The way we build and run talent functions hasn’t kept up with the way businesses now move. Markets shift overnight, hiring plans change mid-quarter, and the skills we need today might be irrelevant in six months. For years, TA has been built for stability but predictability is a luxury few companies have anymore.
That’s where Richard Freeborn, Group Head of Talent Acquisition at Howden says TA leaders need a new mindset. One that’s less about structure and more about adaptability. He calls it the “permanent interim” approach.
“TA functions can’t ever get into this place of static and predictability.”
At its core, permanent interim means treating your TA model as something fluid, not fixed. Instead of redesigning every few years, you’re constantly refining. You’re building a framework that can flex as hiring patterns, budgets, and business priorities change.
For many companies, that looks like a smaller in-house core supported by flexible partners, whether that’s embedded teams, RPOs, or specialist recruiters, who can scale up or down when needed.
“The days of having an entirely in-house TA team are gone. You need your speedboats on the side that you can switch on fast.”
This mindset also challenges a habit many TA leaders fall into: waiting for the perfect time, system, or structure before acting. The truth is, transformation never really lands. There’s always another pivot coming. And trying to design for certainty in an uncertain world just slows you down.
According to Gartner, three-quarters of HR leaders say their organisations are in a constant state of change, but only 15% believe their teams can adapt fast enough. In other words, responsiveness is key!
“Perfect in ten years is suboptimal to a pretty good solution that’s 70% right!
Let’s get delivering now.”
Technology can help with that responsiveness. AI, for instance, can automate screening, surface hidden skills, and free up recruiters to focus on the parts of hiring that still need a human touch, influence, judgment, and relationship-building. But Richard is clear that tech should enhance, not replace, the people behind it.
AI won’t save a TA function that’s built on rigid thinking. What will is a team comfortable with change, confident in trying new things, and willing to iterate before everything feels perfect.
Permanent interim is a mindset shift, one that says “good enough to start” is often exactly what you need to move forward.
Watch the full conversation on our Powered by People podcast with Richard Freeborn below 