It is a given in the business world that there will be occasions when existing management is faced with issues that it cannot resolve internally.

Maybe it is at a time of change within a company.

Maybe it is at time a time of prolonged absenteeism on the part of management. Or maybe certain specific jobs come up that require specific skills sets. The situation may not require a permanent hire, but sometimes simply parachuting a consultant into the company can be counterproductive.

Interim management, on the other hand, involves the leasing of highly qualified, experienced managers for a defined period of time. These interim executives hit the ground running, working with permanent staff to achieve short and longer term objectives, and making a valid contribution from the outset.

"The benefits of interim management include its cost effectiveness, the ability to speedily deploy relevant skills to a project or to plug a resource gap, and a considerable level of flexibility to suit the client's requirements, " says Deirdre O'Shaughnessy, General Manager-Designate at InterIM Executives, the interim management division of MERC Partners. "For example, maternity leave cover for a Human Resource Manager may be sufficiently provided for on a part-time basis, and flexed up as requirements dictate - such as during a major recruitment drive or at performance review time.

Assignments can also be extended as required or terminated at short notice with no extra fuss or extra cost."

Unlike consultants, who are, by their nature, removed from the client company, an interim manager will immediately become a part of the organisation into which they arrive. So, while the consultant can often be met by a certain degree of hostility within and organisation by virtue of their "outsider" status, the interim manager will be part of the team from day one, afforded the same treatment as anyone in management.

Also, given the fact that interim managers will often have worked in different industries or services sectors, they may be in a position to inject a fresh perspective into the management team, or bring new methods to the client firm. And those working around the interim manager tend to be quite receptive to these new ideas because they can view them in purely objective terms.

"Everybody knows that the interim is there only for the duration: to get the job done and move on, " says O'Shaughnessy. "Thus, they appreciate that the interim has no hidden agenda, no personal 'baggage', and no career ambition behind anything they recommend or do . . . if the interim manager introduces a different way of doing things, it can be recognised purely as in the best interests of the client firm."

The inherent flexibility of an IM solution is also reflected in the commercial terms, with the client organisation typically retaining an IM via a service provider (such as InterIM Executives) on a variable cost basis. Thus, the client organisation does not incur any fixed employment costs, with the service provider handling the administrative burden associated with external contracting.

By their very nature, interim management placements are temporary . . . but they can have a long-lasting effect on the client company. Luke Freeley, who recently joined the InterIM Executives management team from a career in IT, is impressed at how the legacy of an interim manager can long outlast the assignment itself.

"Engaging an interim manager can have a positive impact on succession planning by deploying them in a coaching or mentoring capacity, " he says. "The fact that typically an interim manager is exclusively taskfocused and has no interest in developing a career in the client organisation ensures that the IM is not perceived as being a threat to permanent executives. Rather, it is a management-resourcing tool, which complements the recruitment process and assists companies experiencing resourcing gaps at a senior managerial level."