Healthcare market is heading towards a shortage of skilled workers
16.02.2011 14:41
Interim management is also establishing itself as a personnel tool in this sector
Falling sales and lower investments – in the vfa winter survey, the research-based pharmaceutical industry reveals cautious expectations for 2011. In view of the forecast decline in sales, more than half of the 45 companies surveyed are planning to cut employees. However, this strategic step can become a risk: Highly qualified managers are required, especially in demanding subject areas such as mergers and acquisitions or the development of new target markets - an experience that other sectors such as the automotive industry also had to go through. After the economic crisis, there was a lack of experienced leaders to drive forward the development and expansion of the industry. Interim management placement agencies therefore assume that the need for specialists available at short notice will also increase significantly in the healthcare sector. One of the most respected intermediaries of interim managers is the personnel service provider Bridge IMP from Munich.
Franziska Fiedler, executive supervisor at Bridge IMP, explains: “Eleven percent of our interim managers have already taken on mandates in the healthcare market in 2010. We assume that this proportion will increase significantly in 2011. We find again and again that many companies in the pharmaceutical industry in particular are not aware of the dangers of a management blanket that is too thin. Especially in situations of extreme upheaval, they quickly fall behind.”
One of the most common interim mandates in the healthcare sector is the operational support of M&A projects. In this situation, the involvement of an experienced interim manager can be crucial for the success of the project. For a temporary period, interim managers take over the preparation and implementation of company sales, negotiate with banks and creditors, carry out short-term cost-cutting measures and set up crisis-related project management.