Management Interview Guide

Summer 2006 Nick Bloom Kevin Krabbenhft Nikki Lamba

General Scheduling: The most difficult part of the survey process is scheduling the interviews. Once the interviews are scheduled, running the interviews with the individual managers is interesting and provides an excellent insight into some of the issues facing manufacturers. On the scheduling part: The first goal is to avoid getting automatically screened out by the switchboard thinking you are a salesperson or a commercial market researcher. Avoid using the words survey or research. A piece of work or study is better. For European countries, India, Japan, Korea and China be sure to mention the relevant government endorsement. o If asked, tell the switchboard the projects university affiliation(s) and that you are working on a project to try and understand management practices and their impact on productivity. Slow down when you say London School of Economics/Cambridge/Stanford and supported by the Bank of _____ o Otherwise, directly ask for the plant, production or operations manager and have them connect you. Other possibilities (in the US) are the VP of lean/production/operations etc. Always be polite. You will be in contact with the switchboard and managers - quite often over a short period of days, so they will most likely recognize your voice. It is essential you do not upset anyone. Our Government endorsement, funding and research credibility rests on doing the right thing and not causing problems. Always politely exit if there is any possibility of a problem, and let us know if any issues do arise. No interview is worth causing any trouble over. Make sure you take a name (and e-mail, if possible) for when you try and call back. When you call back with the persons name you are almost always put through. You will also find it much easier to schedule an interview with a manager when you start by saying their name: Hello XXXX, my name is Homer Simpson and Im calling from.. is much more personal and effective than Hello my name is Homer Simpson and Im calling from.. If you cannot reach the manager, take the name of the secretary/PA with whom you spoke. Since you might be calling multiple times, its helpful to be friendly with secretaries/switchboard/PA as they can decide whether or not to put your call through. Confidence is the key with switchboard; the more confident you sound the more likely you are to be put through to the person you really need to speak to. Sound positive, firm and avoid sounding like you are reading a script. Know your pitch inside out before scheduling. Be short and to the point. Switchboard operators often do not possess the time and patience to hear a detailed explanation of the project. Save the detailed description for when you are questioned, or for managers.

Once you are put through to the manager: If the person is away it is normally best not to leave a voicemail, as the probability of someone calling you back long distance/international is very slim. Also, over pestering is not an effective trick for getting cooperation even if they agree to schedule an interview an unhappy manager will be less likely to keep to this. Introduce the project (e.g. for a UK call), Hi, my name is Homer Simpson from the LSE and Im currently doing a piece of work endorsed by the Treasury on management practices, and I was wondering if I could speak to you for about 45 minutes regarding your experiences Assure the manager that this is completely anonymous/confidential, non-attributable and does not mention financials. Take down their e-mail address and direct extension (if they have one) and schedule an appointment. Schedule any time that is convenient with them even if you can not make that time another interviewer on the team will be able to. If possible, schedule the interview for the upcoming 5 days. This will ensure that they will remember the interview and your name when you call back. Often if you schedule for weeks in advance, they might forget about the appointment (particularly in India and Southern Europe). However, if theyre busy, schedule for whenever it is convenient for them. Once this is agreed ensure you send them the details by e-mail and/or fax. Be sure to send the email by the end of the same working day so that they remember you and note the appointment. This is very important for making sure they understand the interview, and are good for four reasons: o Ethically, we must inform them about the interview process and background o Practically, the more they know in advance the fewer questions they will have during the interview and the quicker the interview will be. o Operationally, sending them details ideally by fax will increase the probability they put this in their diary and keep the appointment. o Informationally, if they know this is for a good cause they are more likely to cooperate and provide information. o 24 hours before the scheduled interview time, send the manager a short reminder email confirming the date and time of the telephone interview. o If they are unkeen initially explore any constraints with them. Try the following which are quick with some success: o If they refuse on the basis of time: Could we call back at a better time I am working on this for the next 2 months so maybe I could back next month?

o If they totally refuse - Is there another manager in your firm we could speak to who might have more time? o If this still fails try the old reverse the problem trick. Say something like We would really like to be able to include your firm in the survey. Could you think how we could do this?

