Decision Rights After a Carve-Out
The first hundred days after a carve-out are full of people asking permission from a centre that no longer exists. Others spend money as if the parent still backstops the risk. Both are decision-rights problems wearing a culture costume.
Coach the rights. The story about “how we do things here” can wait until someone can sign.
What to map in week one
List the twenty decisions that moved last quarter: hiring, pricing, capital, legal, brand, and customer exceptions. For each, write who decided it in the parent and who may decide it now. The blanks are the coaching agenda.
This sits with Change-Management Coaching for Post-Merger Integration and Coaching Family-Owned Businesses when the carve-out is from a family group.
A rights table worth putting on the wall
| Decision | Parent used to own | New owner | Temporary rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hiring above a grade | Group HR | Local CHRO + CEO | Chair informed for 90 days |
| Capex | Group treasury | CFO | Board above a line |
| Brand and claims | Parent comms | CEO | Legal still reviews |
| Customer exceptions | Regional VP | Revenue lead | CFO sees discounting |
| Regulatory contact | Group legal | Named officer | No informal parent calls |
What not to do
Do not run a values workshop while invoices still go to the old shared-service desk. Do not keep a shadow “group” reviewer because it feels safer. If two headquarters remain, read Coaching across dual headquarters without splitting culture.
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