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The AI Workforce Paradox: More Productivity, More Uncertainty, and a Generation of Workers Who Don’t Know Where They Stand
The evidence that AI improves individual productivity is now overwhelming. Across dozens of controlled studies, knowledge workers with AI tools consistently outperform those without —…
Read more: The AI Workforce Paradox: More Productivity, More Uncertainty, and a Generation of Workers Who Don’t Know Where They Stand
The AI Organisation: How Artificial Intelligence is Redrawing the Org Chart
Every significant technological shift in economic history has ultimately changed the shape of organisations — not just the tools they use, but their structures, hierarchies,…
Read more: The AI Organisation: How Artificial Intelligence is Redrawing the Org Chart
TOM Series Part III: Implementing the TOM – Turning Design Into Financial Results
This is the final article in a three-part series on designing and implementing a fit-for-purpose Target Operating Model. In Part I, we explored how to…
Read more: TOM Series Part III: Implementing the TOM – Turning Design Into Financial Results
The Agentic AI Inflection Point: When AI Stops Answering Questions and Starts Running Processes
For the past three years, the AI conversation in business has been primarily about AI as an assistant — a tool that helps humans work…
Read more: The Agentic AI Inflection Point: When AI Stops Answering Questions and Starts Running Processes
The Eight Types of AI Your Business Needs to Understand — and Why Treating Them as One is a Strategic Mistake
One of the most persistent sources of confusion in business conversations about AI is the habit of treating ‘AI’ as a single, monolithic technology. It…
Read more: The Eight Types of AI Your Business Needs to Understand — and Why Treating Them as One is a Strategic Mistake
Part II — Designing a Target Operating Model That Truly Enables Strategy
This is the second article in a three-part series on designing and implementing a fit-for-purpose Target Operating Model. In Part I, we explored how to…
Read more: Part II — Designing a Target Operating Model That Truly Enables Strategy
The AI Reality Check: Cutting Through the Hype to What’s Actually Happening in Business
Ask ten business leaders how their AI transformation is progressing, and nine will tell you it’s going well. Ask their finance directors how much measurable…
Read more: The AI Reality Check: Cutting Through the Hype to What’s Actually Happening in Business
Part I — Recognizing when your Operating Model is no longer fit-for-purpose
This is the first article in a three-part series on designing and implementing a fit-for-purpose Target Operating Model. The series provides a practical roadmap for…
Read more: Part I — Recognizing when your Operating Model is no longer fit-for-purpose
Industrializing good leadership – Private Equity’s new challenge
Liquidity has become the defining constraint in today’s private equity markets. Where timing and financial engineering once drove distributions, funds are now facing longer holding…
Read more: Industrializing good leadership – Private Equity’s new challenge
Operating Model Design: Why the Answer Cannot Be Outsourced
Private equity investors and executive teams rightly focus on operating model design as a core lever for value creation. The right structure can accelerate growth,…
Read more: Operating Model Design: Why the Answer Cannot Be Outsourced
Why a Fit-for-Purpose Operating Model is Now a Strategic Imperative
In many organizations, strategy promises growth, efficiency, and innovation—but day-to-day execution tells a different story. Decisions drag. Silos persist. Accountability blurs. Leaders work harder without…
Read more: Why a Fit-for-Purpose Operating Model is Now a Strategic Imperative
Alpha Talks: Governance as the New PE Advantage | Michel Galeazzi, Partner/Co-founder at Evoco
In today’s private equity landscape, the classic levers of value creation are no longer enough. As markets evolve and competition intensifies, governance is emerging…
Read more: Alpha Talks: Governance as the New PE Advantage | Michel Galeazzi, Partner/Co-founder at Evoco
Alpha Talks: Private Equity’s Most Challenging Moment? | Ueli Eckhardt, Partner at eevolve
Measuring organizational performance is difficult, especially in a way that is both systematic and genuinely useful for decision-making. In a recent Alpha Talks conversation, Ueli…
Read more: Alpha Talks: Private Equity’s Most Challenging Moment? | Ueli Eckhardt, Partner at eevolve
The “Big 5” reasons why PE investments fail
Unpacking the root causes behind underperformance and how to resolve them It’s a familiar scene: Over dinner, a client lamenting inconsistent results across their portfolio…
Read more: The “Big 5” reasons why PE investments failAlpha Talks: Getting the operating model right as a complex carve-out CEO | Jon Newhard, Yunex Traffic CEO
Alpha Talks: Getting the operating model right as a complex carve-out CEO | Jon Newhard, Yunex Traffic CEO In this episode of Humatica Alpha Talks,…
Read more: Alpha Talks: Getting the operating model right as a complex carve-out CEO | Jon Newhard, Yunex Traffic CEO
CEO Succession: How to avoid the pitfalls and unlock the value
CEO Succession: How to avoid the pitfalls and unlock the value Poorly managed CEO and C-suite transitions in the S&P 1500 companies are estimated to…
Read more: CEO Succession: How to avoid the pitfalls and unlock the value
Combatting 50%+ Increase in Leadership Turnover: Driving Performance in the Age of Continuation Funds
Continuation Funds Surge Continuation fund transactions surged to $63 billion in 2024, driven by a liquidity drought that left 29,000 unsold portfolio companies globally, valued…
Read more: Combatting 50%+ Increase in Leadership Turnover: Driving Performance in the Age of Continuation Funds
Scaling: The Fine Line Between Operating Leverage and Chaos
Scaling has become a favorite private equity buzzword. It shows up in nearly every deal thesis, investment committee, and boardroom conversation. Scaling is the fulcrum…
Read more: Scaling: The Fine Line Between Operating Leverage and Chaos
PE Doubling Down on Operational Resilience
With a record number of portcos being held and sluggish deal markets, private equity is sharpening its focus on operational resilience. Current macro-economic and geopolitical…
Read more: PE Doubling Down on Operational Resilience
