How do we know where we will be in five years? Companies and professionals are finding it increasingly difficult to plan for the long term, according to a recent study carried out recently by the Robert Walters firm. Mentioning the “changing” economic context, their work highlights “more difficult recruitment” in Europe. And to remedy this problem? Organizations, seeking flexibility and responsiveness, are increasingly calling on “transition managers”. These are hyperflexible, overqualified professionals who replace a key person and respond to specific business needs.
France is riding this trend. In France, companies mainly called on interim managers to replace a key position last year. These relay management missions increased from 47% in 2022 to 53% in 2023.
“After the fluidity of post-Covid hiring, we have noticed a slowdown in recruitment processes for several months. This slowdown has pushed companies to turn to interim management, to quickly benefit from resources and thus compensate for vacancies. key”, explains Karina Sebti, Managing Director of Robert Walters Management de Transition.
Furthermore, their profile is supported in the newspaper The echoes : 71% of transition managers would be men and three-quarters would be experienced seniors. But why do these professionals decide to embark on interim management? The desire to be independent is in first position, followed by the choice to carry out a professional retraining, and the possibility of accessing more senior or interesting positions.
Among the reasons that come into play, we also find the desire for a better work-life balance. And when asked if they are satisfied, more than half respond positively.
Several advantages for these managers
“Diversity of missions, flexibility and freedom constitute the first advantages highlighted by the interim managers with whom we collaborate on a daily basis. Of course, the financial aspect is important, and on this point we have observed an increase in the remuneration of our managers: this is explained in particular by the shortage of technical profiles, as well as by the instability of the market”, supports Karina Sebti.
It remains to be seen why companies may call on these professionals to help. The study lists a few: organizational restructuring (13%, vs. 16% on average in Europe), or a project requiring managerial support (12%, vs. 14% on average in Europe). “In France, 36% of transition managers have carried out missions related to CSR (corporate social responsibility) subjects during the year 2023, compared to 30% on average for transition managers in Europe,” adds the study. Missions which mainly focus on topics of organizational transformation, corporate culture, and green supply chain and responsible purchasing.
In France, the most affected function is that of “Operations & Supply Chain”. Still according to the study, it is here that the issues around the decarbonization of production, energy audit, or even the reduction of energy loss are increasingly important.
Note that this study is based on interviews carried out with more than 1,700 companies and transition managers in Europe (Germany, Belgium, Spain, France, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Switzerland), from January to November 2023.