As a result they are missing out on the cost-savings and opportunities an interim manager can offer them, according to research commissioned by Alexander Hughes Interim Management (AHIM).

The problem follows changes within the so-called big four management consultancy firms as they have joined forces with IT companies to become systems integrators, leading to a limited availability of traditional management consultancy advice.

Approximately 30 per cent of businesses questioned by AHIM believe that this has led to a void in the supply of this type of advice with just two per cent saying they would definitely stay with one of the big four despite the changes. Overall, as a result of these changes, only a third of businesses feel that this market is adequately covered.

AHIM's research looked at perceptions in the marketplace of the quality of advice and resourcing available specifically for medium-sized projects and was carried out among 200 senior managers with appropriate weighting to make the sample representative.

Those interviewed were asked to list alternative sources for independent, experienced advice. Yet more than 70 per cent of businesses have not considered using an interim manager for this kind of work.

Commenting on the findings Gavan Burden, AHIM md said: “Traditionally, businesses turned to interim managers for temporary cover...Whilst this market still exists, there has been a move to use them on core business issues, but usually on their own as part of a client team.

“However, because of their traditional use, it does not yet seem to be an obvious choice for a lot of businesses to use whole teams of interim managers to fill the consultancy void... We need to get the message across to companies that interim managers can also provide one of the most flexible and immediately effective consulting solutions at a very competitive cost.”