Navigating AI Disruption: The New Economies of Operating Leverage
The Economics of AI Disruption The story of AI is not about tools — it’s about economics. AI collapses interface costs, compresses overhead, and enables…
Read more: Navigating AI Disruption: The New Economies of Operating Leverage
The Resilience Premium: How Great CEOs Turn Adversity into Alpha
Firsthand strategies from portfolio company CEO’s who outperformed in uncertain times Portfolio company leaders are facing bigger challenges than ever before. Unprecedented macro-headwinds from increased…
Read more: The Resilience Premium: How Great CEOs Turn Adversity into Alpha
For PE it’s not “Game-over”, but it is “Game changed”
With interest rates at levels not seen in over a decade, the private equity model has entered a new phase—one where operational excellence is no…
Read more: For PE it’s not “Game-over”, but it is “Game changed”
How Private Equity can build resilience in a world gone unpredictable
Resilience isn’t a buzzword anymore—it’s the make-or-break factor for portfolio companies navigating today’s volatility. That was the takeaway from the standout panel at the PE…
Read more: How Private Equity can build resilience in a world gone unpredictable
Rightsizing the right way
Rightsizing an organization is never easy. But, it is a normal process as firms adapt to changing market requirements. More recently, higher interest rates, AI…
Read more: Rightsizing the right way
Trump + AI – Are you adequately hedged for efficiency?
The promise of AI and turbulence introduced by the Trump tariffs have renewed focus on rightsizing and efficiency improvement as levers for value creation and…
Read more: Trump + AI – Are you adequately hedged for efficiency?
Maximizing Value Creation in Long-Hold Private Equity Investments
The private equity (PE) playbook is evolving. Rapid buy-and-sell cycles are giving way to continuation vehicles and longer hold periods, demanding a new approach to…
Read more: Maximizing Value Creation in Long-Hold Private Equity Investments
Private Equity in 2025 – Navigating a Polarized Market
The private equity landscape continues to evolve, influenced by macroeconomic shifts and emerging trends. The ecosystem is becoming increasingly polarized, with firms gravitating towards either…
Read more: Private Equity in 2025 – Navigating a Polarized Market
Reorg Governance – Why It Matters More Than Ever
Why is it that most mergers, reorganizations, and downsizings fail to generate their anticipated full value? The main reason is that a lack of effective…
Read more: Reorg Governance – Why It Matters More Than Ever
Leveraging AI to Unlock Organizational Effectiveness and Efficiency
As the traditional levers of value creation get price-in, getting a competitive edge in private equity lies in unlocking hidden potential within portfolio companies through…
Read more: Leveraging AI to Unlock Organizational Effectiveness and Efficiency
Organizational effectiveness drives value in tough times
According to the most recent federal statistics, business bankruptcy filings surged by 33% in the US between September 2023 and September 2024. Elevated debt, higher supplier costs,…
Read more: Organizational effectiveness drives value in tough times
Reorganization – Liberate or Incapacitate: The Choice is Yours
CEOs envisioning a new organizational structure often face a daunting question: how do I bring this vision to life across my organization? The stakes are…
Read more: Reorganization – Liberate or Incapacitate: The Choice is Yours
Increasing Organizational Effectiveness with Humatica’s AI-enabled toolkit
Private Equity thrives on unlocking value in portfolio companies through governance improvements and strategic interventions. Yet, as economic and market complexities increase, the challenge of…
Read more: Increasing Organizational Effectiveness with Humatica’s AI-enabled toolkit
Mastering the new science of engineered management decision processes
Despite huge efforts to improve operational processes over the past 20 years, critically important management processes are left up to the discretion of each manager…
Read more: Mastering the new science of engineered management decision processes
Thriving in the Storm: How Agile Organizations Outperform in Uncertain Markets
The global economy in 2024 resembles a rollercoaster more than ever before. Geopolitical tensions, technological disruptions, and shifting consumer behaviours have created a perfect storm…
Read more: Thriving in the Storm: How Agile Organizations Outperform in Uncertain Markets
Decoding Organization and Leadership: Why the Founder vs Manager debate misses the point
In the bustling world of Silicon Valley and beyond, a new paradigm is stirring up debate: “Founder Mode” vs “Manager Mode”. Paul Graham, co-founder of…
Read more: Decoding Organization and Leadership: Why the Founder vs Manager debate misses the point
Cash is Still King, But Speed is the New Queen – Accelerating Value Growth in 2024
In today’s rapidly evolving private equity landscape, the pressure on sponsors and management to accelerate post-acquisition change has never been greater. With rising asset prices…
Read more: Cash is Still King, But Speed is the New Queen – Accelerating Value Growth in 2024
Leadership Assessment reduces organizational risk and accelerates value creation
Executive Leadership Assessment plays a key role in private equity investments, serving as a important determinant of organizational effectiveness and the success or failure of…
Read more: Leadership Assessment reduces organizational risk and accelerates value creation
Working-off your organizational debt
Funds need to squeeze more free cash flow from companies in order to generate an adequate return from vintage 2019-2022 investments. More sales growth and/or…
Read more: Working-off your organizational debt
Mastering today’s polarized private equity markets
The fund landscape is changing faster than ever before, creating winners and losers in an increasingly competitive private equity ecosystem. Higher real interest rates are…
Read more: Mastering today’s polarized private equity markets
Unlocking Success – Beyond Culture Series #3
In the third episode of our Beyond Culture Series, we talk about industrializing best practice management processes. Link to Video 1:07 Register here to join our live…
Read more: Unlocking Success – Beyond Culture Series #3
Culture matters. But behaviors matter more.
