Interim Management Trends Report Netherlands

Research and Analysis on the Netherlands Market for InterimManagement and Other Fast-Track Executive Resourcing

Netherlands Survey Report

Interim ManagementTrend Update

Contents

1 Introduction

2 Research Objectives and Methodology

3 Current Trends

5 Interim Manager Profile

9 Interim Management Billing Rates

10 Sourcing Interim Management Assignments

12 Drivers of Interim Management Engagement

13 Most Important Qualities in an Interim Manager

14 Interim Managers in the Private Equity Realm

16 Women in Interim Management

24 Conclusion

1

Executives Online offers a unique, fast-track approach to executive resourcing and has been a pioneerin the field of interim management practice and recruitment. With a nine-year history of matchingcompanies and executive talent, we have been both trendsetters and keen observers of the growth inthis area. By interim management we mean the strengthening of a company’s management team bythe addition – on a fixed-term contract – of one or more highly experienced senior executives.

The pressure on companies today to deliver results quickly and at reduced cost has only increasedamidst the challenges of the global economy. Recent economic conditions have brought aboutheadcount reductions, hiring freezes, outsourcing, and reorganisations that simply exacerbate existingpressures. Optimal resourcing is always a corporate priority, but perhaps never more so than today.

In our business, we have seen the number of interim managers registered with us grow from a fewthousand in the UK in 2000 to over 80,000 globally today. We observe significant differences in therecognition and adoption of interim management by country, and even by region within each country.The Netherlands has long been regarded as the “cradle of interim management”, where it emerged in the1970s as a more flexible way of engaging management professionals. Belgium is an equally mature marketfor interim management, as is the UK. In Southern European territories and Asia Pacific, the concept is atan earlier stage of development that shows much promise. Variations in terminology, contract structure andlocal employment law make global interim management a diverse and compelling field for study.

We’ve seen tremendous growth in this area of our business, and we expect that to continue as thevalue of interim management continues to be recognised by more companies and incorporated aspart of their resourcing strategies.

Reliable information about growth and trends in the field of interim management has not always beenreadily available. Back in 2000, Executives Online worked in conjunction with the Institute ofManagement Consultancy to commission a study with Sambrook Research International on the interimmanagement market in the United Kingdom. The Sambrook Report on UK Interim Management waspublished in 2000. In 2004 and 2006 respectively, Executives Online published In the Interim and thefirst edition of The Interim Report. In 2007 we updated The Interim Report with new information. In 2009Executives Online now publishes multiple regional and international editions of this report, drawing ona global market research exercise involving thousands of senior executives: 262 of these were in theNetherlands, 57 in Belgium, and a comparably lower number in Luxembourg. We intend to use thesenew reports as benchmarks against which future research can be compared.

We are excited to share this new information with you, and hope that it will address questions you mighthave regardless of your perspective: as an interim manager yourself, as a company that has foundgreat value in interim management, or as a prospective client company that may not realise howvaluable interim management could be as part of your resourcing strategy.

Edwin GlasManaging Director, Executives Online

Introduction

Research Objectives and Methodology

2

Objectives

Our research aimed to answer a variety of questions aboutinterim management:

• What is the typical profile of an interim manager in termsof gender, age, background, experience, and how theysource assignments?

• What business sectors are more likely to use interimmanagers?

• How has the global recession affected the utilisationand pay rates of interim managers?

• What qualities are most important in an interimmanager, both from the perspective of interim managersthemselves and also from a client perspective?

• What needs drive companies to seek interimmanagement solutions?

• What is the role of interim management in the privateequity arena?

• What trends are impacting the role of women in interimmanagement?

Defining Interim Management

For the purposes of this report we define interim managementas being: The provision of a mature, professional manager,well qualified by relevant practical experience, either to fill agap in permanent staffing or to deliver a specific businessresult within a limited time period.

Survey Methodology and Timings

Our survey was conducted online in September 2009, viaan online questionnaire to 262 Netherlands-based interimmanagers and the clients who employ them.

The global economic recession thatbegan over a year prior does seem tobe impacting utilisation rates amonginterim managers.

