The interim manager is an operational expert whose profile is exactly right and relevant, assessed in advance by the interim management company to meet the needs of the client company.
The typology of the needs of the latter generally covers one of the following cases:
Interim management originated in Anglo-Saxon countries, then spread to many European countries. In France, its origins lie in general management in the industrial sector.
Today, interim management is used in all business sectors and for all types of position, whether support or operational, and at all levels of the organization chart.
What are in detail the main appeal cases?
Project management is a frequent recourse to interim management: it may involve the acquisition of a new activity, the implementation of internal control procedures, a compliance program, etc.
All these examples require a precise definition of the objectives to be achieved, as well as cross-functional coordination of the various stakeholders involved within the company in order to achieve them. The interim manager is thus required to deploy and steer an action plan comprising precise milestones over time, designed to ensure that the project's objectives are achieved.
Sample assignment:
An industrial company is looking for an interim manager for 6 months to set up an international compliance program.
In collaboration with the legal department and internal audit, the interim manager will assist with the full roll-out of the program within the company, and with team training.
An interim management assignment can also be a "management relay" assignment.
This corresponds to all cases where it is simply necessary to replace an executive, but always in a high-stakes context.
The vacancy may result from maternity leave, sick leave or an unexpected departure (resignation or dismissal). Interim management can fill the gap immediately.
If necessary, depending on the company's wishes, the interim management may allow it to have the time necessary to launch a recruitment process calmly and not in a hurry with the risk of making a poor choice from a limited panel of candidates.
Sample assignment:
A retail company in the luxury sector suffered the unexpected departure of its legal director in a context of transformation. The process of recruiting a replacement is underway, but the 9-month waiting period requires a management relay.
The interim manager is entrusted with the reins of the legal department for a period of 9 months (or more), and is responsible for managing the annual negotiation campaign for single agreements.
Of course, these are not the only cases where interim management can be used, and the examples given here are deliberately simple.
The repositioning of a Legal Department following an internal reorganization, the setting up of a new team, etc., all these issues require talents capable of improving performance and results. These missions are entrusted to interim managers specialized in organization and management. In order to increase profitability, reduce costs or achieve any other optimization objective, the interim manager uses his expertise to carry out an audit and steer an action plan designed to improve the Legal Department's KPIs.
Sample assignment:
A French ETI in the food industry is experiencing a series of major disputes and is looking for an interim manager. The assignment involves redefining the company's legal strategy (contracts and litigation), including training the sales force and overhauling internal procedures. The implementation of new indicators is an integral part of the mission, in order to provide the CODIR with visibility on litigation risks..
Growth management, like crisis management, is one of the areas in which interim management can be used. A surge in sales, the signing of major contracts, etc., leading to production peaks, in the context of a (fortunate) growth crisis, can give rise to organizational imbalances, with bottlenecks forming and slowing down the entire production machine. The legal department is concerned by these issues.
The interim manager - who has acquired his or her skills in large groups and knows how to manage growth - will be indispensable in helping a project to redefine operational, technical, commercial and legal processes, quickly and efficiently, in order to cope with the adjustment of internal resources and procedures and enable the company's growth to take off.
Sample assignment:
A promising start-up is experiencing exceptional growth, which leads it to expand its teams. Faced with the challenge of recruitment (doubling the workforce in one year) and given the particular expansion models of this type of company, a Transition Legal Department, familiar with cases of rapid growth, can establish a sound legal policy adapted to this type of company.
The client company may want to transform itself and adopt fundamental changes to its business.
This may be a change in management structures, technical changes, implementation of a strategic plan, etc.
A common example today is the digitization of business activities, which requires expert profiles capable of both managing teams and managing the challenges and implementation of partial or total digitization of the company's activities.
The interim manager is recruited on a temporary basis to bring all his or her experience and know-how to bear on the company's transformation, quickly and efficiently. The Legal, Tax and Compliance Departments are no exception to this phenomenon.
Sample assignment:
The takeover of an industrial company in the medical sector brought to light the need to transform the company's development projects. The shareholders pointed to major internal dysfunctions (human and organizational), and the need for an interim manager quickly became apparent.
Following an audit, the interim manager is responsible for setting up a team of contract managers to ensure that production and sales meet new customer quality requirements..
Crisis management is the first, typical and historic case of interim management.
When an organization is going through a difficult period, it can use interim management to bring in an external skill for the time needed to turn the situation around.
There are many different types of difficulties: industrial, environmental, IT and financial crises, reputational crises, litigation vital to the company's survival...
In a crisis situation, the interim manager is mandated to intervene as quickly as possible. He or she first carries out a diagnosis, accompanied by a rapid action plan, to remedy the problem with the company's various stakeholders.
In this case, he is often a cross-functional project manager in order to steer resources and often a team. He brings a third party vision and especially his experience of similar or identical cases.
Sample assignment:
The takeover of an industrial company in the medical sector brought to light the need to transform the company's development projects. The shareholders pointed to major internal dysfunctions (human and organizational), and the need for an interim manager quickly became apparent.
Following an audit, the interim manager is responsible for setting up a team of contract managers to ensure that production and sales meet new customer quality requirements..
Written under the supervision of Francis Fernandez-Mouron.