There’s increasing focus on “culture” as an elusive driver of value growth. Creating a “high performance culture” has become the mantra for transforming buy-outs to…
Read more: Culture matters. But behaviors matter more.
Unlocking Success – Beyond Culture Series #2
The second installment of our interactive webcasts looks at organizational transformation. Join us for a lively discussion on this topic of vital interest for private equity.…
Read more: Unlocking Success – Beyond Culture Series #2
Next Gen B2B Sales | Leveraging AI and Account Based Marketing
Alvin Toffler’s 1970 global best seller “Future Shock” described the disruptive impact of new technologies on business and society. His title is even more applicable…
Read more: Next Gen B2B Sales | Leveraging AI and Account Based Marketing
What makes a great private equity CEO
“What got you there won’t get you there”. It’s never been more true than right now for private equity backed companies facing economic headwinds. Increasing…
Read more: What makes a great private equity CEO
Unlocking Success – Beyond Culture Series #1
Welcome to an exciting journey of discovery as we delve into the intricacies of organizational effectiveness in our latest podcast & video series, “Beyond Culture.”…
Read more: Unlocking Success – Beyond Culture Series #1
Five take-aways from Real Deals Value Creation Conference
RealDeals Value Creation Conference added a second day this year to focus on organizational effectiveness and talent as a key driver of value creation. The…
Read more: Five take-aways from Real Deals Value Creation Conference
Podcast: Beyond culture – how management processes unlock performance
Humatica founder, Andros Payne, explains the importance of organizational effectiveness to Ross Butler in a recent FundShack interview. It’s an opportunity to learn how to…
Read more: Podcast: Beyond culture – how management processes unlock performance
Organizational due diligence as a value creation lever
Information asymmetry in dealmaking has favoured incumbent management teams over investors, especially with culture and leadership practices. Managers may know where these skeletons are buried…
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Finance is linear, organizations are not
In private, talent operating partners are frustrated with investment teams lack of understanding about organizations. Likewise, investment managers are frustrated that they can’t find the…
Read more: Finance is linear, organizations are not
CEO Job #1 – Aligning stakeholders for value growth
Operating Partners from 20 top funds recently met to discuss how to align managers and employees to deliver the value creation plan. Humatica facilitated the…
Read more: CEO Job #1 – Aligning stakeholders for value growth
Strengthen your organisation by addressing the weakest links
Conventional wisdom says that building on the strengths of an organisation is the most direct path to business success. It’s also the foundation of most…
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Report: Organizational Effectiveness – Private Equity’s Third Wave of Value Creation
Talent Operating Partners are playing an increasingly critical role for value creation at the current inflection point for the PE industry where “what got you…
Read more: Report: Organizational Effectiveness – Private Equity’s Third Wave of Value Creation
Three competencies that make a good CEO great – Insights from the PEI Human Capital Conference March 2023
In today’s dynamic business landscape, private equity (PE) firms are increasingly searching for deals across a range of sectors and industries. Competition for investments is…
Read more: Three competencies that make a good CEO great – Insights from the PEI Human Capital Conference March 2023
Key take-aways from this year’s PEI Operating Partner Human Capital Forum
Private Equity International (PEI) held its second annual Operating Partners Human Capital Forum in central Manhattan. The biggest take-away from this event is that it…
Read more: Key take-aways from this year’s PEI Operating Partner Human Capital Forum
Operating model redesign – Liberate or Incapacitate, the choice is yours
Companies are reorganising more frequently than ever before. It’s a natural consequence of a more dynamic market environment. But how can they manage the risks…
Read more: Operating model redesign – Liberate or Incapacitate, the choice is yours
Crack the code on good leadership with maturity models
In a rare moment of frustration, mid-market investment manager Jan complained, “we agreed a full-potential plan with management. But now, a year in, implementation is…
Read more: Crack the code on good leadership with maturity models
Webinar: Leveraging organizational effectiveness as the ultimate source of value creation
Based on Humatica’s recent research, Organizational Effectiveness: Riding private equity’s third wave of value creation, this webinar examines why and how organizational effectiveness is being…
Read more: Webinar: Leveraging organizational effectiveness as the ultimate source of value creation
Smart rightsizing – 6 steps to increase efficiency and effectiveness
Elon Musk’s dramatic Reduction in Force at Twitter (affectionately known as “RIF” in the US) is both an early indication of more to come, and…
Read more: Smart rightsizing – 6 steps to increase efficiency and effectiveness
Applying TQM to management processes and behaviour to ensure stable returns
