Outsourcing Doesn’t Have to be a Dirty Word
Say the word “outsourcing” in many organisations, and you’ll be met with a frosty reception. People will recount tales of how huge chunks of their company were laid off or sold off, and will talk about how things have never quite been the same since. They’ll talk about how it used to be possible to respond to changing customer demands quickly and swiftly, but now implementing any change takes forever because there is a rigid and inflexible contract in place with an external partner… and they may well argue the case for bringing the outsourced capability back in house.
In fact, in some organisations the word “outsourcing” has become a dirty word. Saying it creates controversy, and can even create ill feeling. There is no doubt that some companies have entered into ineffective outsourcing arrangements—perhaps they have chosen the wrong partner, outsourced a capability that was better serviced in house, or perhaps the relationship went sour. However, it’s important not to discount an entire solution approach, and in the ever-changing business environment that we live in, strategically outsourcing activities to carefully selected partners or Managed Service Providers (MSPs) can yield significant benefits. Whilst there are undoubtedly examples of outsourcing going wrong, where it is implemented well can be very beneficial indeed. It can help organisations to smooth demand, to expand into new areas quickly, and to secure expertise that they don’t want to (or can’t afford to) employ in house.
I’ll tell you what led me to write this article. Just the other day I realised that my car is overdue its annual service, and I was trying to figure out which garage to take it to. I was discussing this with a good friend of mine who knows a lot about cars, and he offered me some useful advice:
“Adrian, your car getting old. It’s important that you service it but the service history won’t add to its resale value any more. Why don’t you do a basic service yourself?”
Read any book, article or blog about implementing change in organisations, and you’re sure to come across the term 
I’d bet that everyone reading this article will have taken part in some kind of “lessons learned” meeting or brainstorm at some time in their career. These sessions are often part of a retrospective or post-project review, and are aimed at ensuring that organisations and project teams consider what went well – and also what went badly. The idea is simple: these lessons and pointers can be taken into account in future projects, iterations or phases. This should ensure that future activities run as smoothly as possible.
Delivering organisational change can be a tricky business. In order to adapt and grow, a company may need to tweak or change its organisational structure, processes and systems – and often, Information Technology (IT) is an important enabler for change. Of course, IT will only represent part of a change, but it can be an important catalyst and if implemented well, it could even enhance or create a competitive advantage.
New ideas often arrive at the most inconvenient of times. As I sit here writing this blog, I’m reminded of the seemingly hundreds of blog ideas that have occurred to me over the past year whilst I’ve been driving my car. I don’t keep a notepad in the car (as I try to avoid being distracted as I drive), but I always make a mental note to write the idea down when I reach my destination. Sadly more often than not, I have forgotten it by the time that I arrive. I am also renowned for waking up in the early hours of the morning, having a fantastic innovative new business idea, but falling back to sleep and forgetting it by morning. Perhaps you find similar things happen to you too…
In a competitive environment, ensuring that our organisations offer good customer service can help create a real competitive advantage. Understandably, organisations of all sizes—from midsized to multinational—have spent time re-designing their processes and considering the journey that their customers go through when interacting with the company. Providing a slick, informative and helpful service that meets the needs of our customers will make it more likely that they come back to us. Customer experience can be examined from many different angles; this article considers the consistency of experience.
As organisations adapt and innovate, they inevitably alter their products, processes and systems. Whether mid-sized or multinational, companies quite understandably focus on ensuring the effectiveness and efficiency of their operations. They launch new products, re-engineer their processes and refresh their infrastructure. They strive for growth and continued success and are forever on the lookout for the next ‘big idea’.
I suspect everyone reading this blog has, at least once, been guilty of making a knee-jerk decision – I know I certainly have. You know the type of situation: you’re presented with a couple of facts that look ‘urgent’, so you make a quick decision without seeking further information, context or data. Soon after, you find the facts were very unrepresentative of the real holistic situation, and the decision you’ve made suddenly looks like it might not lead to the outcome you were hoping for. In fact, it may be a complete overreaction and in retrospect might seem like a bad decision…
If you’re ever in the UK city of Portsmouth and you want to hear an impassioned debate, ask some local residents about car parking. You’ll be sure to stir up a variety of opinions and ideas. After you ask the question though, I’d recommend standing back… it’s a very divisive topic!
I was recently travelling home after a business trip and I checked in to a very small regional airport. It was around 6:30 p.m. and I had over an hour to kill so I visited the airport’s only café to buy some food. The café appeared to be part of a regional mid-sized chain, and they had a standard range of food, so I knew exactly what I could expect. I looked through the menu, made my choice, and went to the counter to order.