What is interim management and when is it worth it compared with hiring?

In many meetings with managing directors, the same situation comes up: someone key has left, or a project is starting that nobody inside can lead, and the calendar doesn't allow for a long recruitment process. The usual reaction is to choose between two bad options: hire in a hurry or split the role among people who are already stretched. Interim management is the third way.

What is interim management?

Interim management means bringing in a senior executive or highly experienced professional for a set period to lead a specific project, a transformation or a period of change. They don't come to observe or write a report: they take on the role, make decisions and are accountable for the outcome.

At Crearte Consulting, this is how we approach it: we identify, select and hire the right professional, and put their experience at your company's service for as long as the project requires. Normally that means a few months and, at most, around two years.

When it makes sense

It isn't a solution for everything. It fits particularly well in these situations:

• An unexpected departure. A finance, operations or sales director leaves the company and the role can't stay empty while the permanent replacement is found.
• A transformation. Digitalisation, reorganisation, a new business model or post-acquisition integration: processes that need someone who has been through them before.
• A project with a beginning and an end. Opening a market, launching a business line or implementing a system. Once it's done, the role no longer makes sense as originally designed.
• A delicate situation. Times of tension when it helps to have someone from outside, with experience and free of the company's habits.

Interim management, consulting or hiring: how they differ

The question we're asked most is what it offers compared with the alternatives. In short:

• Compared with a consultancy: the consultant analyses and recommends; the interim executive delivers from the inside, with authority over the team and accountability for the outcome.
• Compared with a permanent hire: hiring an executive well takes time, and a bad choice is expensive. The interim manager covers the role from day one and gives you room to choose calmly. If a permanent profile is needed afterwards, it can be found through headhunting.
• Compared with sharing it out internally: sometimes it works, but it overloads people who already had a job to do and rarely brings the experience the situation demands.

What profile to look for in an interim executive

A good CV isn't enough. An interim manager needs to meet some specific conditions:

• Experience in similar situations. They should already have led a transformation, closure or launch similar to yours.
• The ability to get up to speed quickly. They don't have months to settle in: they need to understand the organisation and win the team over in a short time.
• A focus on measurable results. Objectives are set at the start and reviewed throughout the period.
• Fit with the leadership team. This is where a well-run competency-based assessment helps most: how they have acted in real situations, how they make decisions and how they relate to others.

How interim management works with Crearte

1. We understand the situation. What's happening, what the executive needs to achieve and for how long.
2. We identify and select the professional using the CREARTE Method: proven experience and competency-based assessment.
3. We hire them ourselves and place them at your company's service for the agreed period.
4. We follow up with senior points of contact throughout the period.
5. We plan the exit. If the role needs to continue, we can search for the permanent hire while the interim manager remains in charge, so the handover is orderly.

Common mistakes when setting it up

• Not setting objectives at the start. An interim manager without a clear brief ends up managing the day-to-day without changing anything.
• Treating it as a stopgap. It works better when senior management backs it and the team knows why they're there.
• Forgetting what comes next. It's worth deciding from the outset whether the role will be filled permanently and when to start the search.

Frequently asked questions

More about the service: interim management at Crearte Consulting.