General Tips Be polite, always tell the truth, and at all costs avoid offending anyone. There are a large number of firms in the sample database so it is not worth annoying any individual firm or manager. This is also important for funding and research support. Always seek advice if in doubt. Make sure the managers perceive all interactions as a pleasant experience. Always drop an interview rather than risk causing any problems. You can usually try at least two or three different people in the company. This means that senior guys (VPs of manufacturing, production, etc.) should be able to answer the questions If the company is larger, then usually there will be a couple different production managers or people at that level. The only constraint is to speak to someone thats knowledgeable about the companys practices You are welcome to use any combination of Cambridge, LSE, Stanford, McKinsey and any university affiliation you have as long as this is correctly stated. For example you could say I am a student at Kellogg working with the LSE and Stanford on a project on manufacturing management... Our experience was that McKinsey was not helpful (firms worry about commercial confidentiality and being sold consultancy), while in the US local universities helped a lot. In Europe the LSE is pretty good (but Cambridge and Stanford may work better) while in India the LSE was very effective.

Interviewing Tips At the beginning: try to set an atmosphere that is both professional and relaxed. Adapt you vocabulary to that of the manager. For example, in France avoid using lean manufacturing lingo, except if he starts it himself; try to use his own vocabulary by adapting your questions: some speak about ouvriers, some about operateurs. Always use the language of choice of the manager wherever possible typically this will be the national language, but in some countries (i.e. India & China) there is variation in this. Generally, try to speak on an equal to equal basis, with a lot of respect and interest. If you sound interested, the manager will tell you more. Ask precise, open questions, never too long. Never combine multiple questions together as this is confusing for example do ask: How do you monitor the production process? followed up by Who would typically get to see the KPIs?. Do not ask these together as

one question How do you monitor the production process and who would typically get to see the KPIs? as this will overload them and risks missing part of the question. Group questions by topics. Once you are conducting the interview and feel comfortable enough with the questions try and mix as many of the organizational questions and HR questions into the management part of the survey. For this reason, take notes while the manager speaks so that you dont have to ask for information twice. Manage your time: if they are taking too long, be strategic by asking the next question quickly. Remember it is less rude to cut them off when they are spending a lot of time talking about something unconnected then to allow them to talk but then run the interview over the time limit. Managers have finite patience so cutting people off when they ramble is good as long as this is done politely. Make sure they understand what they will gain one clear rationale is to improve government policy to help manufacturing. Another is to make it clear this is to ensure governments listen to them when thinking about policy in each country we have government endorsement and a policy feedback process so this will hopefully influence policy. In most of these countries manufacturers are losing jobs fast and anything that helps government to help management and productivity will be attractive to them. Often just the fact that somebody important is listening is positive. They will also value the international report we will send to them at the end of the research. At the end of the interview take down their e-mail (if you dont already have it) and ask if they want to be sent the results. We will send them a pack within 6 months and hopefully within 3 months. This is very helpful for: o Keeping these managers happy to maintain them in our database for follow up surveys o Ensuring they are debriefed o Spreading the research results and methodology the more people that know the bigger the impact. Challenge Yourself: Adapt your timing to your country. For the continent for instance, it is very fruitful to start early (8am for France or 7am for Greece), but it is pointless to call during lunchtime (so you might want to get your lunch at the same time). Maximize the calling time: you will notice that certain hours are better than other to reach managers. Try to use those time windows to call a lot, very quickly, and to get schedules or interviews on the spot. You can do admin (send emails, find phone numbers, etc.) during the low-efficiency time windows or after the end of the day. Maximize your efficiency: Run blocks of scheduling calls together, typically about 20 scheduling calls in one go which should take around 1 hour. You can also try setting mini-targets only taking a break after scheduling 2 interviews. Avoid bad practices like making 3 calls, going off for a break, making another 3 calls, having a long chat, making another 3 calls, doing some internet surfing etc. This will be very unproductive. You

dont need to work long hours to do well but you do need to be productive when you work. Set personal targets. If you can conduct 4 interviews on a normal day, let this be your minimum!

Country Experiences: FRANCE 1.) First contact: make it short The aim is to speak to the right person as quickly as possible. Reassure the switchboard: their job is to introduce you, and to protect the very busy manager. Some of them are very suspicious. If you are polite and sound serious they might help you a lot. If they ask, make clear that this is not a marketing offer, or a survey. Use the magic words: Treasury, Banque de France Commission Europeanne, etc. Do have a clear sentence ready, very short : good morning, could I speak to the production manager please? Be self-assured and clear. You dont ask a favor, you do your job! If you are too polite, too slow, or if you try to explain everything at that stage you might not go through. And you lose time. Sometimes they will just put you through directly BUT most of the time they will ask who you are: dont tell your name yet, just give the initials: thats the LSE, from London. Then, only if they ask why you are calling, explain the project, but again very quickly, insisting on the magic words: in French: LSE de Londres sounds impressive already. If its not enough : je suis chargee dun projet soutenu par la Commission Europeenne et la Banque de France . If she doesnt want to put you through, try to get the name. Sometimes they are not allowed to give the name, so ask for the email in order to send the official letters and present the project. Interestingly, you will often get the name in the email 2.) Second contact: use the name Same technique with the name: 80% success. Then the problem might be that the manager is never in his office. Try to ascertain when he is generally in his office. 3.) Third time (and more) : tenacity

The switchboard will start to recognize you after three or four times. Do refer to your past calls, make a friend Be more specific about your project and explain whom you would like to speak to and why (in French: Nous travaillons sur le lien entre management et production. Je cherche donc a joindre un directeur de site ou un responsable de production. Pourriez-vous me dire qui serait le mieux a meme de me repondre ? / Qui serait mon meilleur interlocuteur ?)

