New Report shows Interim are the fuel injection to UK business

A new report by Executives Online demonstrates a huge vote of confidence in the value of the interim manager. Over the past six years the total market for interim management services has grown by 189%, an average 20% a year since 1995 and is now believed to be worth in the region of 550 million per annum. Once seen purely as a means of plugging the gap, until a permanent appointment was made, todayís interim manager has a number of roles to play.

Pressure on businesses to deliver results and to simultaneously operate at ever-increasing efficiencies, has never been greaterî, comments Ron Brender, Chairman, Executives Online. ìHeadcount reductions, hiring freezes, outsourcing and re-organisations are everyday occurrencesî, he adds.

A growing number of UK companies are embracing interim management in several different ways. It is estimated that there are around 10,000 active interims at any one time. Interims are being used to strengthen management teams on a short-term basis, act as agents for change and to manage vital projects.

The interim manager is increasingly taking on the role, once the preserve of the big consulting firms. A typical interim manager has worked at a senior level and is a results-orientated individual, so is easily able to fulfil these types of requirements. From those surveyed from the client sector, 43% agreed that interim managers were a viable alternative to management consultants.

The report demonstrates that attitudes towards interim management have become far more positive over the last ten years. This shift has been helped by the rise in professional standards within the business and by developing what industry needs and wants from an interim manager.

ìHowever, there are still many companies out there for which interim management represents an as-yet-untapped resource,î comments Ron Brender ìIn the current climate, there are organisations who are over stretching their internal resources and putting their management teams under a huge amount of pressure. This is especially the case when it comes to high turnover positions. There is absolutely no reason for businesses to suffer in this way when there is a pool of highly motivated, talented individuals, who can be used to turn up the gas whenever it is needed,î he adds.

Online research was conducted among 170 interim managers and 200 customers and prospective customer of Executives Online recruitment services between May and October 2006. The full report can be downloaded as a PDF copy by visiting www.executivesonline.co.uk