| As the work patterns of today’s businesses have shifted and a one-job career is seen as outmoded, Keith Hobson of RSA examines a powerful new resourcing option
Considering the topics and market that EPC addresses, I expect that readers will be well versed in the growth of outsourcing and contracted services. Over the past few years, however, one area of flexible resourcing has quietly moved forward and achieved dramatic growth as companies have started to realise its potential – the role of the interim manager.
Interim management (IM) started in the UK in the mid 1980s, but for many years interim managers were people in the over- 50s age group whose work normally only covered ‘gap filling’ assignments in finance or HR. Because of the flexibility of these functional roles in moving across industry sectors, it gradually took on some level of recognition in a variety of industries. The pharmaceutical sector, however, was not one of those, and I suspect that the main reason for this was that, at that time, the industry was not plagued by the cost saving pressures that other industries faced. We all know of course, that this has now changed. Even as recently as five years ago, however, IM was relatively unknown within the life sciences, and even where it was known, the potential and various ways in which it could contribute to business success was often not fully understood. Today, the picture is completely different and rapidly evolving. The last few years have seen dramatic and rapid changes in interim management in the life sciences industries, and company managers are enthusiastically embracing the many ways that flexible resourcing can add value to their businesses.
There are also corresponding changes in the ‘typical’ profile of interim managers – the age range has dropped significantly and we are seeing more and more successful professionals in their 30s and 40s making a career out of short-term interim assignments. The range of work available has also expanded considerably, and there are now interim opportunities for almost every function across the whole value chain, from discovery through to sales and marketing.
WHAT IS INTERIM MANAGEMENT?
Simply put, IM is the answer to a short-term resourcing need at senior or specialist levels; or, to state it more formally, interim management is about an experienced professional fulfilling an operational role on a short-term assignment within a company where he/she is not a permanent employee. The nature of the assignment will determine which specific skills and experience are required – these could be leadership, managerial or functional or a combination of each at multiple levels. The interim manager comes as a ready made package of competence, who is able to contribute immediately to the task at hand whether it be providing specialist cover or leading a major business turnaround. |
