Companies and their management are increasingly confronted with a world that looks less and less like what they were used to. The key problem in filling positions is finding the right people with the right mix of skills and experience. Of course, this is an age-old issue in recruitment processes, but while until recently it was mostly about hiring people with suitable potential who were gradually trained to handle predictable situations, today’s world increasingly demands skills from specific areas and the ability to solve problems independently, flexibly, and ideally, immediately.
This situation has primarily benefited consulting firms, which built their services on strategic advice to clients through a team of specialists who implemented specific projects externally for companies. However, in many cases, it would be more efficient for a company to have its own internal person responsible for such projects. As logical as it sounds, common practice is that companies do not budget for such a person, as noted by Jody Greenstone Miller, who is credited with identifying the growing trend of independent professionals. She described it as early as 2012 in the article “The Rise of the Supertemp” in the Harvard Business Review.
More and more companies are adopting the so-called “Hollywood” approach to management, which involves assembling teams to accomplish specific tasks and then disbanding them. Thus, companies have emerged in the market that provide their clients with experienced professionals for temporary project tasks, whether for executive or expertise positions.
This development poses a challenge for current managers who are used to utilizing the time and skills of only their internal employees. Modern managers must get used to the fact that they will not always meet their employees in the workplace, as the new generation of employees increasingly demands flexible working hours. The trend indicates that companies will gradually be forced to abandon standard recruitment practices and hire employees for short-term tasks. However, this requires companies to change their work habits. Jody Miller also mentions that the problem with hiring employees for short-term tasks is that this idea gets “stuck” somewhere between the interests of different parts of the business – between procurement, which is interested in saving money, and human resources, which are more concerned with agility, speed, and career development.
Ultimately, it is likely that, as in most cases, the market will prevail. While in the past, Interim Managers were experienced professionals seeking new challenges after leaving the corporate environment, the new generation of Interim Managers today makes this choice independently and voluntarily from the start because they demand greater flexibility in work and a higher level of control over their careers.
In Britain, for example, it is completely common for young doctors to reject the option of traditional employment in a clinic for a fixed income and prefer to work “freelance” with the option to work when and where they want. This advantage of flexible work and independence is also appreciated by other professions, such as lawyers, consultants, financial professionals, business developers, and others, which is why this trend is progressing very quickly. After all, the results of various surveys clearly show that young people are motivated by the ability to perform quality work and the ability to make a real difference. Unfortunately, the ‘regular’ job in a large company, bound by hierarchical administrative bureaucracy, which often takes a lot of time, does not fulfill this.
If you are interested in this topic and would like to learn more about the possibilities of freelance Interim Managers, contact us. We will advise you on whether a short-term project solution is suitable for your situation and help you find an experienced Interim Manager who will be able to respond promptly to the needs of your company.
Source: forbes.com