Employment Status

At the time of our survey, just over a fifth of respondentswere working in full-time assignments and another 9%were working full-time via a combination of part-timeassignments. Another quarter was engaged part-time.Almost half were not on assignment.

The Netherlands figures mirror the utilisation rates we arecurrently seeing elsewhere in our business in more maturemarkets for interim management. For full-time assignments,the Netherland trails other markets slightly, with Italy seeing31% in full-time assignments, France 28% and the UnitedKingdom 27%. On balance, the Netherlands is seeing asomewhat higher number of part-time engagements (34%in total) vs. France at 20%, and Ireland and the UnitedKingdom at 25% each. Forty-five percent of theNetherlands survey respondents were currently “not onassignment,” which compares favourably to Ireland at55%, France at 52%, and the United Kingdom at 48%.

The global economic recession that began over a yearprior does seem to be impacting utilisation rates amonginterim managers. Compared to their counterparts in otherparts of Europe, Netherlands interim managers are feelingthemselves relatively less busy. Almost sixty percent ofsurvey respondents indicated that they were less busy thanthey’d been a year ago, compared to just 50% in Irelandand the United Kingdom, 47% in France, and 44% in Italy.A quarter said that they were “about as busy as a yearago”, which was less than the comparable figure for othercountries: Ireland at 36%, Italy at 35%, the United Kingdomat 32%, and France at 31%. Finally, a smaller percentageof Netherlands respondents indicated that they were “morebusy than a year ago”: 16% compared to 22% in France,21% in Italy, and 18% in the United Kingdom. Netherlandsrespondents who indicated that they were “more busy”than a year ago tended to be working in business services,government/public sector/not-for-profit, and healthcare.

3

Current Trends

Not on assignment – 45%Full-time assignment – 21%Part-time assignment – 25%Full-time, on combination of part-time assignments – 9%

45%

21%

25%

9%

Current Status

Less busy than a year ago – 59%More busy than a year ago – 16%About as busy as a year ago – 25%

59%

16%

In terms of demand for your services, are youfinding yourself:

25%

4

Length of Assignment

Interim management assignments can run the gamut fromshort-term projects to longer-term initiatives. As the surveyresults show, there is a spread, with nearly a quarter of projectsextending longer than a year. The same pattern is observedelsewhere in Europe, with more assignments being either short(under 6 months) or long (over 12 months).

20%22%

20%

17%

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

5

00 – 3 months 3 – 6 months 6 – 9 months 9 – 12 months

Length of Last Assignment?

Num

ber o

f Res

pons

es

22%

12 months +

Interim Manager Profile

Age

Gender

The interim management field draws a disproportionatenumber of men, with fully 91% of our survey respondents beingmale. The proportion of women is quite a bit lower in theNetherlands than in other countries, including the UnitedKingdom and Italy where 18% and 12% of interim managersresponding to the survey were female.

Age

Interim managers tend to be seasoned executives, with just undera quarter of respondents aged 50 or more, and an average ageof 48. Over half of respondents fell into the 40-49 age range,and just 21% were under the age of 40. Netherlands interimmanagers by and large are younger than their counterpartselsewhere in Europe. In the UK, for example, 47% of interimsare aged 50-59, 31% are aged 40-49, and only 7% aged 30-39.

Female9% 30–39

20%

Male 91%

60–6911%

50–5913%

40–4955%

20–29 1%

Gender

5

Years of Experience

Interim managers bring years of experienceto their assignments; the averagerespondent had nearly six years ofexperience as an interim manager, and thisfigure does not include additional years ofexperience as an employed executive.Almost half of survey respondents hadmore than five years of experience asinterim managers. Reflecting the growthtrend in the field of interim management,however, another third of respondents have1-2 years of experience, having brokeninto the field relatively recently.

