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Interim Management
- Introduction to Interim Management
- What is Interim Management
- The evolution of Interim Management
- The role of the Interim Manager
- What makes a good Interim?
- MORI Poll
- Interims for Management roles UK & Worldwide - Interims V Consultants
- Crisis management
- Sudden departure
- Managing Change or Transition
- MBO's and IPO's
- Mergers and Acquisitions
- Project Management
- Family-owned Businesses
- The Corporate Environment
- The Venture Capital Industry
- Finding the right Interim Manager
- The Selection Process
- Questions to ask
- Interim Management as part of an HR Strategy
- Research
- Information for Interims
- Order your CBI Guides
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Interim management links:
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Why choose BIE?
What's New?1.2. Interims vs Consultants
The consultant is seen as someone who comes in to give advice, while the interim is seen as a delivery agent. The consultant has the backing of the consultancy, bringing with that a package of knowledge and services that are on offer – but with the interim, it is more about the individual, his/her expertise as well as personality.
“I wouldn’t interview necessarily a consultant as an individual, whereas with an interim, personality is quite key.”
However, some respondents think that there are grey areas, where the consultant’s role and interim’s role could be interchangeable. One respondent commented that “sometimes you think that you have got a consultant when you have got an interim, or sometimes you thought you had an interim and then they turn out to be a consultant”.
Consultants are seen as being the more expensive option (one respondent thought this to be about three times the cost of interims), and sometimes not necessarily providing the best value for money. One such view describes the consultant as being ‘somebody who borrows your watch to tell you the time’.
“We had a piece of work done recently... when I looked at that report and that particular consultancy, that was exactly what I got, there was nothing in that report that I didn’t know”
It could be argued, however, that the consultant’s role is a diagnostic one, and as such, offers a different skill set to that of the interim.
“You employ a consultant to come in and tell you that your watch is telling the right time... It delivers a hard message, it is being supported by the fact that it is from a major consultancy, with links in the best practice in the sector, in the country and globally. And that really does add a lot of value. What they do is deliver diagnosis but what they won’t do is actually implement and deliver, and so you have to be clear on the purpose... You would not have interim managers acting as consultants because they do not have the breadth of knowledge and experience to tap into best practice, what is happening globally... So I think it is horses for courses.”
One respondent, who works with both interims and consultants and sees it as a learning opportunity, thinks that he learns more from his consultants, as they bring more challenge to the organisation. However, another respondent holds the opposite view:
Several respondents also see interims as providing good value for money in comparison to permanent staff – especially after taking into consideration the costs of National Insurance and pensions (especially in the public sector) for permanent staff, and also the length of time it takes in recruiting for a permanent post, which may not necessarily be filled the first time round. Also, there is the impression that interims can be ‘switched off at any time’, whereas with a member of staff, this could potentially be a long, protracted and expensive process.
“Interims might be more expensive but that is more than made up for by the fact that they are objective, they are challenging, they are very focused and actually they tend to work the hours too…and deliver the outcomes”
To discuss your interim management requirements with BIE call +44(0)20 7222 1010