Interim managers in high demand
Interim managers in high demand
The German Association of Management Consultants (BDU) predicts that the market for interim managers will continue to grow, increasing its portion of total turnover in the consulting market.
In 2002 interim management made up less than 0.5 per cent of the market for consulting services, but this is expected to double to 1 per cent by 2004 –a percentage corresponding to a turnover volume of about e100 million.
BDU vice-president Joachim Staude sees the cause for the increased need for interim managers in the current crisis among middle-size businesses. Turnover crashes, restructuring and potential bankruptcies are forcing businesses to get more external help.
Vera Bloemer, author of a book on interim management, believes these managers should not be viewed as "firefighters" who implement restructuring and solve temporary personnel shortages. She thinks they can bring a new generation of project management into companies and have a lasting effect. Companies should no longer feel ashamed to get outside help, and it should have as good an image as it does in investment banking.
Udo Nadolski, head of IT personnel firm Harvey Nash, Dusseldorf, also thinks it is time for a new approach to interim management. "Especially older managers will become more important in the future when it comes temporarily to filling leadership positions.
"The classic scenario in a middle-size firm run by two to three people looks like this: one of these heads leaves, whether through dismissal, illness,death or midlife crisis; or people get to their late 40s and decide they would rather run a surfing school in Ibiza. In such a situation, a solution has to be found within a short period of time. This means there is no time for orientation and training. One usually has three to six months to find someone who will be able to lead an entire department after only two to three weeks. This just is not possible with a youngster."
In Nadolski's view, seniority and long experience are highly important, as 80 per cent of management and leadership skills are based on communication and dealing with people.
