Why do organisations seeking interim management services prefer to use specialist firms rather than hiring interim managers directly?

According to the “First International Study on Interim Management”, recently carried out by the Instituto Empresarial de Interim Management across 50 countries, the majority of companies that regularly engage interim management services prefer to do so through specialist firms.

Madrid, 22 September 22

More than 30 per cent of business owners (32.65 per cent) consider that the main advantage of engaging interim management services from a specialist firm, rather than directly from interim managers, is the added value and experience provided by the firm supplying the executives. Other advantages, cited by more than 20 per cent (22.45 per cent), include the planning and management of the engagement – setting start and end dates, the cost of the service and the guarantee of immediate replacement of the interim manager. Also significant for clients (20.41%) is the fact that these firms have the best professionals in executive management at an international level.

Below are some of the comments made by interim management practitioners in various countries regarding the advantages of contracting transitional management services through specialist firms, rather than dealing directly with interim managers:

“If you approach an interim manager directly, you have one option; with an interim management firm, you have many more” (Norway).

“The speed with which the interim management firm selects the best talent” (Canada).

“The interim management firm adds value by minimising risk through its selection procedures, both for the interim manager and for the end client” (Germany).

“Interim management firms understand the client’s problem and provide the best option independently” (Germany).

“They have extensive knowledge of the market and of interim managers. This saves the client a great deal of time, as they are spared the task of sifting through a large number of CVs from candidates they do not know. We often select candidates on multiple occasions, so we know them personally and understand where they would fit in best. We know more about them than is reflected in their CVs” (United Kingdom).

“The best firms move the most valuable interim managers from one project to another. As a result, they achieve the best balance in terms of quality, cost, risk and speed of delivery” (Italy).

“The rapid response in presenting professionals with the most suitable profile” (Brazil).

“When hiring through an interim management firm, the professional assigned to a role has the backing of the coordinating team at their service provider” (Spain).

Another finding from the aforementioned study is that, in countries with the longest-standing tradition of using interim management services, the idea of hiring interim managers directly does not even occur to them. This is the case in Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the US and France, amongst others. This is something that EPUNTO Interim Management observes on a daily basis through its international network, GLOBALISE – The Global Interim Management Group, which has a presence across all five continents.

Download the executive summary of the “1st International Study on interim management”