Special Report
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What is interim management? |
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| Special Reports | |
| Written by Nick Diprose, Executive Director of BIE Interim Executive | |
| Friday, 31 July 2009 | |
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"Interim managers are invaluable when you need an injection of quality resource fast to make a step change."
Today, more than ever before, expertise in the management of change and transition is in high demand. In turn, that presents interim management with a significant opportunity to re-assert its value to organisations. So how do we define the service? It is the management of transition, change, uncertainty or crisis by a ‘suitably over-qualified’ executive at or near board level, commissioned on an assignment basis lasting anything from a few weeks to several months. According to Richard Lambert, director-general of the CBI, “interim managers are invaluable when you need an injection of quality resource fast to make a step change”.In its early days, the classic entry into interim management was redundancy. Many fine executives lost their jobs in the often ill-conceived clear-outs of the nineties. A common perception among employers at the time was that the interim was ‘on trial’ for a full-time job. Some interims, also, still craved the security of the permanent post. These attitudes have changed today. While redundancy might still be the catalyst, fewer and fewer interims will be tempted back into permanent, long term employment by one organisation. They relish the interim lifestyle and career. At the same time, more and more clients are recognising the qualities of the people they engage in these project-based roles. Permanency is accepted as not forming part of the deal. So why has interim management become such a powerful resourcing option?There are compelling reasons which suggest that the use of interims offers clear and immediate benefits which other less flexible, or more junior resourcing options, cannot. Speed: Interim managers can be in place within days; Experience: Interim managers will be over-qualified and will have dealt with the key issues before - this minimises the risk of things going wrong; Objectivity: Unencumbered by previous involvement in company processes or staff relationships, interim managers are free to concentrate on what's best for the business; Accountability: Rather than taking on a purely advisory role (as a management consultant might), interim managers are responsible and accountable line managers who will implement and manage a business or project in their own right; Effectiveness: Operating at or near board-level gives interim managers the authority to effect significant change or transition – unlike a temp, the only management time they take up is their own; Commitment: Interim managers are committed to an interim career. For them, this is never just something they are doing until a suitable permanent position is found. They take great pride in maintaining the highest standards and realise that they are only ever as good as their last job – a powerful performance management tool! If I were calling a potential client to explain the benefits and had to put it simply, I would say “look, forget the word interim, it’s all about the ‘implementation’ of planned change, a turnaround, transition, strategy and any other situation brought about by movement in or around an organisation”. Today, new cadres of younger managers, many of them women, are becoming professional interims. While finance executives formed the vanguard of the interim sector – they are still the most requested – demand from other functions is growing, especially human resources. Although the economic outlook remains uncertain, what is clear is that interim management, positioned correctly, offers clear advantages when organisations need to stabilise situations, reduce risk during change and transition, whilst enabling future plans to be implemented. In today’s climate, that has to be a compelling call to action. Nick Diprose is Executive Director of BIE Interim Executive, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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