Aus der Praxis, für Entscheider
Gedanken zu IT-Leadership, Transformation und Interim Management – pointiert, aus der Praxis.
72 Artikel seit 2015 – jeweils in der Originalsprache.
For one assignment, I developed a target operating model that required fewer managers in the intermediate than the organisation had, due to AI. The model was completed quickly.
Auf LinkedIn lesenI learnt during a carve-out that it is possible to sell a business without its contracts being included. Only those contracts that the supplier agrees to transfer are included.
Auf LinkedIn lesenIn one mandate, I witnessed how an exit becomes a way of life: the moving boxes left unpacked for years because things could kick off at any moment. 45 company acquisitions with 45 core systems, and why I staked 3.
Auf LinkedIn lesenAs an interim CIO in a post-merger situation, I was faced with a dilemma that simply didn’t add up: the investor had calculated his synergies based on precisely the team I needed to get the downed systems back up and running. You cannot send the same fire brigade to build an extension and put out a
Auf LinkedIn lesenWhilst working on a project, I was faced with a situation that didn’t add up in any synergy document. I was supposed to cut jobs whilst, at the same time, retaining precisely the people who held those positions.
Auf LinkedIn lesenDuring one assignment, I was faced with a project portfolio that resembled a waiting room where every patient had brought their own doctor. The CFO wanted to close the waiting room.
Auf LinkedIn lesenIch habe in meiner Laufbahn keine einzige IT auf der grünen Wiese aufgebaut. Ich habe geerbt.
Auf LinkedIn lesenTHE STARTING POSITION THE PROBLEM THE DECISION THE PRICE
Auf LinkedIn lesenYou want an AI strategy by Friday. Your customer database holds the same client four times, two of them deceased.
Auf LinkedIn lesenEs gibt Führungskräfte, die 100 Mitarbeiter hervorragend führen und an drei der eigenen Führungskräften scheitern. Der Widerspruch hat einen Namen: selektives Führungsversagen Die Ursache ist das Peter-Prinzip für Führungskräfte: Neue Führungskräfte die neuerdings Führungskräfte führen sollen, werde
Auf LinkedIn lesenSchlechte Führung erzeugt Widerstand. Keine Führung erzeugt Gewohnheiten. Nur eines davon lässt sich in Wochen korrigieren.
Auf LinkedIn lesenCommand-and-Control funktioniert. Bis zu dem Punkt, an dem Mitdenken gebraucht wird.
Auf LinkedIn lesenWenn Führung messbar wird. Archivspeicher für Mitarbeiter, künstliche Führungs-ebenen und die Verantwortung so zu verteilen, dass sie am Ende keiner hatte Das FTE-Sizing ist die letzte Bastion mittlerer Führung.
Auf LinkedIn lesenThe only corporate resource that reproduces itself In this mandate, there were over 67 meetings a month. Of these, exactly 3 ended with a decision that was still valid the next day Anyone who decides on the personal accountability of their management team in a meeting that they themselves chair, min
Auf LinkedIn lesenDie einzige Unternehmensressource, die sich selbst reproduziert In diesem Mandat gab es über 67 Meetings im Monat. Davon endete genau 3 mit einer Entscheidung, die in den nächsten Tagen noch galt Wer Eigenverantwortung seines Führungsteams in einem Meeting beschließt, das er selbst moderiert, protok
Auf LinkedIn lesen- Lateral leadership: the art of leading without root privileges - I was asked to take on responsibility. I was to transform a major IT service provider.
Auf LinkedIn lesenDer Wechsel vom festangestellten CIO zum Interim CIO ist einer der unterschätztesten Karriereschritte im IT-Management Kein Konzern bereitet dich auf das Interim-Mandat vor. Er bereitet dich auf den nächsten Konzern vor.
Auf LinkedIn lesenThe moment a company realises that it needed an interim CIO is usually the moment when the integration has long since gotten out of hand. It doesn't have to be that way.
Auf LinkedIn lesenCIOs increasingly determine the exit success of PE portfolio companies Private equity is sitting on a mountain. Around 29,000 portfolio companies are waiting for their exit.