Edwards Deming, the father of modern-day statistical process control and Total Quality Management, understood that reducing sources of variability in business produces consistent results with…
Read more: Applying TQM to management processes and behaviour to ensure stable returns
Management onboarding for private equity carve-out success
As economic pressure mounts, more corporate carve-outs are on the cards. These primary buyouts have been lucrative for private equity. But they require more work…
Read more: Management onboarding for private equity carve-out success
Our takeaways from the Real Deals Value Creation Conference 2022
On Thursday 3rd November, Humatica had the pleasure of sponsoring and attending the Real Deals Value Creation Conference. The full-day event benefitted from the participation…
Read more: Our takeaways from the Real Deals Value Creation Conference 2022
Engineering your organization
More literature and advice is piling up on leadership effectiveness and organizational performance. It’s no surprise. We are at an inflection point between the industrial…
Read more: Engineering your organization
alpha Talks – Buy & Build: A Success Story
In the latest episode of the alpha Talks Podcast, Humatica Managing Partner Andros Payne speaks to Stijn Vos, CEO of the Esdec Solar Group and…
Read more: alpha Talks – Buy & Build: A Success Story
Organizational Excellence Series – Assessing governance quality
Assessing good governance is still in its infancy. The most common approaches are focused on interactions with the top-level board and senior executive. The state…
Read more: Organizational Excellence Series – Assessing governance quality
WEBINAR: Activating the Organization for Change
With multiples under pressure, buy-out managers are asked to do more to drive top-quartile performance. Entrepreneurial leaders know that they need to inspire and activate…
Read more: WEBINAR: Activating the Organization for Change
Organizational Excellence Series – Good governance starts at the top, but it doesn’t end there
ESG and good Governance have become essential tools for sustainable value growth. But Governance in particular has proven elusive to measure. That’s a challenge because…
Read more: Organizational Excellence Series – Good governance starts at the top, but it doesn’t end there
Organizational Excellence Series – Quantifying Company Culture
As much as a company with a good corporate culture can thrive even in difficult times, a firm with a dysfunctional culture can stumble in…
Read more: Organizational Excellence Series – Quantifying Company Culture
Organizational Excellence Series – Company Culture: How it drives value creation
Corporate culture is a wonderfully fuzzy concept that is both liked and despised by investment professionals. They know culture is critically important, but don’t know…
Read more: Organizational Excellence Series – Company Culture: How it drives value creation
Inflation and its implications for PE and talent
The jury is now in, the Fed has been sleeping at the wheel and the genie is now out of the bottle. The annualized US…
Read more: Inflation and its implications for PE and talent
Organizational Excellence Series – Middle Management: How to “kick the tyres” before driving
Humatica has pioneered analytical tools and methods to open the black box around middle management readiness and ensure smooth implementation of the value creation plan.…
Read more: Organizational Excellence Series – Middle Management: How to “kick the tyres” before driving
Organizational Excellence Series – Middle Management: Where the rubber hits the road
Limiting assessments to the N-1 top-executives risks miscalculating the capacity of the portfolio company’s organization to drive change. Often overlooked, middle management is the critical…
Read more: Organizational Excellence Series – Middle Management: Where the rubber hits the road
Organizational Excellence Series – Best practice guide to assessing leadership teams
While traditional leadership assessments can be seen as complex, subjective and even threatening exercises, there are other simpler approaches that sponsors can use to a…
Read more: Organizational Excellence Series – Best practice guide to assessing leadership teams
Liked and feared – the changing role in entrepreneurial leadership
The information-age has brought the rise of “knowledge workers” as the key asset driving value growth – smart, self-motivated people who connect-the-dots and facilitate the…
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Organizational Excellence Series – Leadership Team Excellence: It’s not just the CEO
The leadership team is a driving force for creating a high-performance culture and generating superior returns. Contrary to conventional wisdom, getting the right CEO is…
Read more: Organizational Excellence Series – Leadership Team Excellence: It’s not just the CEO
Organizational Excellence Series – Riding private equity’s third wave of value growth
Why Organizational Excellence? Private equity has become hyper-competitive. With abundant liquidity and highly structured processes, new levers to drive value growth and differentiation are needed.…
Read more: Organizational Excellence Series – Riding private equity’s third wave of value growth
Reorg governance – there is none!
Why is it that most mergers, reorganizations and downsizings fail to generate their anticipated full value? The main reason is a lack of good governance…
Read more: Reorg governance – there is none!
