Horizontal mobility: how interim management can meet your needs

Horizontal mobility can prove favourable for meeting the human resource needs of an organisation, but it also comes with certain limitations. Interim management can thus be a strategic solution to compensate for the absence of a key employee and to efficiently remedy urgent recruitment needs.  

What is horizontal mobility?

Horizontal professional mobility is when an employee takes on new responsibilities or changes position within the same company, without having been promoted.  Horizontal mobility should not be confused with vertical mobility, which refers to taking a position at a higher (or lower) level in the company's hierarchy. Horizontal mobility can be requested by an employee or imposed by their superior. It can be temporary or permanent, internal or external (if the employee changes location).  

What are the advantages and limitations of horizontal mobility?

Horizontal mobility can be a real driver of motivation and commitment for employees. It allows them, for instance, to develop new skills, undertake a wider variety of tasks or change up their work environment. For the organisation, horizontal mobility is also a simpler and faster solution than recruiting a new candidate externally. The risks are also lower, as the company already knows the employee, and is familiar with their skills and expertise. However, horizontal mobility also has a number of limitations. The employee may perceive the change unfavourably, and it can upset their bearings, giving them the impression that they are stagnating within the company and in their professional career. This can result in a drop in motivation, productivity and operational efficiency. Furthermore, if the employee does not have sufficient expertise to assume the new position, a training and integration period will be necessary, which can be long and costly.  

How can interim management respond to your horizontal mobility issues?

Although horizontal mobility has many advantages, it is not suitable for all situations. Indeed, everything depends on the size of the company, the resources available in terms of training and management, the type of function, the context (crisis management, unexpected peak of activity, change management, etc.), and the duration of the position. There is, however, an alternative solution to meet your specific internal skills needs: interim management. An interim manager is a highly qualified professional with over 15 years of experience in a specific field (retail, construction, industry, digital, etc.) and in a targeted function (HR, supply chain, sales, etc.).   Calling on an interim manager allows you to outsource the management of a department, or to ensure the functions of an absent key employee (e.g. sick leave, maternity leave, while waiting to recruit). At WAYDEN, an interim management firm, we have a pool of 8,000 highly qualified professionals. Immediately operational as soon as they join your company, they are experienced in managing complex projects and large-scale assignments, and are used to working in a variety of environments. The interim manager can take over a position with the upmost operational excellence. In addition to managing day-to-day tasks, they will bring a fresh perspective and offer suggestions for optimising processes, innovating, identifying weaknesses and strengthening the company's competitive advantage. They can intervene for a period of 6 to 18 months, in an emergency if need be. With solid sectorial expertise and outstanding interpersonal skills (adaptability, natural authority, leadership, stress management, dynamism, etc.), they can represent an invaluable asset for a company.