Strong together: Why interim and traditional management belong together
Review of the MMK by Heuse Interim
"Strong together - resilience through networking and collaboration" was the motto of the Munich Management Colloquium in March. A variety of perspectives were used to shed light on how companies can strengthen their effectiveness and adaptability to external shocks in order to be successful in the future and in the long term. After all, there is no doubt that shock-stricken markets and companies need innovative optimization solutions.
Heuse Interim presented and discussed one of these innovations as part of a workshop at the MMK entitled "Increasing your adaptability with leadership and implementation strength from outside - why interim and classic management belong together". The workshop provided participants with a deep understanding of how interim management can serve as a catalyst for adaptability and growth in times of change and uncertainty.
"Collaboration skills as the new currency of success"
The most important aspect of the workshop picked up on one of the core themes of the MMK: the importance of collaboration. It became very clear at the colloquium that collaboration unites and strengthens. Market players can benefit from this in both run and change phases. Of course, this only works with the appropriate expertise - which in turn is an essential part of the skillset of interim professionals. Collaboration competence forms the link between interim and "classic" management.
Interim managers prove to be highly complementary to existing management. They can do more than just temporarily fill a gap: They work together with permanent managers to overcome organizational challenges together. Both sides are more than the sum of their parts: together they can create something new, a system with new characteristics and increased resilience. Collaboration between traditional and interim management is therefore an effective instrument for leading companies into the future.
Interim as a strategic management decision
Many companies have already recognized these advantages: The use of an interim manager is not an "emergency solution" for them, but a very conscious decision. Especially when it comes to driving forward change processes and breaking new ground, interim management provides the company with great added value. As an additional management resource that focuses exclusively on change and the corresponding measures, it brings professional and methodological expertise to the implementation of change. The special position that an interim manager occupies has a supporting effect here: As an external party, they act neutrally and can therefore address difficulties differently than permanent managers. At the same time, interim managers - in contrast to management consultants, for example - have a strong implementation and operational impact and are perceived by employees as "hands-on". Their high level of acceptance enables them to address unpleasant issues and tackle difficult topics. This requires special communication skills: according to the current study by Heuse Interim this is the most common "soft" qualification required of interim managers.
Solving critical challenges on an ad hoc basis
In addition to the general challenge of managing change and further development in a constantly changing business environment, companies can also find themselves in specific critical situations that can be solved on an ad hoc basis using interim management. This is because the necessary management and project resources are often not available within the company's own organization at the time when critical challenges need to be tackled at high speed. An interim manager, on the other hand, is immediately available and delivers rapid results with their hands-on mentality. Interim managers have already gained a lot of experience with such exceptional situations, which benefits the company. They also have the necessary willingness to take risks that is required in such situations. With this external implementation strength in collaboration with internal management, the company can master the critical challenge and look to the future with renewed strength.
Key role in shaping transformation
According to the current study on the interim management market by Heuse Interim, 96 percent of clients were very satisfied or satisfied with the interim manager's performance in 2023. Expectations were met 94 percent of the time. A decisive factor for this success is that the chemistry between the entrepreneur and manager is right. This is because both sides need to quickly build up a strong relationship of trust. If this relationship of trust exists, genuine collaboration is possible, which can lead the company into the future.
About Ludwig Heuse GmbH interim-management.de (Heuse Interim)
Heuse Interim is the industry pioneer for personal and results-oriented interim management solutions. The team of experts has been working on the perfect matching of interim managers and companies for 30 years. With a portfolio of 7,000 interim managers, the company has already filled projects in over 20 countries worldwide. In addition, Heuse Interim has been publishing the annual industry study on the development of the interim management market in the D-A-CH region since 2001.