Corona: A curse or a blessing for Interim Management?

On the occasion of the 13th annual meeting of the Swiss Interim Managers (DSIM), the topic of coronavirus and its impact on our industry was also discussed. According to an unofficial survey, the pandemic has had a major impact on the Interim Managers. The use of Interim Managers, who are deployed by companies as "specialists", has led to a significant slump in sales. On the other hand, Interim Managers, who are primarily deployed as crisis managers, are benefiting. There is now even an increased demand for the expertise of Interim Managers to deal with the current corporate crisis (caused by coronavirus). Crisis managers are therefore still very much in demand to initiate change processes and, above all, to implement them.

As an Interim Manager, you are often given a "leap of faith" when dealing with these crises, as you are seen as independent. You don't have to deal (as much) with legacy issues and/or existing political games in order to initiate change processes. An Interim Manager arrives, completes his task and then leaves. His focus is solely on solving the problem and not on securing his position in the long term. As a result, they can often move into areas that were previously off-limits to permanent managers. It is also difficult for the existing management to credibly argue the newly necessary strategy adjustments, as it was precisely this management that had previously pursued a different strategy. Bringing in a breath of fresh, independent air here makes perfect sense. In addition, an experienced Interim Manager has exactly the soft skills needed for change processes.