Years No. of Experience Respondents

20+ 1015–19 810-14 165-9 383-4 261-2 46Less than 1 12

24%

17%

30%

8%

Years Experience

10%

5%6%

Average age: 48 yrs

6

Days Billed Over LastYear

There is a slight correlationbetween years of experience asan interim manager and thenumber of days billed over thepast year. Interim managers withmore than 15 years’ experiencetended to bill more hours onaverage. Other Europeancountries also show new interimmanagers to be less successfulat keeping themselves well-utilised.

146

179

127

152

200

180

160

140

120

100

80

60

40

20

020+years

15–19years

10–14years

5–9 years

Time as Interim Manager vs. Days Billed

Day

s bi

lled

over

pas

t 12

mon

ths

156

3–4 years

154

1–2 years

31

Less than1 year

Years as Interim Manager

Company Size

Interim managers work incompanies of varying sizes; theneed for interim services seemsfairly consistent across theboard.

6%

Company Size

9%

More than 5,000 employees – 16%

2,500 to 5,000 employees – 9%

250 to 2,500 employees – 30%

50 to 250 employees – 20%

Fewer than 50 employees – 6%

I have worked in equal measure for companies of all sizes – 19%

20%30%

19% 16%

7

Opportunity by Sector

Healthcare

Govt/Public Sector/Not-for-profit

Education

Business Services

Consumer Goods/Retail

Financial Services

Pharmaceutical/Sciences

Manufacturing/Engineering

Technology/IT/Telecom

Oil/Gas/Petroleum/Chemical

Automotive

Transport

Media/Entertainment/Advertising

Property/Construction

Agricultural

Leisure/Travel/Hospitality

0% 100%

Opportunity by Sector

Interim management opportunities do vary across sectors,with the most opportunity growth currently in the areas ofhealthcare, government/public sector/not-for-profit,education, business services, and consumer goods/retail.

20% 40% 60% 80%

Less opportunity now Same as before More opportunity now N/A

Further reflecting the recession’s impact,almost 60% of survey respondentsindicated that they were less busy thanthey’d been a year ago.

8

Current Economic Crisis

The current economic crisis does seem to have had influence indriving some to enter the field of interim management. For onethird of survey respondents, it was a factor, with somerespondents noting that “more opportunities were availablethrough interim assignments.” Other respondents bemoaned thelack of hiring, noting that it was “extremely difficult” to landcontracts in the current economic environment. “It was my onlyoption after I lost my job,” wrote one respondent.

For others, however, the decision to be in interim managementwas only “coincident” with the economic crisis; they called it a“long-term,” “well thought-out,” and “personal” choice.Respondents cited a variety of reasons for choosing interimmanagement: “the flexibility,” “being on my own,” “gainingexperience in a variety of different organisations,” and “diversityand challenge.”

Yes33%

No67%

Has the current economic crisis been a factor inyour beginning to work as an interim manager?

Desire for Permanent Employment

Mirroring trends we see elsewhere in the world, almost one-quarter of interim managers are committed to the field ofinterim management and would choose to continue in thatrealm. The remainder said they could be interested inpermanent employment if the right opportunity presented itself.

Male 91%

22%

78%

Would you apply for a permanentjob given the opportunity?

No, I am 100% committed to interimmanagement – 22%

Yes, I could be interested if it was theright opportunity – 78%

The current economic crisis does seem tohave had influence in driving some toenter the field of interim management.

Interim Management Billing Rates

Changes in Billing Rate

Fully 65% of survey respondents indicated that their billingrates have remained largely the same compared to last year,on a par with the United Kingdom at 64%, but higher thanIreland at 55%, Italy at 50%, and France at just 27%. However,just 8% of Netherland respondents said that they were billing ata higher rate, compared with 20% of respondents in France,14% in the United Kingdom and 11% in Italy. On balance,however, only 27% of Netherlands respondents were facinglower billing rates, compared with 38% in Ireland, 39% in Italy,and 53% in France.

More – 8%About the same – 65%Less – 27%

65%

8%

Change in Daily Rate?

