Erik Wirz of Wirz & Partners in an interview with Schwyz-Infra.ch
Competitive advantage for recovery, through top leaders
Every company goes through the process of adapting to new technologies, customers, conditions, supply chains and the challenge of managing a crisis with resilience. In particular, the ability to overcome crises lies in resilience. The leadership of the company plays a crucial role in this. In addition to strategy, the board of directors and the CEO, the other C-X levels determine the development of a company. The higher the positions in the human resources hierarchy, the more sensitive the recruitment and integration process becomes. Each personality adds and changes teams. Sometimes this leads to a new strategic direction.
Publisher: Axel B. Bott, by Schwyz-Infra.ch
In addition to new leaders, there are other factors that are changing and shaping companies and organisations. For example, the inevitable digitalisation of value chains. An efficient company needs specialists to guide, motivate, implement and coordinate the transformation management. Digitisation is often a smaller technological challenge compared to the cultural, organisational and procedural change management. Successful companies understand that these change processes are top management issues and cannot be delegated. Competencies must be available in-house at every level, starting at the strategic level. Efficient and targeted recruitment is therefore important. In a holistic view, recruitment costs, opportunity costs, image and reputation issues as well as organisational uncertainty and the loss of key personnel are factors to be considered. Wirz & Partners Management Consulting AG in Zug specialises in executive recruitment. AUSLESE spoke with CEO Erik Wirz.
Mr Wirz, when do you support your clients?
Wirz & Partners helps clients to identify potential skills gaps that may not have been recognised and to define the new job profile. This is done in line with your company's strategy and our best practice knowledge of the market. We then recruit the new executive. There are two scenarios that can come into play. Scenario 1: There is a current or identified need to fill a strategically important position. Scenario 2: Recent months have accelerated known personnel or structural problems. This leads to increased pressure.
Together we analyse the current situation and conduct a fit-gap analysis at executive level. The results are compared with your operational and strategic issues. This, combined with a peer group comparison, defines the new profile for the executive position.
Have you developed your own methodology?
Yes, the W-SCIAF executive search methodology. This methodology ensures the following aspects of the executive search process:
• Ensure that the best candidates enter the selection process at the beginning.
• Ensuring that there is a choice throughout the executive search process through continuous candidate generation.
Doesn't this also require a high level of expertise and industry specialisation?
In Switzerland and worldwide, we advise and support clients in the recruitment of board members, executives and specialists in the following industries Technology (Industrial), IT Software, Fintech, Consulting and Life Sciences, Pharma, Medtech, Medicine, Biotech, Nanotech and Chemistry. Transformation management and digitalisation are our core competences.
Can you explain the W-SCIAF methodology in more detail?
The four-stage W-SCIAF process is based on two premises: certainty of selection and continuity. Only candidates who ideally match the job profile enter the selection process. Wirz & Partners' close contact with our clients, industry associations, universities and candidates (both male and female) ensures that the recruitment process is always up to date.
How does this four-step W-SCIAF process work in practice?
We work with clients and candidates through four stages of refinement.
Plausibility check stage
• The desired profile corresponds to a "findable" market standard profile (plausibility check).
• The targeted candidate market is large enough to guarantee the client a choice.
• The parameters of the position to be filled are such as to motivate suitable candidates to participate in the process.
Identity phase
• The digitalisation of the W-SCIAF process always makes it possible to carry out a "full market scan". This means that all possible candidates who match the job profile can be quickly identified and approached. Thanks to best practices, this ensures maximum discretion and efficiency for both the client and the candidates.
Approach phase
• The approach methodology ensures that the client's reputation is protected at every stage of the process.
Fit Stage
• Precise definition of the job profile, including personality, technical requirements and the person's potential.
• "Case studies" ensure that both client and candidate have a complete picture of the company culture, ethics, interpersonal compatibility, team dynamics and technical requirements.
An alignment of expectations and an analysis of the candidate's potential are carried out. The benefits to the client are obvious.
What do you see as the main benefit?
The client gains predictability in the recruitment process, assured quality and the ability to select the best available candidates in the market. The selection process is structured, ensuring buy-in across the organisation. Through a coordinated onboarding process, we support the long-term satisfaction and performance development of the new employee.
Does this avoid frictional losses?
Yes, the W-SCIAF method reduces organisational friction during the search process and the onboarding of the employee. Even in the exchange with the client regarding the job profile, we create added value for the client and share best practice knowledge. This allows the client to gain a valuable external perspective on the job profile and make any adjustments before the search begins. The new job profile that emerges from this process often represents a significant leap in maturity and competitive advantage for the client.
Do clients typically approach you?
In executive search we usually operate in a demand market, i.e. the candidate chooses the company, including the corporate culture, the new manager and the new team.
How do a company's image values play a role?
Employer branding, alumni care, i.e. HR marketing, is more important than ever. In an environment characterised by uncertainty, a company's image, agenda and commitments are crucial to recruitment, alongside a successful strategy and positioning in the market. Companies would do well to take image management seriously. New rating platforms allow candidates to get a picture of a company in seconds, together with their contacts from their studies and personal relationships with employees of a potential future employer.
How do you see the impact of employer branding on the profiles you are looking for?
This is also reflected in the profiles of our search mandates. In 2020, in addition to VR, CEO, CFO, the profile of CHRO or CMO with a focus on employer branding was particularly in demand. We see an increased need for employer branding, i.e. the expansion of branding measures so that the employer is perceived as attractive and can differentiate itself from the competition in the market.
Does a sense of belonging to a company play a big role?
Yes, there is a saying that couldn't be more relevant today: "Culture eats strategy for breakfast". Leaders are put to the test. The home-office setup ruthlessly exposes leadership weaknesses. The facets are many: lack of empathy, lack of genuine interest in employees, lack of emotional connection, to name but a few. This leads to high levels of insecurity, paralyses entire organisations, and results in internal resignation, disengagement, frustration and sometimes even loneliness. A healthy culture ensures intrinsic motivation, creativity, customer focus and more, even in uncertain times. A positive culture strengthens the sense of belonging and therefore the organisation.
Why do leaders change companies today?
The reasons why an executive moves can be many and varied. Usually it's unmet expectations or unrecognised potential from the candidate's perspective. Often it's internal politics, a change in leadership, changes in ownership, strategy or M&A transactions. We see the following factors driving change:
• The new company is better positioned in the market and has a good reputation.
• The new role allows the candidate to learn, contribute, be valued and add value to the new company.
• Clear, challenging but achievable goals are developed together.
• The new expertise is valued, listened to and taken seriously. To be successful in filling leadership positions over the long term requires:
• Self-reflection
• The willingness to change
• Board and/or senior management support for the new leader, even in the face of resistance from long-standing employees in the organisation. People are creatures of habit; change is uncomfortable and often causes fear and uncertainty. If top management acts opportunistically rather than strategically, the transformation process will not be successful and there is a high risk of frustration for the committed employees in the transformation process, leading to high additional costs.
