Interim Management

Interim Management

These days, in some cases, a little change is more than welcomed whatever business we are speaking about, and in some other, the change is imposed by the difficulties faced by the executives. One of the solutions of this specific problem seems to be the interim management. It can be seen as the short-term assignment of a proven heavyweight interim executive manager to manage a period of transition, crisis or change within an organization.

Historically, the antecedents of Interim Management come from ancient Roman times, with ancient Roman Publicans or Contractors being engaged to erect or maintain public buildings, supply armies overseas, or collect certain taxes. This system for letting contracts was well established since the 3rd century BC. The modern practice instead started in the mid to late 1970s, when permanent employees in The Netherlands were protected by long notice periods and companies faced large costs for terminating employees. To this end, hiring managers on a temporary basis was the only viable solution.

There are a number of different business situations that could result in the need for an Interim Manager: starting from the crisis management, sudden departure, illness, death, change management, managing change or transition, mergers and acquisitions, and ending with the project management. This concept has now taken root in countries like UK, Germany, and Belgium, and is spreading elsewhere, most notably in Australia, France, and Ireland.