Management Transitions Example

The Need: A small company was about to lose the COO responsible for large areas of its business, the only person who knew the details of certain procedures, partnerships and reporting systems. To make matters worse, he preferred to work alone, didn’t document much of his work, and was leaving because of some fundamental disagreements with the CEO. While she was able to identify a suitable replacement, she knew she would be lucky to have the two executives overlap, even for a short time.

How we helped: MGA worked with the outgoing executive and others in the company to identify all areas of responsibility effected. For each, we helped identify who would now be responsible and what was needed to ensure a successful transition. MGA then drafted a summary transition plan prioritizing the responsibilities. We created procedures to see to it that this document reinforced accountability during the outgoing COO’s final weeks. We made sure each person reviewed, listed and assessed the documentation they received from the outgoing executive. Finally, each person signed off when they felt the transition had been successfully completed.

The Results: Our presence served as a buffer between the Chief Executive and the outgoing executive, providing a clear framework for the transition and for any remaining work to be completed. By the time a replacement executive arrived, many areas had already been successfully transitioned to others within the company. Most of the documentation was already in place. The process we created helped to provide the necessary structure for a successful transition between the old executive and new. Finally, the impasse between the CEO and outgoing executive was sidestepped, and their final months of work together were thus far more productive and focused.