GERMANY The Germans are quite easy to get on the phone. This means you usually just have to ask switchboard to be put through to the manager and the manager will usually be near the phone. Many German companies seem to have no experience in dealing with telephone interviews and are therefore curious as to why you are calling. Mentioning that you are a student in London helps, as does the Bundesbank letter in conjunction with improving the policy landscape in Germany (i.e. keep jobs in mfg). A key point is to send the information later as that seemed to keep the managers happy.

INDIA 1.) Scheduling: Ask for MDs office and then describe project to MDs personal assistant. Ask to be connected to/for the number of General Manager of Operations or Head of Operations. If busy or unavailable, get email address and send outline. If given company email address or personal address is unknown, get PAs address and request them to forward it. *Note the names of any individuals you speak to in the MDs office and refer to them in emails. Often you will be sent directly to the MD/President, in which case they can decide whether they want to speak directly or if there is a GM of Operations. If emailing an MD, then ask them for the right person before trying to schedule with MD. Emails are very effective, often resulting in scheduling or being directed to the right individual within 48 hours. Note that the Indian lunch hour ranges from 2:00-4:00pm and most managers work until 6:30-7:00pm (Indian time). For any interview, particularly those after 5pm (Indian time), request the private number, extension number or mobile number of the interviewee.

Many of the phone numbers listed in Access are wrong and often missing. Generally the larger companies have websites where you can find their contact information. Those that you can not find note down and we can get agency in India to track these down.

Cultural and other Observations: o People (bottom-up) are very helpful and eager to help, especially when they learn you are calling from England. o Never call a senior manager by their first name (unless told) as this is a sign of disrespect in India. Always speak respectfully to people senior/elder to you. Interviewing: Ask interviewee if they have any questions before you begin. Often they will want to know why their firm and they personally have been selected. For almost all questions, Indian managers will provide very long and detailed answers, many of which might not address your initial question. Try not to interrupt and if you need to, do so very politely and apologetically. You will need to ask multiple questions (beyond those on the interview sheet) to extract the right information. Questions are often misunderstood and managers get sidetracked. Interviews will last 45 minutes to an hour, possibly more which has implications for booking interviews back to back. Try to leave an extra 15 minutes whenever possible. Often answers are long-winded because managers will provide detailed explanations about competitors, production process, manufacturing sector/industry, and financial information. Be prepared to take notes as this information could answer some organizational questions, thus saving time. Language: Almost everyone is comfortable with English and unless they respond in another language, feel free to speak in English. Often when calling factories, you will encounter workers who pick up the phone that are not proficient in English, and will thus respond in Hindi or another language. Speak slowly and clearly, even when the person on the other line seems to be fluent in English as they are often unfamiliar with foreign accents.

ITALY 1.) Switchboarders: killing them with kindness and authority

Switchboarders tend to deal with calls coming from salesman, suppliers or clients. Trying to minimize their work, they speak very fast and they expect a fast reply from you as well. Be carefully; dont get anxious, its very risky! Calm down and do not play their game. Speak slowly, clearly and with full of confidence saying who you are and who youre looking for. If they ask for more information, make it clear that you are not a seller and this is not a survey. European Union and Ministero del Tesoro cards work quite well. Stiamo lavorando ad un progetto di ricerca su scala mondiale con lincarico del Ministero del Tesoro e dellUnione Europea worked well. London School of Economics (adding di Londra might be redundant in English but is very effective in Italian) sounds very professional to the operators. Be very polite with operators but remember that you are not one of their peers, so do not explain the reason why you are calling unless requested. Adding your title, Dottore/Dottoressa (if you have a university degree, of course), is very helpful to underline what kind of (important) person you are. If the manager is not available to pick up the phone, ask the switchboard for the managers email address in order to send some background official information before calling back. If the switch boarder is tough and will not give you anything else other than the general email (info@ ...etc), do not complain. Ask them to forward it to the manager and send the email and on the subject line write Allattenzione del etc... When switchboarders refuse to give you any managers personal e-mail or names, dont give up. Send the material to the general e-mail they gave you and call the day after. If managers are interested (and usually they are) they will tell the switchboarders to be more receptive in case you call again. In the second call you will notice the difference. 2.) Switchboarders 1-0

