Can Interim Management Contribute to Companies’ Social and Environmental Performance?

Resource management, new energies, reshoring production, circular economy, decarbonization, the search for purpose among young professionals… organizations already face numerous societal challenges.
Given current observations and forecasts, these challenges will increasingly impact businesses, potentially causing major disruptions that force companies to adapt their strategies deeply. In this context, what role can interim managers play?

What is the current business context?
As highlighted in the latest World Economic Forum Global Risks Report, our civilization—and thus the global economy and companies—are exposed to major risks. The most significant, in terms of both probability and negative impact, are pandemics and climate disruption.
For example, according to Carbone 4, an independent consulting firm specializing in low-carbon strategies, an increase in the average global temperature of +5°C by 2100 (likely given current trends) could result in France, by 2050, in:
+40 heatwave days per year
Summer temperatures +4°C higher on average
20–30% reduction in groundwater resources
50% of forests at high risk of fire
+15% of days with heavy precipitation

What are the repercussions for companies?
The risks identified by the World Economic Forum already have tangible effects on businesses:
Increasing expectations from consumers, public authorities, and companies regarding environmental, social, and societal responsibility (e.g., the success of organic food)
Disruption of business activities due to repeated ecological and health crises
Increased employee vulnerability and anxiety
Rising ESG expectations from candidates and the search for meaning at work, especially among younger generations (to attract and retain top talent, companies must demonstrate real ESG commitment; greenwashing no longer works)
Growth of impact investing (e.g., BlackRock requires measurable societal outcomes from its investments) and extra-financial reporting regulations
Stronger regulations to protect the environment, employees, and consumers
For instance, the commitments made by France under the COP21 agreements for carbon neutrality by 2050 will profoundly affect the automotive sector. Current combustion engines (diesel and petrol) will be replaced by hybrids, battery-electric, biogas, or fuel cell vehicles by 2030. However, this is insufficient: about 20% of greenhouse gas emissions come from vehicle manufacturing, and hybrid or electric solutions do not fully eliminate fossil fuel use or environmental impact (rare metals, electricity production). Further disruptions are therefore expected in this sector and others.
In short, companies face major challenges in achieving overall performance, including environmental, social, and societal impact, not just economic results.

What is the role of interim management?
In this positive transformation, impact-focused interim management is increasingly important. Interim managers, by the nature of their profile and missions, can play a key role. However, the profession is still relatively underdeveloped regarding structured solutions for “impact-driven” objectives.
Why?
Companies have not fully acknowledged these risks and are slow to act
Interim management as a profession lacks structured offerings to meet these needs
Human factors, cognitive biases, and outdated value systems limit engagement with these issues
To change this, actions include raising awareness, simplifying complex topics (like climate disruption), developing self-awareness, and offering services specifically designed for social, societal, and environmental impact—i.e., impact interim management. For interim managers, this also means training in sustainable development to lead by example and influence companies effectively.

What is Impact Interim Management?
According to IMWI, a collective of impact interim managers, Impact Interim Management (IIM) involves measurably improving organizations’ social, societal, or environmental performance while strengthening economic performance and resilience.
Examples of IIM missions:
Business Development: repositioning an automotive SME toward decarbonized markets (electric vehicles, charging infrastructure, fuel cells, rail)
Supply Chain: evaluating and improving environmental, social, societal, and economic performance of suppliers
General Management: transforming corporate culture to unlock energy, improve safety, manage waste, and increase revenue
Finance: developing extra-financial reporting
Over the past two years, the inclusion of overall performance has grown in interim management companies. Grant Alexander, already performing such missions, is now structuring its Impact Interim Management offering to align with its DNA and corporate purpose.

Grant Alexander: committed to CSR, preparing ISO 26000 certification
CSR has been at the heart of Grant Alexander since its founding. Leaders and teams have long engaged in initiatives covering social, societal, and environmental aspects.
In September 2020, the group formalized its CSR approach by joining the Lucie community to obtain Lucie 26000 certification under the ISO 26000 framework (Lucie Agency) in Q4 2021.
Learn more about our CSR approach and initiatives: “Together, let’s commit enthusiastically to building tomorrow!”

This summary was prepared following our March 26 webinar, led by Rémy Longo, Associate Director at Grant Alexander – Executive Interim, on impact interim management. Special thanks to Didier Douziech, interim manager and co-founder of IMWI (www.imwi.io), for his contribution and commitment!