How to effectively reorganize a portfolio company
Companies are reorganizing more frequently than ever before. It’s a natural consequence of a more dynamic market environment and higher management turnover. Jack Welch famously…
Read more: How to effectively reorganize a portfolio company
Talent Operating Partners – The Next Step in Value Creation
It is a difficult role which first appeared ten years ago. Talent operating partners are a small cohort that goes by different names. However, they…
Read more: Talent Operating Partners – The Next Step in Value Creation
Future Forecast – Private Equity in the Next 20 Years
As the founder and Managing Partner of Humatica, it’s been a privilege to observe, and in a small way, facilitate the transformation of private equity…
Read more: Future Forecast – Private Equity in the Next 20 Years
The Behavioural Revolution – A Podcast Episode from Source Global Research, London
How to profit from dynamic markets. Is your organization ready for it? Humatica’s Andros Payne was recently interviewed on the new frontier of behavior-centric business…
Read more: The Behavioural Revolution – A Podcast Episode from Source Global Research, London
Private Equity – Beyond the Bubble
A chorus of top economists and investment gurus including Larry Summers, Ray Dalio, Nouriel Roubini, Jeremy Grantham, Cathy Wood and Mohamed El-Erian are sounding the…
Read more: Private Equity – Beyond the Bubble
The Last Great Arbitrage – Management Process Excellence
Excess liquidity has flooded private markets and reduced the number of easy targets in private equity. Investors are now competing for ever smaller arbitrage opportunities…
Read more: The Last Great Arbitrage – Management Process Excellence
Interview with Dr. Thomas Costa of Coventya
In the new episode of the alpha Talks Podcast, Enno Krey speaks to Dr. Thomas Costa, former CEO of Coventya (acquired by MacDermid Enthone in…
Read more: Interview with Dr. Thomas Costa of Coventya
Assessing Organizational Readiness Pre-deal: Deal Makers Need More Than 10 Questions
A side-effect of full-priced markets and the industrialisation of private equity is funds looking to upgrade and standardize their deal processes – the way they…
Read more: Assessing Organizational Readiness Pre-deal: Deal Makers Need More Than 10 Questions
Q&A: Buy-and-Build Integration with Gilde Buy Out Partners and ESDEC
Humatica Managing Partner Andros Payne interviews Joost Heeremans, Partner at Gilde Buy Out Partners, and Stijn Vos, CEO of ESDEC, about the lessons learned during…
Read more: Q&A: Buy-and-Build Integration with Gilde Buy Out Partners and ESDEC
Interview with Jouni Heinonen of HVD Partners
In the latest episode of the alpha Talks Podcast, Enno Krey speaks to Jouni Heinonen, Managing Partner of HVD Partners, a service provider that helps…
Read more: Interview with Jouni Heinonen of HVD Partners
Going for gold – The new face of organizational due diligence
Making good investment choices is getting harder With more institutional money in the market and the industrialization of private equity, the number of attractive opportunities…
Read more: Going for gold – The new face of organizational due diligence
Buy & Build: Secrets of Success – The Whitepaper
The Practical Guide for Private Equity Professionals and Senior Executives Humatica’s latest whitepaper “Buy & Build: Secrets of Success” features the critical lessons learnt that…
Read more: Buy & Build: Secrets of Success – The Whitepaper
Private Equity winners and losers – Is your business model ready?
The fund landscape is changing, creating more winners and losers in an increasingly polarised ecosystem. The pandemic and long-term megatrends are forcing strategic and competitive…
Read more: Private Equity winners and losers – Is your business model ready?
Buy & Build Secrets of Success – A Five-Part Series | Part 5 of 5: Integration Governance: Always Critical, Often Forgotten
Once a top-level target operating model and organization are agreed, that’s when the heavy lifting starts. It’s when hundreds of decisions on sub-structures, new or…
Read more: Buy & Build Secrets of Success – A Five-Part Series | Part 5 of 5: Integration Governance: Always Critical, Often Forgotten
Buy & Build Secrets of Success – A Five-Part Series | Part 4 of 5: Getting The Soft-Factors Right
Most managers and employees view a merger or acquisition with fear and suspicion. They see it as a zero-sum game, where one party wins at…
Read more: Buy & Build Secrets of Success – A Five-Part Series | Part 4 of 5: Getting The Soft-Factors Right
More Money, More SPACs, More Problems
SPACs are a new phenomenon that further blurs the line between public and private markets. They are putting more pressure on private equity funds to…
Read more: More Money, More SPACs, More Problems
Buy & Build Secrets of Success – A Five-Part Series | Part 3 of 5: Merging Sales & Marketing Organisations
Defining the post-merger operating model is an essential step after a bolt-on acquisition including what functions and activities should be merged, and which should not.…
Read more: Buy & Build Secrets of Success – A Five-Part Series | Part 3 of 5: Merging Sales & Marketing Organisations
Upskilling to deliver the Full Potential Plan | A 10-minute tutorial
What got you here, won’t get you there. With deal prices on the rise, funds need work harder and take bigger risk to realize superior…
Read more: Upskilling to deliver the Full Potential Plan | A 10-minute tutorial
How to make a 9x return in 2.5 years – An interview with Jouni Heinonen of HVD Partners
Humatica recently interviewed Jouni Heinonen, the managing partner of HVD Partners on their sale of Solifos AG to NBG GmbH. HVD Partners carved out the…
Read more: How to make a 9x return in 2.5 years – An interview with Jouni Heinonen of HVD Partners
Buy & Build Secrets of Success – A Five-Part Series | Part 2 of 5: Collaborative Design of the Target Operating Model
Defining a target operating model “TOM” is an essential first step following a bolt-on acquisition. It sets the organizational framework for the future management structure…
Read more: Buy & Build Secrets of Success – A Five-Part Series | Part 2 of 5: Collaborative Design of the Target Operating Model
The right org effectiveness consultant – Don’t hire a dentist to cut your hair
One of the consequences of more competitive deal markets and more money in private equity is the increased use of consultants – not only pre-deal…
Read more: The right org effectiveness consultant – Don’t hire a dentist to cut your hair
Mastering Organizational Due Diligence
97% of deal makers agree that organizational issues are the greatest source of deal risk. Ask any dealmaker what determined their best and worst deals…
Read more: Mastering Organizational Due Diligence
Buy & Build Secrets of Success – A Five-Part Series | Part 1 of 5: Why Buy & Build?
