Interim managers are highly-skilled, senior-level professionals who have industry-specific knowledge, are tech savvy and can help a wide range of projects in many ways. Interims tend to shape their careers by choosing assignments that play to their strengths, so you can find many interim managers who specialise in a particular type of large-scale project.
Interim managers are clearly valuable and knowledgeable resources and there are many ways that your business might benefit from the support of an interim manager.
A long-term project has lost momentum
Whether due to a lack of internal resources, skills, manpower or scope creep, projects can often get off track or lose momentum causing a silo of work that can seem insurmountable. It can be very difficult for an internal employee or manager to try and get the project back on track. When you can’t see the wood for the trees you can’t discern the most beneficial choices to achieve the desired end goals for all the hard work and time that’s already been put in.
Interims are experienced in being able to join a project, assess its previous tasks and objectives and formulate an agile strategy to get it where it needs to go, galvanising internal resources and adding drive and dynamism to the project helping it to stay on track and achieve realistic deadlines.
The business is undergoing a merger, acquisition, or any other kind of transformation
interim managers with direct experience in transformation act as more than just high-level project managers or co-ordinators, they are able to keep everyone focussed on the desired goal, creating ongoing momentum and focus on solving those issues that are going to have the greatest impact.
Experienced interim managers can quickly identify any roadblocks or information silos, establishing a manageable and realistic timeframe and keeping an adaptable mindset whilst holding the project on course. Interim managers are also comfortable operating with a high level of autonomy and can make authoritative decisions and implement solutions quickly and effectively.
New systems and technology require implementation
Interim managers can help your corporate culture adapt to new technologies, as organisations move to remote working and more of a hybrid model long-term. Businesses have needed to incorporate innovations and new digital technology into their organisation very quickly and this is where interims can be valuable.
New strategies can be very expensive to implement, and it may be difficult to find the right in-house skill sets to drive these changes forward. Interim managers can be brought on board within a matter of days and possess the high-level skills to embed new software or systems immediately, as well as act as an advocate for change and ensure its’ communicated appropriately throughout your team to avoid resistance.
A senior-level executive leaves unexpectedly
Unfortunately, the unexpected will always happen. Having a strategy in place to help you cope with the sudden and unexpected, like a senior-level employee leaving the company or needing to take a leave of absence for their health, etc., will help you lessen the level of disruption this has on your business. Having a strategy in place to deploy qualified and trusted interims quickly will save you time and money when looking to hire a permanent employee at this level, or may result in a more efficient resourcing mix including a combination of permanent and interim staff allowing you to scale up and down with the in-demand skills as and when you need them.
Interim management service providers:
Although all three of these scenarios can be supported by using interim resources, their success will depend on picking the right kind of interim manager, taking into account their experience, industry knowledge and technical skills. This can be hard to do internally using an organisation’s own resources.
Interim service providers have entire networks of qualified and specialist interim managers they can leverage quickly to offer fast solutions. Oakwood Resources can help to accelerate your business requirements by sourcing interim managers who are assessed based on their skills, experience and industry knowledge and who can work alongside you to deliver successful outcomes.