27%

Billing Rate Differential by Gender

There was some billing rate differential by gender (amongthose who indicated gender), with men earning an average of7% more than women. This compares very favourably with thepay gap for permanent employment. According to EuropeanCommission figures published earlier this year, the gender paygap stands at 23.6% in the Netherlands and at 17.4% Europe-wide. In the United Kingdom, a market where Executives Onlinehas extensive experience in interim management and where itis well-established as a way of securing executive talent,interim day rates for men and women are only 4% apart,compared to an permanent employment gender pay gap of21.1%. This relative gender pay equity, combined with theflexibility and control over working life that interim managementoffers, seem to indicate that the field may be a more attractiveoption for women than permanent employment.

Billing rates for the Netherlands compare very favorably tothose in other countries. The rate of €927 for men is higherthan that in Italy (€616), Ireland (€739), and France (€902), andthe women’s rate of €867 is similarly higher than Italy (€759),Ireland (€704), and France (€858).

€927€867

1000

900

800

700

600

500

400

300

200

100

0Men Women

Women vs. Men

Ave

rage

Dai

ly B

illin

g R

ate

(€)

9

10

Sourcing Interim Management Assignments

Almost three quarters of the interim managers surveyed hadsourced their most recent project on their own, with just over aquarter having made use of interim or recruitment agencies.This agency share is similar to what we observe elsewhere inEurope, where two thirds to three quarters of assignments arefound directly.

Role of Agencies

There is variance across the spectrum of interim managers, butthe majority source a good percentage of their own projects,with over half sourcing all of their own projects.

Via an interim or recruitment agency – 27%

Generated the opportunity myself – 73%

27%

Source of Last Assignment

73%

How Interim Managers Source Their Work

Number of Responses

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

8%

2%

4%

3%

1%

11%

1%

6%

6%

5%

53%

100% via agencies

90% via agencies /10% self-generated









100% self-generated

Agency Share

Agencies had a role in sourcing one quarter of allassignments among survey respondents. Interim managersfind work via two main channels: their own businessdevelopment and networking, and recruitment agencies. Weasked our registered interim executives what proportion oftheir work came to them via recruitment or interimmanagement agencies, and what proportion they generatedthemselves. Their answers show that agencies had a role insourcing one quarter of all assignments among surveyrespondents.

Agency – 25%Self-Generated – 75%

25%

Agency Share

75%

11

This agency share is similar to whatwe observe elsewhere in Europe,where two thirds to three quarters ofassignments are found directly.

12

Drivers of Interim Management Engagement

A range of organisational gaps or imperatives can drive theneed for an interim manager within a company. When interimmanagers were asked to specify the “primary driver” for theirclient’s hiring them for their most recent assignment, the two

most common reasons were: “they needed skills not present inthe existing management team” (29%) and “they needed totransform their organisation” (28%).

They simply needed extra management capacity for afixed-term project – 6%

Strengthening a project team – 3%

They needed skills not present in the existing managementteam, for a fixed-term project – 29%

They needed to transform their organisation (changemanagement) – 28%

They were recruiting for a permanent employee butcouldn’t find the right person fast enough – 12%

They had a sudden gap in their management team(illness, severance etc) – 8%

Business turnaround – 7%

Implementing a major initiative – 7%

28%

12%

7% 6%

Main Reason for Engagement: Interim Manager Perspective

29%

8%

7%

3%

Asked about “all factors involved” in driving their last interimmanagement engagement, responses were consistent with the“primary driver” answers, but additional reasons included:“implementing a major initiative” and “business turnaround.”

Respondents also mentioned additional drivers such as “theneed for external business analysis,” “the launching of a new,additional business service,” and “circumventing internalpolitics.”

9388

5547

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0They needed

skills not presentin the existingmanagement

team, for a fixed-term project

They needed totransform theirorganisation

(changemanagement)

Implementinga major initiative

Businessturnaround

All Reasons for Engagement: Interim Manager Perspective

Num

ber o

f Men

tions

33

Strengtheninga project team

27

They simplyneeded extramanagementcapacity for a

fixed-term project

25

They wererecruiting for a

permanentemployee but

couldn’t find theright person fast

enough

22

They had asudden gap in

theirmanagementteam (illness,

severance etc)

