Interims are key to business innovation, says recruitment agency

The IMA found that the use of interims has grown by 93 per cent since the pre-recession levels of 2006, with 16,000 senior interims currently working in the UK

New research from the Interim Management Association (IMA), which highlights a massive jump in demand for senior interim managers, has been affirmed by leading recruitment agency Capita Professional Recruitment.

The IMA found that the use of interims has grown by 93 per cent since the pre-recession levels of 2006, with 16,000 senior interims currently working in the UK. Similarly, Capita Professional Recruitment has also noted a substantial increase in top level contract roles in recent years as organisations look to ‘parachute in’ heavyweight experience to drive change and innovation.

In response to the IMA’s findings, Stephen Hoban, director of Capita Professional Recruitment, outlines the top five reasons why interim use is soaring:

1. Access to specialist knowledge – Interims offer ambitious businesses access to specialist skills and experience that would be near-on impossible to secure on a permanent basis.

2. Expertise without permanent headcount costs – Bringing on board interims allows organisations to invest in talent as and when they need it to efficiently manage projects or a temporary increase in workload.

3. No alternative motives – Professional contractors have a keen eye for spotting internal politics. They are consequently able to rise above the noise to put in place processes which benefit organisational outcomes rather than personal agendas.

4. They’re ‘people people’ – Independent contractors are, by their very nature, great communicators who find it easy to slot into an organisation, build rapport, and get the job done.

5. Gain a new perspective – interims are able to offer a fresh point of view, untainted by familiarity and convention. They are able to share best practice across the brands they work with, driving change, innovation, and productivity.

Commenting on interim use, Hoban said: “We have seen interim demand go through the roof in recent years, so it is unsurprising that the IMA predicts that the sector is tipped to become a £2 billion pound market in 2015. While every successful business relies on a strong backbone of permanent professionals for stability and continuity of strategy and vision, organisations which fail to consider flexible staffing solutions when bringing on board senior talent are certainly missing a trick. The use of contractors effectively allows businesses to ‘lease’ expertise that they would be hard pushed to secure on a permanent basis. Furthermore, if harnessed correctly, these skills should be retained within the business long after the interim has moved on.”

 

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