Ageism and Interim Management

If you're a senior professional looking for a new challenge, then interim management could offer the opportunity to take on responsibility and gain expertise in new areas of business, as well as supporting your peers who are now carrying out major projects. In this post we'll explore some reasons why interim management can be an attractive opportunity for both the organization and the individual.

What is Interim Management?

Typically temporary in nature and often described as a 'bridge-gap', interim management, or 'interim management' for short, is the process of finding someone to take on a position on a temporary basis. Typically an organization will have an urgent requirement for resource to help with a project or an individual who is unable to perform the role due to illness or other reasons. The role is not necessarily temporary and may continue for some time, depending on the individual and situation.

Types of Interim Management Services

There are broadly three main types of interim management services: executive, project and functional.

Executive interim management is used when an organization has identified a gap in the executive and senior management team. The role would typically last for several weeks to several months, depending on the needs of the project and the individual being supported. The benefits of executive interim management include providing a replacement for an employee who has been absent from work (either temporarily or permanently) and helping to take any pressure off departments that may be stretched too thin due to a prolonged period of time without a key leader.

Project interim management is typically used when an organization has identified that it needs support but there is no employee available to provide this service, leaving the opportunity open for someone in an appropriate position to step into this role temporarily. The average project may last for anywhere between a few weeks to several months, depending on the need for resource and the needs of the organization. One of the benefits of project interim management is that it allows individuals from many different departments within an organization to provide a cross-functional perspective, which can be very beneficial when brainstorming and developing new ideas.

Functional interim management is typically used when an organization requires one or more individuals in large numbers. For example, a company that has identified that they will have gaps in their marketing department while they carry out restructuring could use functional interim management as an opportunity to provide support and ensure business continues as normal.

Usage of Interim Management

Interim management is typically used to temporarily fill a gap until an appropriate permanent replacement is found, however there are cases where an organization may have no staff available and no one available to take on the role. If this is the case, then it's likely that individuals within other departments will provide interim support for their colleagues as a way of helping out. Interim management can also provide opportunities for individuals who would like to learn new skills or work in other areas within the organization and gain experience. For example, using project interim management as a way of allowing someone to experience working on a busy project team can be very beneficial when it comes to future employment prospects.

Risks of Interim Management

There are many risks involved with interim management, including:

The individual not getting on with their colleagues or the team. This could be due to personality clashes or simply because the individual does not fit into the group. The individual may struggle to work well with others, or they may be overwhelmed by the new area and find it difficult to adapt to change in such a short time. The team could also struggle due to personality clashes or difference in working styles and methods, which can lead to poor productivity and performance.

When using executive interim management there is an additional risk of the person being placed having a lack of knowledge about how their organization operates and therefore struggling when it comes to decision-making.

Interim management is frequently used as a way to temporarily help a company through an unscheduled absence or death in the family of a key individual. This means they may be required to take on additional responsibilities and leave the organization with only limited time to find a suitable replacement. If this person is unable to take on the role, this can cause major disruption for the organization and potentially lead to budget overruns and delays. If a replacement is not found quickly, there may also be implications for other teams within the business who are having to cover for their colleague's absence and provide support.

A key challenge when using interim management is ensuring that individuals are able to carry out their responsibilities effectively without becoming too disruptive. For example, if a person is taking an executive role it may then be difficult for them to get involved with the day-to-day activities of the business and this can result in frustration for other members of staff who feel that they are not getting the required support.

It is also important to carefully consider how long a gap can be left before considering interim management. If time is left to go past a suitable time scale, then there could be issues when trying to fill the role as you will have fewer people available who are able to do so.

If interim management is to be used, it is important to consider the symptoms that may arise from using this strategy; these include:

Although there are many risks associated with interim management, it can also be a beneficial strategy for various organizations depending on the situation and the need for support. As previously mentioned, there are numerous benefits of using this strategy and some of these include:

Interim management teams and individuals can typically fall into one of three categories, including:

Some professionals offering expertise in interim management/project leadership will often specialize in a particular niche most commonly either executive or functional. While this is less likely to apply in regards to project leadership where experts may offer services across multiple disciplines within a project environment.

When using project interim management, it is typical that the client would first arrange a webinar or other communication where they provide an overview of their project and what is needed - this may be similar to the Request For Proposal (RFP) that may be sent to potential vendors. This can also include some form of Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) questionnaire that may be used to help determine who should be requested to attend.

It's common for the client to request the professional team come to meet them in person rather than over phone or Skype. This can often encourage more engagement and therefore more conversation where there are questions that need answers.

Conclusion

The following list summarizes my opinions on the pros and cons of Interim Management.

I do not believe that interim management is suitable for every profession. If you are unclear about the need for interim management or have a good understanding of what it entails, I would consider using planning instead. 

If you have used Interim Management and have any feedback for me, please leave a comment below.

Interim Brokers are companies that provide temporary staffing for short-term engagements between 0-2 years (usually up to 3).