In an increasingly competitive deal market, private equity firms are more and more turning to Buy & Build strategies to realize superior returns on their…
Read more: Buy & Build Secrets of Success – A Five-Part Series | Part 1 of 5: Why Buy & Build?
Andros Payne speaks about Organizational Effectiveness on the alpha Talks Podcast
Andros Payne has joined the first episode of the alpha Talks podcast. He speaks about organizational effectiveness and explains how private equity funds can use…
Read more: Andros Payne speaks about Organizational Effectiveness on the alpha Talks Podcast
Entrepreneurial Governance, the next step
Private equity has consistently outperformed public markets. In the past this was attributed to more aggressive capital structures and strongly aligned management incentives. However, with…
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Boosting Sales Efficiency post-COVID
Is your Sales Force ready for digital sales? As 2020 draws to a close, corporate leaders are looking back over the last months since COVID…
Read more: Boosting Sales Efficiency post-COVID
Restructuring: More than Cost-Cutting
Humatica is featured in The Times of London on restructuring for future growth during COVID. The Raconteur supplement on Business Restructuring addresses key aspects on the…
Read more: Restructuring: More than Cost-Cutting
Don’t put your ERP before your TOM
It happens too often. Firms start an ERP implementation. After vendor selection and latest during process requirements definition, they realise that the new system will…
Read more: Don’t put your ERP before your TOM
Merging bolt-on former competitors to deliver alpha
Even in COVID times, bolt-on acquisitions are an important lever of value growth for private equity. However, they are tricky to execute, especially with former…
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Doug Anderson speaks to Humatica on the future of business travel
COVID-19 is causing unprecedented upheaval in the travel industry. In particular, business travel has seen a steep decline driven by lockdown constraints and the emergence…
Read more: Doug Anderson speaks to Humatica on the future of business travel
Mastering the transition from family-owned to PE governance
Sponsors pull their hair out trying to reform the governance of previously family-run businesses. Clearly, there are many successful ones, including Swarovski, Mars and ALDI.…
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Andros Payne interviewed by the ESG Foundation
Clive Booth of the ESG Foundation interviews Andros Payne on the corporate governance practices that underly sustainable value creation – the ‘G’ in ESG. We…
Read more: Andros Payne interviewed by the ESG FoundationAndros Payne interviewed by Mike Hicks of Catalysis
In this 10 minute interview for Catalysis Advisory, Andros Payne of Humatica answers three important questions: What’s driving increased PE focus on non-financial, organizational issues in…
Read more: Andros Payne interviewed by Mike Hicks of Catalysis
The Post-COVID Organisation (Part 3): +40% sales effectiveness improvement following COVID
COVID-19 is forcing accelerated digitalisation of B2B sales with far-reaching consequences for Sales organisations. The rationale for on-site “sales calls” to understand customer needs and…
Read more: The Post-COVID Organisation (Part 3): +40% sales effectiveness improvement following COVID
The Post-COVID Organisation (Part 2): Four Lessons for Future Org Structures and Operating Models
COVID-19 has taught us a lot about the organisational structures and new operating models of the future. One lesson is how much can actually be…
Read more: The Post-COVID Organisation (Part 2): Four Lessons for Future Org Structures and Operating Models
The Post-COVID Organisation (Part 1)
Many are speculating about what lasting organisational changes will result from COVID-19. Everyone is sure that social distancing will have an impact on how we…
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Covid-19 – Is your portfolio ready for the long haul?
As the fall-out from COVID-19 threatens to sink entire portfolios, PE sponsors and CEO’s need to walk a tightrope between preserving organisational capabilities in order…
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AI, IQ & EQ – The future of knowledge-work and leadership
At a time of heightened uncertainty, AI is creating even more future shock. Leading scientists, including the late Stephen Hawking warn that if left unchecked,…
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Using values to shift culture and grow value
The collective ability of an organisation to anticipate change, opportunities and risks, and move faster than the competition drives sustained value creation – the winning…
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Beyond Agility: The Creative Organisation
Markets, competition and customer preferences are shifting faster than ever. The disruptive economics of information is challenging new and established businesses alike. No wonder leaders…
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Private Equity: the next 10 years
As a long-time contributor to RealDeals magazine, Humatica was asked to write a piece on the future of private equity – a rare opportunity to…
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Best-Practice Reorganisation
Companies are reorganising more frequently than ever before. It’s a natural consequence of a more dynamic market environment and higher management turnover. Jack Welch famously…
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Developing your CEO, the next step for Private Equity
As value creation plans have become more aggressive, the rate of CEO turnover has increased. Sponsors have less time and patience. But fire and hire…
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Compliance vs. Profits : the PE challenge
In the June issue of Real Deals, the HumaticaCorner focuses on how some funds are turning new compliance requirements to their advantage for improved governance.…
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Future Shock: Enabling tomorrow’s Sales organisations
Alvin Toffler, an American futurist, wrote his global best seller “Future Shock” in 1970 describing the effect of new technologies on business and society. His…
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Getting the Organizational Benefits of Digitalisation
Digitalisation is one of the hottest topics in private equity today. The disruptive effect of the technology can render a good investment obsolete or enable…
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What’s keeping PE awake: Managing the next downturn
The real test of a management team comes when they need to quickly shift from growth to cost reduction. This day of reckoning may soon…
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Motivating Millennials to create value
PE executives are stuck between a rock and a hard spot. Pressure to drive company performance has increased with prices. On the other hand, the…
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Fire or develop?
