Premium
Interim Managers: Distinguishing Personality Characteristics of Managers on Short‐term Contracts
Author(s) -
Feltham Rob,
Hughes Dan
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
international journal of selection and assessment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.812
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1468-2389
pISSN - 0965-075X
DOI - 10.1111/1468-2389.00121
Subject(s) - interim , psychology , personality , normative , sample (material) , preference , norm (philosophy) , context (archaeology) , term (time) , social psychology , applied psychology , political science , economics , microeconomics , paleontology , chemistry , physics , chromatography , quantum mechanics , law , biology
The use of interim managers by companies is increasing, and reasons for this trend are discussed. A study is reported in which the normative personality make‐up of a group of interim managers is compared with that of a general sample of UK managers. Ninety‐four interim managers completed the revised PA Preference Inventory (PAPI‐N) and the results are compared with those from a general UK managerial sample. Statistically significant differences are reported for 12 out of 20 scales, with nine of the effect sizes ≥ 0.5. Results are also compared with a priori job expert predictions. Of nine predictions that interim managers would differ from the general management norm, seven are consistent with the statistical findings. Practical and methodological implications of the findings, and their relation to the ‘Big Five’, are discussed, together with broader implications for the study of workers in new and emerging forms of employment. The findings are also interpreted in the particular context of interim management roles.