Interim Management

Interim management was a concept created by the Dutch in the 1970s as a method of creating flexibility in the workplace.  The model was adopted in the UK during the late 1980s and driven by changes to corporate landscapes, restructuring and globalisation which led to the need to inject experienced business people often with P&L responsibilities, at frequently short notice to provide results in the short and medium term.  UK Enterprises have embraced the concept making the UK one of the most sophisticated interim management markets in the world.

Little wonder, when you consider that most interim managers have achieved a certain level of seniority in their careers, are generally independent minded,  objective, sensitive to but  unlikely to the impacted by corporate politics and hired  because of their expertise and the track record they've amassed over years of practical experience.  Most often they are overqualified for the work at hand, but enjoyed the duality of engaging intensively with an organisation yet from their independent perspective.

Interim managers are frequently called by different names - turnaround manager, freelance executive, change manager, project manager, programme manager, contractor, or even consultant.  Regardless of what companies call interim managers an interim is the invaluable resource when the business faces turnaround, needs to implement a major initiative, needs to strengthen project team or a management team, or even if a sudden gap appeared last in the management structure and is imperative that flexible individual with proven skills and experiences can immediately fill the gap.