Over 70% of CEO’s are replaced during the holding period – one more indication of today’s challenging value creation plans and competitive deal markets. However, the…
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Why is Apple is so valuable?
Apple recently became the most valuable public company, breaking through the $1Tr. mark. How is it possible that a firm in the hyper-competitive consumer electronics…
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Using the G-force in ESG
As the PE industry matures and successful deals get trickier to execute, ESG guidance becomes more important. Compliance requirements are logically tightening all around. This…
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Go deep, to go fast
At the recent PEI Operating Partners Forum Europe, there was consensus: organisational effectiveness and talent management are the foundation for implementing all value creation levers.…
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Getting the benefit from IT systems
Systems implementation is notorious for high project risk and failure to deliver anticipated benefits. In particular, private equity, with its limited timeline for investment, struggles…
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Accelerating value creation in full-priced markets
With EBIT multiples reaching uncomfortable heights, there is no room for error in executing the value creation plan. And, management drives the pace. This month’s…
Read more: Accelerating value creation in full-priced marketsDigitalisation is easy | Organisation is difficult
Digitalisation is disrupting business. But it is having an even more profound impact on organisations, behaviour and leadership. Rudimentary activities are being made redundant, and AI…
Read more: Digitalisation is easy | Organisation is difficult
What got you there, won’t get you there
What got you there, won’t get you there Hyper-competitive deal markets and full-prices are changing the rules of the game. Private equity sponsors and portfolio…
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Corporate Carve-outs | Opportunity and Challenge
One approach to boost yields is to target more complex, difficult situations. Corporate carve-outs often fit the profile. However, releasing value doesn’t come easy. Extracting…
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Corporate carve outs: Humatica’s observations on risks and benefits of this asset class
The last year has seen a number of high-profile corporate carve-outs come to market. In a competitive buyout industry, private equity firms have been eager…
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Are you ready for the next Black Swan?
Times have been good for private equity since the global financial crisis in 2009 – eight years of steady growth and easy money. However, dealmakers…
Read more: Are you ready for the next Black Swan?Talent Management Operating Partners – who needs them?
More funds are appointing specialised Operating Partners to help align portfolio company organisations for value growth. However, the emerging role is not yet well defined…
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Private Equity Unplugged
Increased competitiveness and technology are driving “always-on” availability of deal makers. However, is this a good thing? Humatica was recently quoted on the topic in…
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Managing Secondaries
Managing Secondaries – The good, the bad and the ugly Secondaries are more commonplace. However, a change of ownership from one PE house to the…
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Surviving the buy-out
Over 50% of buy-out CEOs don’t get to see an investment all the way through. And, in private equity, the trend to replace senior executives…
Read more: Surviving the buy-outLost in translation – Making your plan, their plan
In the latest RealDeals Guest Comment article, Andros Payne, discusses learning the secret of how successful operating partners drive change without formal authority… Read full…
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Catch the next wave of Private Equity value creation
Based on a request from Limited Partners and General Partners, Humatica initiated an ambitious study to understand the current state of the art in organizational…
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How Operating Partners change organizational behaviour
Operating Partners have the most difficult job in Private Equity. They should facilitate transformational change post-deal, but without formal authority. Our experience shows that those…
Read more: How Operating Partners change organizational behaviourWhat secular stagnation will mean for you
A lack of economic growth despite record low interest rates, rising populist discontent and mounting unfunded pension liabilities in the developed economies: they have the same…
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Global HR guru picks-up on the third wave in private equity
Humatica has been an advocate for a more assertive PE investment approach focusing on leadership and organisational performance since 2003. In this month’s InFocus HR guru Dr.…
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Why women are better managers – Unlocking the EQ puzzle
Women are running four of the world’s top democracies and with Hillary Clinton, may soon be running the fifth. Times have changed indeed. The ideals…
Read more: Why women are better managers – Unlocking the EQ puzzleManagement Processes – the unseen algorithms that drive value creation
Standards and compliance requirements are increasing everywhere. However, the essential leadership processes for making and implementing decisions to grow value are often left to each…
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Brutal Honesty – How far can it go?