Most Important Qualities in an Interim Manager

Interestingly, when asked to rank the most important qualities inan interim manager, survey respondents favoured aspects of“effectiveness” and people skills more highly than specific skillsor experience in the job or function. The most importantqualities highlighted were:

• Ability to work strategically but also implement (40%)• Results-focused (39%)• Wide range of experience (33%)• Ability to quickly get people on side (31%)• Independence (30%)

Interim Manager Perspective

Ability to work strategically but also to implement

Results-focused

Wide range of experience

Ability to quickly get people on side

Independence

Ability to mentor

Not side-tracked by company politics

Specific skills/experience for specific job

Willingness to speak mind when required

Resilience

Number of Mentions

0 25 50 75 100 125

40%

39%

33%

31%

30%

24%

21%

20%

18%

9%

Other respondents enhanced the list of “people skills” byadding: being “good in politics,” “inspiring people byrecognising their personal skills,” and “coaching on all levels.”Another respondent noted the “willingness and ability to speakone’s mind.” The starting point of a project was also seen ascritical, and one individual called out the “ability to quicklyunderstand the business, people, policies and crucialprocesses.”

It is clear that each interim manager is unique and bringsdistinct qualities to each engagement. One interim managerarticulated his “quick hit” list for success in the field: “(1) Get in… analyse the environment; (2) Do your thing … result-focused,independent, resourcefulness based on skills/experience; (3)Get out … so don’t get too close, either personally or socially.”

13

14

Interim Management in the Private Equity Realm

Interim managers have been leveragedsomewhat within the private equity realm,where short-term projects and the need forspecialised skills arise. More than a quarterof respondents reported having worked witha private equity-backed business, either atthe request of the business itself or at therequest of the private equity firm.

While usage of interim managers in thisarena is just ramping up, almost half ofrespondents indicated that they could seeprivate equity firms making greater use ofinterim managers to restructure orotherwise improve the quality of thecompanies in which they have invested.

Yes, at the request of thebusiness – 19%

Yes, at the request of theprivate equity firm – 12%

No – 69%

69%

As an interim manager, have you ever worked witha private equity-backed business?

19%

12%

Yes – 45%

No – 55%55%

Do you see private equity firms making more use of interim managersto restructure or otherwise improve the value of the companies theyhave invested in?

45%

14

15

Projects that interim managers have undertaken

in conjunction with private equity firms were many

and varied:

• VP Engineering and Software Development for a messagingsecurity company backed by a US-based $1.5 billion venturefund.

• Turnaround Operations Director for a US-based corrugatedpackaging manufacturer backed by a global holding companymaking investments in the paper sector.

• MD for an online sporting and memorabilia firm backed byBridges Community Ventures, the UK’s first communitydevelopment venture capital company.

• Interim FD for a Shetland-based organic cod farming businessbacked by European Acquisition Capital Ltd. (EAC), a €400million private equity fund.

• Three placements into a specialist consultancy working with aprivate equity group to dramatically improve the profitability of itsportfolio companies. Roles included an Interim IT Director in theNetherlands, an Interim MD of Japan, and an Interim Head ofSpain/Portugal to effect turnaround of the respective operations.

• MD Mentor to the young CEO of a sporting equipment companybacked by a private investor concentrating in the retail andbranded consumer goods sectors.

• Managing Director for a local-area venture capital fund.

• Interim Operations Director at a gaming/entertainment start-up,and an Interim FD for a restaurant/hospitality venture, bothbacked by the same independent private equity firm acting aslead equity investor in the arrangement and financing of MBIsand MBOs.

• Five roles for yet another private equity/acquisitions company,including a General Manager for a manufacturing business, aBusiness Development Director for an IT business, a CEO and aDivisional Business Development Director for an IT start-up, aGroup Purchasing Director and a Group Sales Director.

• An investing MD for Europe's leading exponent of the business ofturnaround, who recently set up their UK operation. The model isto take a majority holding in medium-sized companies (typically£50m to £100m turnover) in transitional situations.

