Considering the temporary leader in temporary work arrangements: Sensemaking processes of internal interim leaders

Abstract

Though temporary work arrangements have garnered increased attention among scholars and practitioners, there has been little research into internal interim leaders (i.e. interims hired from within the organization) as a distinct case of temporary worker and leader. Internal interims are a fixture in organizational leadership and often serve during critical periods of change. As such, it is important to examine these leaders' actions and the social, organizational, and individual dynamics that inform them. Toward this end, the present study examines the sensemaking processes of 24 internal interims using a qualitative approach. We describe five distinct sensemaking processes (dutiful, traditional, aspiring, reluctant, and self-conscious) shared by the 24 participants and discuss how several social dynamics (message valence and consistency) and individual factors (prior leadership and future aspirations) influenced these divergent processes. Further, we contend that internal interims adopt more passive (caretaking) or proactive (trailblazing) styles of leadership based on these socially and individually informed sensemaking processes. Finally, we highlight directions for future research (motivating factors for serving as an internal interim, experiences with stigma and alienation, and processes of identity formation and identification) that may concomitantly enhance our understandings of internal interims as well as temporary workers and leaders at large.

Ch-Ch-Ch-changes: How Action Phase Functional Leadership, Team Human Capital, and Interim vs. Permanent Leader Status Impact Post-transition Team Performance

“…Fourth, we controlled for the leaders' prior success as an MLB team manager by entering the win/loss percentage if the leader served previously as a MLB manager. Finally, to account for any differences in familiarity and rapport with the team, we controlled for whether the leader was an external (coded as 0) or internal (coded as 1) hire (i.e., leader source) as prior work in this literature suggests this may impact post-change performance (e.g., Browning and McNamee 2012;Chapman et al 1988;Lauterbach et al 1999). …”

An Organization on Hold and Interim Leadership in Demand: A Case Study of Individual and Organizational Identity

“…specific language such as rewording their title such as ''chair during this interim time'' by foregrounding their authority (i.e., department chair) and keeping the temporariness in the background (interim). Recent research (Ballinger & Marcel, 2010;Browning & McNamee, 2012;Mundt, 2004) has noted that internal interims are a staple in many industries so the insights from this study have wide-ranging implications for leadership studies and organizational practice. Nearly all of the participants in the study (the interim president was the one outlier) had the ability to pursue the permanent position.…”

“…This may be a result of a firing or an unplanned departure such as illness, death, earlier than expected retirement, or leaving for a new job. Due to frequently serving in tension-filled, volatile transition contexts (Browning & McNamee, 2012), the success of an interim likely has critical implications to the organization.…”

“…stay on even keel'' (p. 51). Browning and McNamee (2012) noted the distinctions of numerous internal interims who served their organization and whether they acted more with a passive, caretaking style or with a proactive, trailblazing style in their temporary role. argued that a passive=aggressive dichotomy presents problems on both fronts as it can lead to either a culture of paralysis or a culture of discord depending on the way an interim leads.…”

“…Theus's (1995) work offers some insight into this process by showcasing the communication, sensemaking, and organizational learning of interims who must manage crises or the sudden departures of chief executives. Moreover, Browning and McNamee (2012) highlighted this institution immersed in interim leadership examining the sensemaking practices of institutional leaders while examined the dichotomies that are created through interim leadership. This article creates the next step in this multidimensional view in these series of studies by examining the impact interim leadership has on both individual and organizational identity.…”