Gene Ciemny was requested by The Washington Post’s CFO to become an independent consultant and separate from IBM. With IBM’s consent, he signed a long-term consulting agreement to lead the transformation from a decentralized purchasing entity to a cohesive Shared Services Organization (SSO). However, developing a centralized procurement function required decision-making autonomy from the business
The founder and owner of the business ran the organization as a “one-man show” making all important decisions and limiting growth to what a single person could manage. When the omnibus leader unexpectedly died, clients, employees, and new shareholders needed convincing evidence that the company would survive. The company needed a survival plan.  “I realized