Interim Management

The main reasons for the use of interim managers are short-term vacancies, the acute shortage of qualified management capacity, resource bottlenecks as well as companies' increasing requirements for flexibility.

Interim managers are in particular demand for turnaround processes, to cover for vacancies, to open up new markets or to control complex projects. Over and above that, clients deliberately acquire external skills by employing interim managers.

Interim managers take up positions at the first or second level of management, with authority to issue directives or with a project management role outside of the hierarchy.
Typical functions include:
• General management
• Sales / marketing / communication
• Purchasing / logistics / materials management
• IT / organisation
• Project management
• Finances / financial controlling
• Technology / production
• Human resources

Interim managers are employed by medium-sized and large companies, right up to large corporations. The clients come from all sectors, particularly from industry and trade, followed by IT and telecommunications companies, media houses, the chemical industry as well as service and consulting companies. Even public institutions are employing increasing numbers of temporary managers.

On average, contracts last from 7 to 16 months, although the duration depends heavily upon the task to be carried out. Some interim managers for example are even committed for up to three years.

Project or program management is a special area of interim management, in which strategic or important operational projects are managed and carried out.

While consultants produce analyses and concepts, the responsibility to make decisions and for implementation rest exclusively with the client. Interim managers take up entrepreneurial responsibility and actively implement strategic and operative tasks within the company.

Personnel leasing companies primarily supply staff for exchangeable jobs in the area of implementation, but not in management. Staff are mostly employees of the leasing company and are loaned out to the clients on a temporary basis. Interim managers on the other hand, are independent entrepreneurs who take up management tasks in the first and second levels of management.