Expert warns of manager shortage: a dying breed?
"The shortage of skilled workers does not stop at the management level," says management expert Dr. Harald Schönfeld. He predicts that good managers will soon be as hard to find as tradesmen or nursing staff. He cites the demographic factor and a new understanding of work-life balance as the main reasons for this development, which does not stop at the upper echelons of management.
Dr. Harald Schönfeld, Managing Director of the personnel consultancy Butterflymanager, which specializes in the placement of interim managers, explains: "The low birth rate is leading to a smaller pool of young people who are eligible for management positions. The so-called 'war for talent' will therefore inevitably intensify. Companies will have to get used to the fact that they will no longer be able to permanently fill every management position with a qualified manager." The management expert knows from experience that important management positions are already often filled for months with interim managers to bridge vacancies, especially in medium-sized companies.
In addition, the next generation of managers has a more self-confident understanding of their profession, says Dr. Harald Schönfeld. He explains: "The traditional career drivers of power and money are becoming less and less appealing to young people. The new generation is striving for much more self-realization and meaningfulness in their professional lives. They naturally demand a better work-life balance than the previous management cadre."
Interim managers as a way out of the management crisis
Butterflymanager has already prepared itself for an increasing demand for interim managers as a way out of the "manager crisis", says Dr. Harald Schönfeld. He is also Managing Director of the interim manager community United Interim. According to him, the demand for interim managers has been increasing for over a year.
Dr. Harald Schönfeld looks to the future: "Interim management is still considered a niche market with around 15,000 specialist managers in German-speaking countries, but it will become increasingly widespread in the future." He bases his forecast not only on the shortage of managers but also on changes on the corporate side. In numerous discussions with board members, managing directors and supervisory board members, he has noticed that a rethink is taking place at the top of companies. It is becoming increasingly clear that sprawling management hierarchies often lead to internal trench warfare, bureaucracy, navel-gazing, operational blindness and inertia, which are detrimental to the company. Interim managers are brought into the company for specific tasks. They offer valuable management resources that go far beyond bridging vacancies and act independently of internal structures."
The management expert cites the introduction of artificial intelligence in companies as a current example. "Middle managers are often far too afraid of losing their own jobs to make a serious effort to introduce AI on a large scale," says Dr. Harald Schönfeld, who has worked on several projects. "The aim of reducing bureaucracy, not only in public administration but also in companies, is often linked to the large-scale introduction of AI in order to streamline management hierarchies." Dr. Harald Schönfeld is convinced that, although the managers who have been made redundant are generally no longer able to find a suitable permanent position or are no longer even looking for one, they can "in many cases have a very good effect" as interim managers detached from a company-specific corset. He has often found that many managers can only really apply their creativity, assertiveness and experience to a task when they are no longer confined to the hierarchy of a rigid organization.
How Butterflymanager supports companies
Butterflymanager is a recruitment consultancy specializing in the placement of interim managers for more than 20 years. Interim managers are temporary executives who bridge vacancies or take on special tasks. The butterflymanager method developed by Managing Director Dr. Harald Schönfeld is a 5-step system for systematically finding the right interim manager in the shortest possible time and deploying them successfully in the company. The five steps include: 1. clarification of the assignment, 2. search for candidates, 3. decision support, 4. contractual partnership and 5. project support. In view of the shortage of qualified specialists and managers, interim managers have a key role to play in the success of a company. Dr. Harald Schönfeld is also the founder and managing director of United Interim, the leading online community for interim managers in German-speaking countries. He is also the publisher of the specialist book series "Learning from Interim Managers", which is published by the UN think tank Diplomatic Council. As a certified supervisory and advisory board member, Dr. Harald Schönfeld personally takes on corresponding mandates.
Source: www.butterflymanager.com