Most people avoid conflict. It’s anti-social. However, sometimes this gets in the way of making good business decisions. This month’s InFocus features a recent interview with Ray Dalio,…
Read more: Brutal Honesty – How far can it go?Reorganisation | Liberate or incapacitate, the choice is yours
“A well executed reorganisation can be one of the most liberating events in a company’s history, releasing power and talent”. In the latest edition of…
Read more: Reorganisation | Liberate or incapacitate, the choice is yoursOrganisational Due Diligence – Cracking the code to unlock the value
97% of private equity investors confirm that personnel issues are a key reason for not achieving targeted IRR. Clearly, sponsors need more transparency in this…
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Escaping the Silo Effect
“Specialisation runs out of steam when you can’t connect the dots on patterns of risk or opportunity, which is really what private equity is all about,” Read…
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Industrialising Private Equity: How to avoid the organisational risks
Private equity has grown in scale and maturity, with multi-billion funds having hundreds of employees and offering diverse financial services. In an era of diminishing…
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Guest contribution: Sourcing in Recruiting Strategy and ROI
Hiring the right people is frustratingly difficult. The number of dimensions on which there needs to be a fit are large. Some can be tested…
Read more: Guest contribution: Sourcing in Recruiting Strategy and ROIHiring the right people: Above 50% and you’re doing great
Hiring the right people is frustratingly difficult. The number of dimensions on which there needs to be a fit are large. Some can be tested…
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Soft factors: The next big thing in private equity
A recent article on growthbusiness.co.uk discusses the results from Humatica’s new study “The Third Wave: Organisational due diligence – Riding the next wave of value…
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Catching the third wave in Private Equity
New Humatica Research Too many funds. Too much liquidity. Too high deal prices. Fund managers are asking themselves what’s next after Operational Excellence? How will…
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Organisational Due Diligence – Closing the Last Asymmetric Information Gap in Deal Making
In the October issue of Acquisition International Humatica consultant Valentina Pozzobon discusses how organisational due diligence can be incorporated successfully into business deals. “Considering merger…
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Mastering the new science of engineered management decision processes
Despite huge efforts to improve operational processes over the past 20 years, critically important management processes are left up to the discretion of each manager…
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Hard lessons for soft factors
In an article published in last week’s issue of RealDeals Humatica’s Andros Payne explores what the Volkswagen value collapse says about knowledge worker behaviour, productivity…
Read more: Hard lessons for soft factorsSoft factors: the third wave
“GPs know that it is important to bring operational capabilities to their deals if they want to make stellar returns. But in overlooking the importance of soft factors they are missing out…
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The modern perils of leading knowledge-based organisations
Volksvagen | VW Now, with the benefit of hindsight, it is a stupid surprise. How is it that a group of employees at VW could…
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Making the jump: Managing the transition to private equity ownership
The transition into a new executive role in private equity is tough. The performance demands and rigour of private equity’s active governance model can be…
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Making the Jump | How to increase the chances of CEO success
It is notoriously difficult for new buy-out CEOs to make the jump to private equity. The skills and competencies required to fulfil rigorous performance requirements are…
Read more: Making the Jump | How to increase the chances of CEO successRe-engineering management decision-making processes
Operational processes have been re-engineered to perfection over the past 20 years. However, management decision-making processes that sit above them, are still left up to individual…
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Expert Interview: TPG Senior Advisor Norman Walker explains the secrets of success for portfolio company CEOs
About the Interviewee NORMAN WALKER is an advisor to TPG Capital for portfolio company organisational and leadership issues. He leads his own firm Ardfern AG,…
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The CEO’s role in driving value creation
Private equity’s governance structure places unique and high demands on senior executives. They are at the fulcrum of the capitalist system, balancing the requirements of…
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Shifting Culture for Value Growth
All the easy levers have been pulled – purchasing cost reduction, a new strategy – so what’s next? Private equity sponsors are increasingly looking at…
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The best kept secrets about successful post-merger integration
What are the real reasons for roughly half of all mergers failing to generate their cost of capital? In the latest edition of Acquisition International…
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The Key to Merger Success
Getting the culture right is critical for merger success. The greatest risk for failure is culture clash, a breakdown of trust, and the resulting stagnation. Merging…
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Shifting Behaviour in the Portfolio
Private equity leaders are faced with a massive challenge – how to grow revenues and value in slow-growth markets. Shifting white-collar productivity and improving behaviour…
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Leading Private Equity Buy-outs
The survival rate of private equity portfolio company CEOs is shockingly low. And the cost of changing the CEO in terms of lost time, effort and…
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Another one bites the dust
In the latest edition of Real Deals magazine Humatica’s Andros Payne contributes with his views on why the half-life of private equity-backed chief executives is…
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No Pain, No Gain
Individual performance feedback is one of the toughest management processes to get right because it runs against the basic human nature of social interaction in…
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Humatica Delivers Insights on Value Creation Across the Private Equity Life Cycle
Humatica’s CEO, Andros Payne, contributes his thoughts to the latest Merrill DataSite white paper on value creation across the private equity life cycle. Read the report…
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Private Equity International Feature – “Cleaning up the Waste Industry”
Recent issue of PEI Operational Excellence: Keynote Interview with Erik Osmundsen, CEO of Altor’s portfolio company NorskGjenvinning and Andros Payne, Humatica The success of Altor’s…
Read more: Private Equity International Feature – “Cleaning up the Waste Industry”PEI Interview with Andros Payne: A new innovation paradigm
In today’s fast–moving markets, value creation comes from an organisation’s ability to collectively anticipate change, says Andros Payne, CEO of Humatica. More than a century…
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