16

Women in Interim Management

Women have generally not been well represented in the field ofinterim management, with just 9% of our survey respondentsbeing female. This compares unfavourably with the proportionof women in permanent roles in FTSE100 companies, where11.7% of board roles are held by women. It may be thatproactive policies to attract and hire women into senior roles,and particularly advisory non-executive directorships, areproving effective. By contrast, interim managementassignments tend to be sourced through informal relationshipsand via small agencies, where corporate policy may not reach.We asked a series of questions in this area to help understandwhy there were not more females in the field.

No51%

Does your current (or if you are not employed,your last) employer have a diversity policy?

Yes49%

Yes

No

My last or current employer did not have a diversity policy

38%

If yes, has it been effective in producing more diversity among the senior management?

30%

32%

31%

25%

44%

Male Respondents Female Respondents

Diversity Policy

According to our survey respondents, about half of employersseem to have a diversity policy in place. Opinions were dividedas to how effective such policies were, with men being morelikely than women to think that such policies had a positive

impact on diversity. Thus, just half of companies have adiversity policy in place, and even when they do, 44% of thewomen don’t believe it is effective.

Pay Equity

Two thirds of survey respondents felt that there was relative payequity, with executives in similar roles earning the same paywhether male or female. About a third, however, said that menearned more than women in similar roles. Some respondentsnoted that men tended to “be more aggressive” and to“negotiate their pay better.” Others noted that the problem wasnot “pay disparity” but “opportunity disparity.”

It should also be noted (see “Billing Rate Differential byGender” on page 9) that the pay gap for women interimmanagers is relatively small compared to that for permanentemployment, making interim management a very attractiveoption for women, especially when lifestyle balance andflexibility considerations are factored in as well.

Men earned more than women in similar roles – 31%Women earned more than men in similar roles – 1%People in similar roles earned the same whether maleor female – 66%

1%

31%

To your knowledge, has there been equity in payamong the women and men in senior managementpositions in your current or last employer?

66%

Glass Ceiling

When asked about the existence of a “glass ceiling,” womenwere almost twice as likely as men to feel that it still existed.Numerous respondents noted the “old boy network” as a reasonfor the ceiling; others cited “history” and “tradition” which “mustbe broken.” One respondent remarked that: “People tend tochoose people like themselves, because then they understandeach other. Men and women are different in behaviour.” There aremostly men at the top, so men prefer to choose men.

Some respondents argued that women themselves had a rolein sustaining the glass ceiling by “cherishing it themselves.”Others argued that “70% of it [the glass ceiling] was in theirown mind.” “Most of the time, we create our own ceiling.” “Ifyou believe it is there, it will be there as well.” A more positiveview was that while the ceiling was there, it was “graduallychanging.”

No58%

Do you believe there is still a “glass ceiling” that keeps women fromachieving the same levels of success in their corporate career as men?

Yes42%

No30%

Yes70%


17

18

Women in the Workplace

Female representation in the workplace varied broadly.Across all levels of an organisation, women were relativelywell-represented.

When focusing just on senior management, however, theproportion of women dropped significantly.

13% 13%

19% 18%

45

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

5

0Less than

10%

10 – 20% 21 – 30% 31 – 40% 41 – 50% 51 – 60% 61 – 70% 71 – 80% 81 – 90% 91 – 100%

What proportion of employees (at all levels) at your last or current employer is female?

Num

ber o

f Men

tions

17%

9%

5%6%

0% <1%

Proportion of All Employees Female

43%

18% 18%

10%

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0Less than

10%

10 – 20% 21 – 30% 31 – 40% 41 – 50% 51 – 60% 61 – 70% 71 – 80% 81 – 90% 91 – 100%

What proportion of the senior management team at your last or current employer is female?

Num

ber o

f Men

tions

6%4% 0%

Proportion of Senior Team Female

<1% <1% <1%

When looking at the board of directors, the drop in theproportion of women was even more drastic.

70%

12% 8% 3%

180

160

140

120

100

80

60

40

20

0Less than

10%

10 – 20% 21 – 30% 31 – 40% 41 – 50% 51 – 60% 61 – 70% 71 – 80% 81 – 90% 91 – 100%

What proportion of the board of directors at your last or current employer is female?

