Marry me – A very short guide to outsourcing

I attended a very interesting breakfast seminar on outsourcing hosted by AT Kearney.

A number of key points emerged including the importance of treating the relationship between the buyer of the outsourcing services and the supplier as a marriage as opposed to a purely commercial arrangement.

This clearly requires a great deal of trust and continuous effort to ensure that both parties remain committed. 

The big challenge I see with this is that whilst I, the buyer, might pledge my heart to you, the supplier, you are happy and even motivated to have a more polygamous approach. Thus this feels a little one sided.

Another model might be that the supplier is the parent and the buyer is the child. Like many parents the ability to make each child feel that they are the ‘special one’ is the key skill.

The Coalition Concept model of outsourcing as presented is nonetheless very comprehensive and inclusive. Click here to view the associated white paper.