Auf LinkedIn lesenThe renaissance of the CIO role by AI After 15 years of gradual decline in importance, the CIO role is experiencing a renaissance that seems to rival the original establishment of the function in the 1980s in terms of its significance. Companies with a dedicated AI mandate achieve up to 3.
Auf LinkedIn lesenA Post-Merger: The number two in the industry has acquired the number three. 210 action items identified and successfully completed.
Auf LinkedIn lesenThe role intended in a mandate for an Interim CIO does not always coincide with what is agreed upon. Or what is actually needed.
Auf LinkedIn lesenM&A integration: How your IT shared service centre becomes the most expensive joke of the year A private equity firm makes its 26th acquisition in two years. Revenue grows organically through addition.
Auf LinkedIn lesenThe CIO paradox: where strategies are approved only to be abandoned They praised the "strategic foresight" and “the insights”. The board unanimously approved the IT strategy.
Auf LinkedIn lesenWhat digital vanguards do differently 84% of all digital transformations fail despite significant investment Digital vanguards achieve a 71% success rate vs. 48% average – through practices that have nothing to do with technology 70% of failures are change management problems, not tech problems 1.
Auf LinkedIn lesenFrom EBITDA erosion to exit disaster Permissible under accounting law: Technical debt represents 20-40% of technology assets IT due diligence questionable: 31% of all M&A transactions discover significant technical debt post-close Could have been cheaper: Exit valuations compress by 2-4x with unmana
Auf LinkedIn lesenPE portfolios systematically lose value due to unplanned vendor dependencies. Vendor consolidation improves EBITDA by tens of millions, but hidden lock-in mechanisms prevent precisely this optimisation.
Auf LinkedIn lesenFailed PE Exits: IT Leadership as an Overlooked Lever Why 62% of M&A deals miss their targets (IT risks as primary factor) The 4 phases of value destruction in the PE holding cycle Why the optimal timeframe for Interim CIO intervention is 18-24 months BEFORE exit 1. The Million-Dollar Moment of Enli
Auf LinkedIn lesen"Black Swan" projects in IT The CFO of a medium-sized group of companies (sorry, but NDAs are quite nasty): "We invested 45 million EUR in digital transformation," he said, "and all we got was a more expensive version of our old problems." Sound familiar? Then you're in good company – McKinsey analy
Auf LinkedIn lesenThe Top 5 IT Killer Red Flags That PE Operating Partners Need to Know
Auf LinkedIn lesenOr: the perpetual motion machine of IT inefficiency Investment backlog panic cycle generates 250% - 375% additional costs Weak leadership triggers a cascade of bad investments and loss of control Shadow IT as a symptom of systematic governance failure Imagine increasing your IT budget by 30% and see
Auf LinkedIn lesenFrom 3x to 29.7x revenue multiple: the AI valuation leap The "Barbell" organization shrinks middle management to the bare bones – 80% of routine functions largely automated, 20% of strategic roles exploding in value.
Auf LinkedIn lesen73% of all PE transactions are add-on acquisitions – but only 27% have a structured integration approach. Successful buy & build strategies achieve 36.
Auf LinkedIn lesenA look behind the digital façade Does this sound familiar? The CIO enters the room and suddenly there is a smell of sulphur in the air. Not because he is the devil incarnate – although some department heads may well see him that way – but because something has gone up in flames again.
Auf LinkedIn lesenEin Blick hinter die digitale Fassade Kennen Sie das? Der CIO betritt den Raum, und plötzlich riecht es nach Schwefel. Nicht weil er der Leibhaftige wäre – obwohl das mancher Fachbereichsleiter durchaus so sehen mag – sondern weil wieder mal etwas abgefackelt ist.
Auf LinkedIn lesenHow to act on setbacks, standstills and toxic cultures For many companies, utilising an interim CIO is a strategic step in challenging phases of a transformation. However, even with the best circumstances, the conditions can change dramatically during the mandate - be it due to a change in managemen
Auf LinkedIn lesenWhat challenges an interim CIO must be able to overcome An interim CIO is not a permanent CIO on a temporary basis. And he must not just be the head of technology.