Num

ber o

f Men

tions

3% 3% 0% 1% <1%<1%

Proportion of Board of Directors Female

19

20

Interim Management as a Field for Women

A slight majority of both men and women believed that(permanent) employment offered women better opportunitiesfor career progression. However, a significant number – 42% ofmen and 47% of women – felt that interim management offeredthe better alternative. Respondents in favor of the interimmanagement field as the better opportunity for women arguedthat interim management “allows one to combine professionalcareer and private life” and that it “offers better life balance” aswell as allowing you to “be in control of a project in terms oftype, size, duration, complexity, etc.”

Those in favour of employment as the better alternative pointedout that “permanent employment gives women the opportunityto network internally” and that because “women have to prove

In general, do you think that employment, or an independent career such asinterim management, offers women the best opportunities for career progression?


InterimManagement

42%

Employment58%

InterimManagement

47%

Employment53%

themselves (more than men do), they can do that easier withinan organisation” and will have “more chances to be promoted.”Another respondent commented that “job hopping suits aninterim manager but is not part of the female psyche.”

Some concerns raised were around more subtle issues:Women of child-bearing age may still cause concern topotential employers but this cannot be stated or questioned.Equal opportunities and equality legislation has ruined thechance of many women being employed, unless they canassure employers they are safe to recruit. And finally, onerespondent wrote: “Interim management is about perceptionand established experience rather than ability to excel. Manywomen do not get the chance to meet the informal criteria.”

“Interim management is aboutperception and established experiencerather than ability to excel. Manywomen do not get the chance to meetthe informal criteria.”

21

What attributes might help women be good interim managers? (Tick as many as apply)

Good communication skills

Sensitivity to the nuances of different corporate cultures

Ability to build good relationships

Good networking skills

Determination

Being very organised

Persuasiveness

Ability to quickly fit in

Resourcefulness

Ruthlessness

Number of Mentions

0 25 50 75 100 125 150

71%

51%

47%

44%

44%

40%

35%

33%

25%

9%

Attributes for a Female Interim Manager

When asked what attributes would help women be successfulin the field of interim management, there was strong agreementamong both men and women that top skills included: good communication skills; sensitivity to the nuances of different corporate environments; and the ability to build goodrelationships. Neither men nor women felt that “ruthlessless”was necessary for success.

A number of respondents were adamant that gender was

irrelevant for success in interim management; that “man andwoman are equal in this domain.”

Does it matter whether someone is male or female? This kind ofquestion creates a prejudice of its own. Women do not needany additional skills to men to be successful in any field. Beingan interim manager is not a gender issue – a good womaninterim manager will be as good – if not better – than a manwhen working within an organisation.

Male Respondents

What attributes might help women be good interim managers? (Tick as many as apply)

Good communication skills

Sensitivity to the nuances of different corporate cultures

Ability to build good relationships

Good networking skills

Being very organised

Ability to quickly fit in

Determination

Resourcefulness

Persuasiveness

Ruthlessness

Number of Mentions

0 5 10 15 20

75%

65%

60%

55%

45%

45%

45%

35%

25%

0%

Female Respondents

22

Rationale for Fewer Female Interim Managers

Numerous reasons were cited as to why more women were notmore active in the field of interim management. Both male andfemale respondents believed it was due to the “uncertainty ofan interim career”; the “lack of flexibility in family life” and thatwomen “don’t value themselves highly enough.”

Other reasons cited were that “women are perceived as lesscompetent for interim management than men” and that“potential clients prefer men.” More personal reasons included:“the need for stability”, personal choice”, and that an interimmanager had to be “fully available when required which wasnot always compatible with the life of a young woman.”

Why do you think there are so few women in interim management?

Don’t value themselves highly enough

Don’t like the uncertainty of an interim career

Lack the flexibility in their family lives

Prefer being a permanent part of an organisation

Lack of confidence

Not so prepared to compromise on quality of life

Not good networkers

Lack of awareness of it as an option

Women don’t get enough executive experience

Not tough enough

Not competitive enough

Number of Mentions

0 4 8 12

50%

50%

45%

35%

30%

20%

20%

20%

20%

15%

15%

Female Respondents

Why do you think there are so few women in interim management?

