Management Audit

The following are some possible reasons and areas of application for an external Management Audit:

Corporate mergers and acquisitions
The fact that about two thirds of all corporate acquisitions do not produce the desired effect is undoubtedly due to the lack of a professional assessment of the management resources and of objectivity in putting together the management team.

Joint ventures and strategic alliances
The sensitive nature of management issues involved in joint ventures is often underestimated. If there are inadequate qualifications and a lack of balance in the two management teams, if the joint venture partners lack staying power or don't have an instinctive feel, this can be identified by a Management Audit and avoided, benefiting all those involved.

New markets and technologies
A reaction to large-scale market changes caused by new technologies, new environmental circumstances and laws, new sources of supply or the removal of trade restrictions should always be prefaced by the question: Is the current management team in a position to ensure the continued existence of the firm under the new conditions?

Changes in the board of directors or executive board
In the event of a change in the top levels of management, the successor can determine by means of a Management Audit to what extent the abilities of the managers are in harmony with the company's strategic goals and the demands of the market.

Succession to a key position
Important decisions on succession should also be taken with the help of a Management Audit of the potential candidates. An objective appraisal of the internal and external options as well as the professional oversight of the management change are particularly important for succession.

Periodic stocktaking
A check on management efficiency also provides an opportunity for a periodic stocktaking, especially in businesses with complex management structures.

In addition to the target-oriented individual assessment of short-listed candidates that is included in every search assignment, we offer management audit services. Here, we carry out a preventative strategy-oriented assessment of the competencies, potentials and developmental requirements of a company’s management team.

Successful company management requires more than ever the ability to anticipate internal and external changes and to deal with them quickly and effectively. The manager who wants to be ahead of his time and gain a competitive edge needs evaluation and management tools that go beyond the immediate horizon.

Rather than measuring everything against the existing internal standards and structures, it is the strategic goals and market dynamics that set the benchmarks for the optimal make-up of the management team.

Any soccer team is monitored from game to game, changed according to the situation, and periodically replenished or strengthened. The team line-up and task distribution is continually adapted according to the respective opposing players, their tactics, the current game and league position as well as the expectations of the public and the management.


Just having a large number of top players does not automatically lead to being the top team. It is the suitability of the individual, game by game, in relation to the team as a whole that counts, enabling strategies to produce the outcomes planned.

In most cases, this assessment has considerable consequences in the areas of organisation and personnel policy. It is therefore crucial to the success of the Management Audit that there will be open and honest discussion with a view to communicating the goals and intended benefits of the project within the company and, especially, to all participants.