Auf LinkedIn lesenThe limited absorptive capacity of organisations "‘It must be realised that there is no risk more difficult, no success more doubtful, and no experiment more dangerous than [that of taking the lead] and establishing a new order.’" (Niccoló Machiavelli, 1469-1527, Father of modern political science)
Auf LinkedIn lesenDie begrenzte Absorbtionsfähigkeit von Organisationen „Man muss sich darüber im Klaren sein, dass es kein schwierigeres Wagnis, keinen zweifelhafteren Erfolg und keinen gefährlicheren Versuch gibt, als sich [zur Führungskraft] aufzuwerfen und eine neue Ordnung einzuführen“. (Niccoló Machiavelli, 146
Auf LinkedIn lesenWhen everyone agrees that something has to change, agrees on what has to change - but nobody wants the change "I don't know if it will get better if it gets different. But it must become different if it is to become better" (Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, German philosopher) How does that happen? 1.
Auf LinkedIn lesenHow to deactivate yourself as a CIO None of the IT managers measure the effective quality of their area or the performance of their departments, if they can name the service portfolio of their area at all. They don't even know the boundaries of their own departments.
Auf LinkedIn lesenWhen the old CIO leaves the company, but the new one can barely match the calibre of his predecessor, I have observed a phenomenon several times: that of a Headless IT = full staffing of all IT management positions with a simultaneous lack of IT leadership performance, inadequate IT management but f
Auf LinkedIn lesenWe were born around the 60s/70s. We grew up in the 80s, opened up the world in the 80s / 90s, dated, married, studied and earned our first income.
Auf LinkedIn lesenTrend towards High-Performance Culture (HPC) When it comes to leadership issues, which have mostly been about New Work, i.e.
Auf LinkedIn lesenTrend zur High-Performance Culture (HPC) In Führungsfragen, in denen es zuletzt meistens um New Work ging, also ums Loslassen, ums Schleifen von Hierarchien und Reduzieren von Verpflichtungen, ändern sich die Vorzeichen. Der scharfe Wind von draußen hat die Geschäftslagen verändert und lässt CEOs du
Auf LinkedIn lesenDie IT hat sich vom Getriebenen zum Treiber der organisatorischen Entwicklung gewandelt Organisationen bilden die erforderlichen unternehmerischen Funktionalitäten ab. Verändern sich die Anforderungen, muss die Organisation und deren Strukturen folgen, um sich den Veränderungen anzupassen („Structur
Auf LinkedIn lesenIT has changed from being driven to a driver of organisational development Organisations map the required business functions. As requirements change, the organisation and its structures must follow to adapt ('structure follows function').
Auf LinkedIn lesenNew Group CIO: "Everybody has a plan until they get punched" (Mike Tyson), ...when reality has other plans
Auf LinkedIn lesen…hat in einigen Unternehmen zur Folge, dass man in den kafkaesken jährlichen IT-Budget-Runden nach dem Boden im Fass tastet …
Auf LinkedIn lesen…why people would want to take on a lot of trouble
Auf LinkedIn lesen(…or what you should avoid strongly, especially point 7 and 8) If you want to be sure that nothing in your company will change at all: 1. alternate between extreme leadership intensities You should stay out of it ("you'll do it, have fun") or have everything under control.
Auf LinkedIn lesenc/o Der operative Wert eines Interim CIOs Update: Die Führungskultur einer Branche bestimmt das CIO-Sein Wenn etwas in Ihrer Unternehmens-IT absehbar in die Grütze driftet, dann schicken Sie jemanden, der sich darum kümmert - natürlich. Die besten standen schon einmal genau vor diesem sich himmelhoc
Auf LinkedIn lesenWenn fehlende IT-Kompetenz bei Vorständen, Geschäftsführer und Aufsichtsräten ein Problem wird 3 aktuelle Beispiele: Ein Top-Interim Manager setzte kürzlich in seinem Vortrag vor Kollegen die Digitalisierung eines Unternehmens mit dem ERP-System gleich. Er sieht das stärkste Wachstumsfeld IT als rei
Auf LinkedIn lesenThe virus has now been removed; no, you haven't won 250,000 EUR. Stop clicking on that.