Once you have defeated the switchboarders, talking to the manager and scheduling the interview will be relatively easy. These are the arguments that worked particularly well among the others in order to convince them: The Ministry doesnt know anything about manufacturing firms so we are trying to make this report to help them to help you. (Better allocation of funds, new regulations etc. Etc.)! Tell them about the press coverage the project has received. If they havent heard of LSE, they should have heard of The Economist, Financial Time, and Newsweek... When you run the interview, try to show the manager that you are listening to him and you are actually interested in having a dialogue with him. Dont give the impression that you are filling up a questionnaire. Be polite and dont be shy to ask them to clarify some points. Sometimes they speak in a very technical way. If you feel to ask a question out of your curiosity, just do it. Youll waste some time but the quality of the interview will certainly increase.

UNITED KINGDOM The British managers seem rarely to be found at their desks. Keep ringing through to get the manager, or try to talk to a PA that can help you schedule a time. For an interview but not for an initial call it is reasonable to have them Tannoyed/paged on the factor floor. Mention that this report will be fed into Government policy to make sure the Government listens to them and help raise UK productivity (and hopefully keep jobs in the UK). Explain that the government wants to listen to them and be sure not to mention the European Union!

UNITED STATES 1.) Getting past the switchboard: The US is harder because of the prevalence of voicemail its very hard to actually get a person to pick the phone up. The main thing is to keep trying they will eventually pick up (our guess is they are not often at their desks). Try to speak to an operator if possible. If not, you can always try the sales department and ask who the most relevant person to talk to would be. You can also try a variety of people and seniorities in smaller firms senior people may be easier to catch at their desks. Introduce yourself by saying your name and the fact that youre calling from the London School of Economics in England. Most importantly, practice and figure out the best approach for you. Note that famous LSE alumni include Mick Jagger and Monika Lewinsky mentioning them is often a good ice-breaker (but know your Stones songs)! Use ICARUS to try and check on the names of some of the people in the company. Be mindful that sometimes these people may have left the company or retired. If this is the case, be quick to apologize and ask for the name of the new person in that role. It is extremely difficult to catch a manager at his desk as they are often in the factory or in meetings. In addition to calling repeatedly, be strategic in your timing. Try to call in the morning (8am-9am) when they arrive to work, or Friday late afternoon when they are less likely to have meetings. ASK the secretaries/PA what might be a good time to reach the manager as they know their travel/meeting schedules. If the secretary/PA refuses or doesnt know the managers email address, ask for his/hers and if they would be kind enough to forward the information to the appropriate person. Managers are less likely to delete these emails as they are coming from internal addresses. If you cannot reach an operator or need to get an extension number, try the automated company directory using the last name of the manager. Given the high prevalence of telemarketers and salespeople in the US, do your best to sound inquisitive, positive, and engaging. If you sound dull, monotonous, and speak

quickly/mumble, you will be written off as a telemarketer. FIRST IMPRESSIONS MATTER! Take good notes for each call that you make. This record will be a great resource in remembering names, dates, etc. that you have called particularly a few weeks into the project. You might encounter people that are rude on the telephone or hang up. Do not be offended or discouraged. Keep in mind that these people do not know you and you will never speak to them again. The main thing is to keep on calling without stopping to reflect on let-downs. Remember we have the US number that forwards into the team room. If you leave a message use this number for call backs as it is not international for them.

2.) Running the Interview Be prompt: Call 3 minutes before scheduled interview this gets things going promptly and gives you a bit more flexibility on timing. If you call late, you will most likely have missed them and will have to reschedule (very tedious and difficult). Introduce yourself (name and Cambridge/LSE/Stanford project) and thank them for making time. If they pick up but are unable to carry out interview at that time, try to reschedule for another date/time immediately. Ask them if they received your email, and if they have any questions before you begin. Otherwise, begin right away as US managers are always in a rush. At the end of Management 2 Questions, ensure them that you are nearing the end and have a few short organizational questions. Let them know you are aware of time limitations and reassure them that you are almost finished between the Management 2 page to the HR page. A large number of scheduled interviews will not run due to managers being unavailable. When this happens, leave a short voicemail letting them know that you called and that you will try to contact them later. For example: This is _______ calling from the London School of Economics in England. Im sorry I missed you for our telephone interview but hope to speak with you soon. Thanks. Follow this up with a short email saying sorry that you missed them and that you are interested in rescheduling and ask them for a convenient time.