies
to become a Ninja. To be clear, the route to
becoming a Ninja may be either via proven
heavy-weight executive manager achievements or as an
exceptionally accomplished consultant. To qualify as
a Ninja the interim manager must be able to
demonstrate that he/she fits the definition of a
Ninja. The Ninja is a hands-on analyst of
quantitative and qualitative data, including
structured interviews and focus groups. The Ninja
moves “invisibly” from sector to sector. The Ninja
never responds to gut-feeling, instinct, intuition
and previous experience – he/she always analyses the
data before intervening, typically following a
pattern of progressive analysis and intervention.
The Ninja is always in harmony with his/her ego.
Ninjas are likely to be over fifty-years of age,
fit, energetic and driven by pure challenge!
Finding Ninja (Caveat Emptor – let the buyer
beware!)
The most effective sources for finding a Ninja is
strong personal recommendation/ endorsement. There
is currently no intermediation market for Ninjas.
Because of the specialist competencies of the Ninja,
it is likely that the effective intermediary will be
closer to the best practice model for the Executive
Interim Manager. The acid test for the potential
Ninja intermediary is being able to produce a short
list of say two candidates, in under forty-eight
hours, from Ninjas that they know well. When
choosing an intermediary for a Ninja, the quality of
the intermediary’s service offering is critical. It
would be prudent to ask the intermediary to provide
three high profile references that would confirm the
quality of their service offering.
Challenges for the Future
The interim
management market is maturing quickly, with recent
endorsement from the UK Deputy Prime Minister’s
Office. Changing models of intermediation, absence
of robust research and industry hype are driving the
market towards maturity and commoditization, at an
ever increasing pace.
This has prompted me to write this series of four
articles, highlighting one commodity sector the
“Ronin”, and three premium, differentiated sectors:
“Executive Interim Manager”, “Independent
Consultant” and the “Ninja”. It is only fairly
recently that industry analysts have associated the
Independent Consultant market as a sub-segment of
the interim management industry.
Today, interim
manager intermediaries are the largest providers of
independent consultants. Some intermediaries have
set up specialist divisions and are providing dozens
and dozens of consultants to individual blue chip
clients. This is in response to the recent
structural changes in the consulting market. Large
numbers of highly accomplished consultants with big
firm track records (including former Big 5
partners), have lost their jobs in recent years and
are looking to the independent consulting market
which is already overcrowded with specialists by
function, industry, technology etc. Currently, the
major interim management intermediaries are
comfortable to provide independent
consultants/interims individually, in very large
numbers. However, intermediaries are not yet ready
to provide full teams. When “blue-chips” start to
push for innovative and cost effective solutions
other than established consulting houses, there will
be an increasing demand for Ninjas! The lead Ninja
will need to demonstrate an effective methodology to
coordinate their interventions.
Personal Insights
Because of my own
formal background in research, I have been heavily
influenced by the Japanese approach to cost
reduction. Japanese buyers look at products or
services from three dimensions: (1) functionality;
(2) quality; and (3) cost. Buyers of Ninja
intermediary services would be wise to focus upon:
services offered (functionality) and quality. My own
specialist area of expertise as an Executive Interim
Manager has permitted me to develop the Financial
Performance Improvement Programme. Also, I have
picked up my Ninja-type expertise in my formal
research background.
Potential Ninjas should look carefully at a research
degree, as a means of broadening their core skills.
They should also consider seeking out assignments
that will provide Ninja-type expertise. For example,
technical consultants will need to understand and
become proficient in achieving stakeholder
satisfaction.
The
Financial Improvement Performance Programme (FPIP):
An Executive Interim Manager
diagnostic tool is the first step in the Financial Performance Improvement Programme (FPIP).
FPIPs deploy leading edge research tools to clarify stakeholder requirements and
structured planning to achieve stakeholder satisfaction. The methodology
includes iterative analysis and intervention.
FPIPs have
been successfully deployed in some of the World’s most complex organizations.
Based upon research and successful deployment, I have developed a simple
questionnaire to see whether an FPIP is appropriate to your organization:
1. Has there been a
pan-functional or pan-organizational record of failure?
2. Have ten of millions of Dollars been invested without
benefit realization?
3. Have major consultancies been deployed and failed?
4. Is the situation potentially embarrassing to senior
management?
5. Are reputations at risk?
6. Are there multiple stakeholders to satisfy?
7. Do line executives have conflicting views on solutions?
8. Is the issue multi-functional?
9. Is there a strong financial dimension?
10. Is there a critical IT or systems involvement?
11. Is there a need for change at the house-wide level?
12. Do other options not stack up?
If you have
scored a yes to eight or more questions, you definitely need to contact me via
alf@alfoldman.com. Also, I am
always on the look out for potential Ninjas!
Footnotes:
[1]
Ninja,
a class of 14th century Japanese who were
trained in martial arts & were hired for espionage
and assassinations. Japanese from ninjutsu
the traditional Japanese method of espionage,
involving stealthy movements and the use of
camouflage.”
[2]
Clearly, I use the term “Ninja” figuratively to
emphasize group of interim management practitioners
with very special skills.
[3]
Market orientation is the organisation-wide
generation of market intelligence pertaining to
current and future customer needs, dissemination of
the intelligence horizontally and vertically within
the organization, and organization-wide action or
responsiveness to market intelligence (Kohli et al,
1993). There is a large body of research confirming
that market-oriented or market-driven organizations
achieve superior performance.
