An article by the Harvard Business Review called “The rise of the Supertemp” really encompasses everything The Marketing Centre communicates on a daily basis to the outside world.
Supertemps are working professionals, people who have had “big” careers already, from lawyers, financial services experts, Marketing Directors to CEO’s. They have graduated from the best schools and have been trained within top companies, but have chosen to change their working lives by pursuing careers outside of the corporate arena.
On an ever increasing scale, these experts are being trusted by companies, both big and small, to help accelerate their growth or undertake critical work where there simply isn’t the in-house expertise within that organisation.
The Harvard Business Review article argues that Supertemps are on the verge of changing how business works. We agree.
Supertemps are able to leave behind the drudge of working within a corporate – the political games, endless meetings, increased time travelling etc. Much of this time is wasted and ineffective in achieving real results.
As part-time consultants, they have to dig deep, taking on challenging assignments, working within companies that desperately need their experience, where their talents and knowledge can be maximised to capacity.
They enjoy being independent since it provides a lifestyle of flexibility and autonomy, but they are also able to reap the results of successfully contributing towards business growth more effectively, using the experience they gain in one business environment across others – not simply being “owned” by one corporate, with the danger of becoming stagnant.
As the age of job security and guaranteed bonuses begins to fade, so the appeal of a part-time consulting career looks far more attractive. If one client falls away, you still have 3 or 4 others to sustain you. Ultimately, for those consultants who are able to provide a plethora of knowledge and professional help to businesses that need it, a traditional corporate career begins to look ever less appealing.
And since talent is a very appealing thing, companies are following suit. Why employ an averagely skilled, “affordable” person to do an “okay” job (with the HR headaches that accompany them), when you can have the best of available talent, on a part-time or project basis, at a fraction of the cost and hassle?
As companies become leaner at management level with an emphasis on capping costs, temporary or part-time solutions gain a lot of momentum and make infinitely more sense. This is particularly true in an environment like South Africa, where BEE challenges makes it difficult to get highly skilled people with the relevant experience, and where onerous labour laws make it difficult and costly to fire the wrong people.
What this means is that you can’t future proof a company or attract the best and most sophisticated talent without getting to grips with the rise of the supertemps.
It is imperative to understand how part-time professionals can help can re-ignite the creativity, innovative capacity of a business, and harness unforeseen business opportunities to successfully engage quick wins.
Furthermore, with these special skills and talents, part-time professionals are able to bring the industry changes, thoughts and movements into the business to help keep it current and forward thinking. They can bring with them a network of other businesses and people that provide partnership opportunities or new clients, and can quickly identify opportunities for a business to diversify and therefore grow.
In summary, Supertemps are able to set their lives up the way they want and pick and choose the best projects and businesses for their skills. At the same time, businesses are able to access highly skilled and experienced professionals without incurring the costs of a full-time resource, whilst also benefitting from the industry knowledge they can bring.
A win-win for everyone.
By Sally Shuttleworth, CEO of The Marketing Centre SA