Times are changing: what does the future look like for Interim Managers?

Companies are changing quickly driven by the ongoing pressure of globalisation and digitalisation. The functioning of organisations is therefore severely impacted and that especially holds for the role of the Interim Manager. What does the future look like for the flexible and competent Interim Manager? Will he or she be able to survive all of these developments? Let’s take a closer look by answering 5 key questions.

1. It’s always about profit. How does this affect the interim manager?

When it comes to job cuts that need to make space for more profit, the interim manager is often thought to be one of first to be affected. This can even lead to an increase in medical issues as well as premature fatigue and negative consequences on the labour market. Then again, a competent interim manager is good at his or her job thanks to being independent and the ability to show flexibility. Those who’ve carried out a many varied projects will be able to confront these circumstances and even keep on developing themselves on a professional level.

2. Is IT killing jobs?

IT and automatisation are definitely taking over. Although a lot of jobs are at stake, interim managers specialised in IT will get new opportunities as well. It is therefore very important to constantly retrain and apply digitalisation in order to keep up with the latest technology. By doing this an interim manager can prove he or she is competent to deal with upcoming changes.  

3. How can interim managers benefit from digitalising?

Basically, most of the information above holds for this question as well. By constantly being on the lookout, leading teams by the means of IT,  a qualified interim manager will be able to come up with added value to clients. One important issue is that digitalisation can lead to a large number of tasks becoming redundant. In this case, the interim manager will need to reorganise and make sure his or her team members perform other activities consequently.

4. Can interim managers help each other?

Like in all businesses interim managers can learn from each other. If an organisation makes use of interim management it will need to bring interim managers together to interact and learn from each other. Most often interim managers come from a complete different background and therefore have completely different skills and experiences. Managers who take both their personal and team’s development very serious will need to be highly valued. By bringing different interim managers together a company shows its willingness to contribute to the coherence, mutual understanding and harmony of its separate departments.

5. How to manage globalisation?

The world is getting more and more global and the same holds for companies. Interim managers working in international organisations will get affected by this development. Whether or not an interim manager is able to deal with globalisation depends on whether he or she is able to get the most out of economic efficiency, the team’s well-being, while environmental developments also play an increasingly important role every day.