ServicesInterim Management in the Chemicals IndustryFlexibility in Management Resources What is it?To understand Interim Management, we should start by defining what it is not. It is not consultancy. Whereas consultants give advice and guidance, an interim manager is accountable to the client to direct, manage and implement. Why use Interim Managers? There are a variety of reasons why companies call upon the services of IM’s. It could be to work on the integration of a company following acquisition, the preparation of a division for divestment, a business opportunity which the requires additional resources, change management, restructuring or simply cover for maternity leave or long term illness. In all these cases, this can often be carried out more effectively by an external person who is ‘untainted’ by intrinsic politics or ingrained methodologies, who comes into the organization, implements the changes and then hands over to the permanent manager in a manner that does not interfere with normal staff progression. Above all, it is a fast, efficient and highly cost effective method of bringing flexibility to management resources, without the costs normally associated with permanent staff recruitment. Who are they? Normally an interim manager is an experienced senior executive who has decided to pursue IM as a career path and enjoys the challenge of fulfilling specific management needs for short-term, finite assignments, typically lasting anywhere between 3 and 12 months. These managers normally come from multi-organisational backgrounds and cover a broad spectrum of achievements and experiences. For a permanent position they would often be considered overqualified for the role, but they possess the experience, leadership, mentoring and influencing skills to deliver results quickly. Objective and highly results oriented, they can 'hit the ground running'. Some executives who are in a position to review their life/work balance have decided that IM is an attractive opportunity to take a greater control over how they wish to live their lives and HR departments may wish to counsel some of their senior executives in this direction during redundancy situations. How does it work? According to Martin Elliott, Head of Interim Management for Chemical Search International, “It is essential to fully understand the organisation and the situation that has led to the need. From our database of executives, suitable IM’s would be identified with the required skill profile to deliver the results. After discussing the opportunity with them, a shortlist is passed to the client, selection is made and the executive commences the assignment. The whole process from instruction to commencement can be as short as 3-10 days. During the assignment, the IM provider maintains a higher degree of contact with the executive than in normal recruitment situations to ensure effectiveness and satisfaction for both the client and interim manager.” In SummaryIM brings a flexibility to management resources which delivers results. This has been proven time and again to be a valuable resource in staffing solutions and we believe the use of interim managers in the chemical industry will continue to grow, especially in light of extensive industry downsizing over recent years which, inevitably has led to knowledge and experience gaps in often critical areas.
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