Auf LinkedIn lesenLeadership Force: #1 The lone fighter fails with excellent, tried-and-tested methods A CEO adapted his company to the new environment in view of industry changes 15 years ago and took on board a group of specialized consultants with himself at the center. This worked remarkably well: he is intellige
Auf LinkedIn lesenFührung im Interim Management Die Fakten: Einer Führungskraft wird mehr Verantwortung übergeben und mehr gezahlt, weil sie schwierige aber wichtige Ziele erreicht, weil sie unvorhergesehene Situationen meistert, weil sie Orientierung und Sinn liefert, gegen Gefahren hält. Führung zeigt sich, wenn di
Auf LinkedIn lesenLeadership Force: #1 Der Einzelkämpfer versagt mit hervorragend bewährten Methoden Der CEO, der vor 15 Jahren, als sich seine Branche veränderte, sein Unternehmen dem neuen Kontext anpasste, hat er sich eine Gruppe spezialisierte Berater an Bord geholt, mit sich selbst als Zentrum. Das funktionierte
Auf LinkedIn lesenFull article here Several studies show that the more fine-grained data you collect on individuals, the better you can predict things about them that are important for business decisions. This implies that it can harm people.
Auf LinkedIn lesenDigital Trans-Furcation #2 Full article here The competition with new, digital attackers is not won by the best technical experts and almost never by the best managers who rose through rank in a long selection process. Corporate size alone is less and less decisive, tried and tested management struc
Auf LinkedIn lesenDigital Trans-Furcation #1 Why are companies who have been known for many years for their innovative products and processes losing their competitive edge at an alarming speed? Large and strong corporations such as AEG, Grundig, Nixdorf Computers, Triumph, Brockhaus, Agfa, Kodak, Quelle, and Schlecke
Auf LinkedIn lesenWenn Sie als CIO gehen oder gegangen werden Als gegangener oder gegangen wordener CIO muss man sich einigen harten Fakten stellen: Die durchschnittliche Verweildauer eines CIOs auf seinem Posten (als Mitglied des Vorstands) beträgt in Deutschland etwa 4 Jahre (link) CIOs werden mehr gefeuert, als da
Auf LinkedIn lesenPeople join companies, but they leave managers The new generation of young IT managers has made clear in which way they want to work: fast, open, transparent and global. Thereby it clashed hard with the IT’s established modus operandi: hierarchy, quality, safety and personal relationships.
Auf LinkedIn lesenWhat is to respond to a CIO stating his proud about allowing little mistakes as a proof of a notable advancement in management? Well what about this: "Would you step into an aircraft if you’d know that the airline is proud of allowing a certain level of pilot errors?" "Would you carry your children
Auf LinkedIn lesenIT Budgets grow but productivity doesn’t follow. IT gravity centers change.
Auf LinkedIn lesenOf course! IT should do every bit IT can do! Every single glimpse of data generated in company and beyond should be acquired, stored, analyzed and provided for a use that we don’t know yet. And if there are no data available, we generate some.
Auf LinkedIn lesenWhatever achievements and the performances in the past you did. Whatever good arguments you could show up or common sense is in your favor – all this is in question, if you are micropolitically hit badly.
Auf LinkedIn lesenWhat makes a good IT leader? Printed opinions, certain consultants and HR departments are very-very sure and know exactly: The optimal IT leader should be empathic with a kindergarten department, so that adult juveniles feel comfy support literally at all private problems to avoid revenges by sick-o
Auf LinkedIn lesenTwo thirds of IT departments in Germany are assigned to finance departments. It’s very much uncommon to see a CIO promoted to CEO (CIO = Career Is Over?).
Auf LinkedIn lesen“We in IT need more people / budget / authority to decide / board backup / to be involved earlier – and our pay could use a good look too! Sorry that the competitor left us behind by his IT division, but when we solve one problem three new ones showing up. We are in benchmark’s top performer group a
Auf LinkedIn lesenWhich KPI would be the best for you? What about this: <success for-me-and-all-n-stuff ratio> or <everyone’s lifetime happiness factor>. Complete nonsense, you think? Well, then please explain this (real one) to me: Method #1: Choosing lovely metrics from a fine catalogue A not too fictive example: a
Auf LinkedIn lesenYes, we've all heard: „You can’t manage what you don't measure“. “Only what you measure is what you’ll get done properly”.
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