Executive Search with Depth — Part IX:
Team Moves: The Art of Keeping the Course

Plac­ing exec­u­tives is our core busi­ness. Some­times, howev­er, there is more to it than just plac­ing the exec­u­tive. Be it the client’s wish to build up new struc­tures, thus requir­ing more than just the man or woman at the top. Be it the ideal candi­date func­tion­ing best with­in their long-estab­lished team that they want to keep and take with them. In cases like these, we will inves­ti­gate the option of a Team Move, i.e. moving an entire team to the new employ­er, with all dili­gence and always target­ing the real needs. In Exec­u­tive Search, this is the ulti­mate disci­pline. We are telling you why in this new arti­cle of our Valdivia Inter­nal series. You can find all the posts of this series here  in our News­room .

If You Cannot Retain Them, Set Them Free

When it comes to Team Moves, opin­ions vary consid­er­ably. There are good reasons to consid­er such  a step immoral. After all, the enter­prise will be left stripped of a substan­tial portion of its perfor­mance. And yet you can look at it as a fair deci­sion just as well: When employ­ers reor­ga­nize or find them­selves in diffi­cul­ties, they often close down entire departments.

Also, the ques­tion aris­es, when a Team Move is feasi­ble. Of course, the new employer’s offer has to be an attrac­tive one. At the same time, howev­er, hard­ly anybody will give up a great ’feel-good posi­tion’. The oppor­tu­ni­ty of a Team Move may be this final little piece of moti­va­tion for indi­vid­ual team members, but it will never be the only cause.

The Ulti­mate Disci­pline: A Lot to Do 

When handling a Team Move, our job is never done with check­ing, prepar­ing and coach­ing each and every involved person, the way it is laid out in our Valdivia Exec­u­tive Search Process. We will also analyse the over­all perfor­mance and espe­cial­ly the inner struc­tures of the team that is signalling it is ready for a change. For as much as a long-estab­lished team can be a valu­able addi­tion to our client’s work­force – the famil­iar­i­ty with­in the team itself can turn into a pitfall. Some­times, there are tensions with­in a group but, so far, every-day routine has not allowed them to surface. On the other hand, over­ly strong ties with­in the team may conflict with loyal­ty towards the new employer.

For us at Valdivia, our client’s inter­est serves as the prime point of refer­ence. So we will open­ly commu­ni­cate, should we make out any obsta­cles that may stand in the way of a Team Move. Some­times, the team analy­sis will show that not all team members are fit to fulfil the new require­ments  as desired. Further aspects may need to be discussed as well: If there are six or more team members, it is often diffi­cult to moti­vate all of them to relo­cate. In certain cases, it may be an easi­er solu­tion to set up a local office at their exisit­ing work place.

In the ensu­ing course, we make a point of moder­at­ing the change process itself with a lot of extra care. A clear and precise sched­ule for the order in which contracts need to be termi­nat­ed, for instance, is key. Reten­tion peri­ods have to be consid­ered and, of course, we want to protect the exec­u­tive from the suspi­cion of possi­bly infring­ing non-compe­ti­tion clauses.

In legal matters, we collab­o­rate with a renowned law firm special­is­ing in employ­ment law. This way, you do not only have access to our compe­ten­cies regard­ing the inte­gra­tion of team members and to indi­vid­ual coach­ing through­out the change process. Togeth­er with our part­ner, we also provide you with legal coun­selling, draft­ing, and final­is­ing employ­ment contracts, as well as assis­tance with your legal risk management.

Your Chance for a Fresh Start

A Team Move – just like any other uncom­pelled change of jobs – is a sign for the wish for trans­for­ma­tion. Reasons for this can vary. These will only become effec­tive, howev­er, if they meet with too little to retain them at their current compa­ny. In that case, being open by termi­nat­ing the contract is the better, the more honest way. There­fore, should you your­self be confront­ed with a Team Move out of your compa­ny, try to respect this as the sincere deci­sion that it is and take it as a chance for your own fresh start.