Don’t like the uncertainty of an interim career

Lack the flexibility in their family lives

Don’t value themselves highly enough

Prefer being a permanent part of an organisation

Women don’t get enough executive experience

Lack of confidence

Lack of awareness of it as an option

Not so prepared to compromise on quality of life

Not competitive enough

Not tough enough

Not good networkers

Number of Mentions

0 20 40 60 80

39%

32%

30%

28%

25%

23%

20%

12%

8%

7%

Male Respondents

2%

Opportunity Amidst the Economic Crisis

When asked about the current economic crisis, forty percent ofrespondents believed that it offered opportunities of particularvalue to female managers and executives. Most felt that thecrisis was “gender neutral,” however, and offered the samelessons and opportunities for all.

No60%

In your view, does the current economic crisisoffer opportunities that are of particular value tofemale managers and executives?

Yes40%

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Interim managers have become morediverse, with more women, and with awider distribution of ages and lengthsof experience.

We are grateful to the 262 senior executives in the Netherlands who participated in our online surveySeptember 2009. With more than 50 multiple-choice and ranking questions, and the opportunity toprovide detailed comments (which many did), this was no small ask.

In the figures published in this report, we see clearly the impact of the global economic crisis. A majorityof interim managers today (almost 60%) report being generally less busy than a year ago. A trend wehave seen in our UK business between our 2004 and 2007 regarding openness to permanent employmenthas continued to show more interim managers who, for the right role, would return to permanentemployment. In the UK, 33% of interim managers in 2004, 57% of interim managers in 2007 and now 70%of interim managers in 2009 would accept the right permanent role. In the Netherlands, in our first yearcollecting data, the figure is 78%. Looking at it another way, only 22% of interim managers considerthemselves exclusively and permanently so. Much of this desire for permanence and stability is no doubtdue to the current climate; however, as the trend was evident two years ago, before the crisis hit, webelieve that senior executives are generally viewing their careers in a more fluid and flexible way, movingfrom contract to permanent work easily and willingly. It may also be that our sample contains many interimmanagers “pressed into” interim management involuntarily, via being laid off from their employed role.

Daily rates have held up, with 65% of Netherlands interim managers surveyed saying their daily rate was“about the same” as last year.

As regards women in senior executive roles and specifically women in interim management, the dataturned up some very interesting conclusions. Women were more likely (70% of women versus 42% ofmen) to perceive a “glass ceiling” preventing women’s career advancement, and in fact the distribution ofwomen in all roles versus senior management and board-level roles bears this out. Women weresomewhat more likely than men to perceive that interim management offered women more opportunities.

The reasons clients engage interim managers in the Netherlands are very similar to what we haveobserved elsewhere in the world: Business transformation, change management, turnaround, needingskills not present in the organisation, and needing extra management capacity. The positive qualities ofinterim managers are also perceived similarly across country boundaries, and include interim managers’results focus, appropriate skills, ability to quickly get staff on side, independence, wide range ofexperience, and ability to think strategically yet also implement.

We hope you have enjoyed reading Interim Management Trend Update. If your company or organisationneeds skills, management bandwidth, or to implement a turnaround, major project or corporaterestructure, call me today on ++3311 ((00))2200 330011 22115599 us to discuss how an interim executive fromExecutives Online can help.

Conclusion

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We offer a unique, full-service process which is a balanced blendof technology and personal service.

Executives Online delivers fast-track executive resourcing – interim management, projectmanagement, and permanent executive recruitment – leveraging our 80,000-strong TalentBank of senior executives. We source talent globally, via the Talent Bank which is built anddrawn upon by each of our growing network of offices around the world.

We offer a unique, full-service process which is a balanced blend of technology andpersonal service. Our approach attracts both the best candidates and the mostchallenging opportunities, and enables us to rapidly and effectively match them togetherin successful placements.

About Executives Online

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