The central message of this book is very simple, yet profound. All the complexity is in implementation, which is what most of this book is about. Here is some food for thought:
- Why do companies outsource?
Because, Outsourcing provides leverage.
It allows you to do things you could not do yourself, and it allows you to do them faster, better and at a lower cost.
Like all leverage, outsourcing is a double-edged sword too. On one hand, it allows you to do more, faster. On the other hand, if it goes bad, it can easily kill your business. If you do not believe that is possible – you can look into the Fox Meyer saga from the 90s and see for yourself.
The trend of outsourcing continues to grow unabated with the whole gamut of services, from simple to mission-critical tasks. There is not a single company on earth that does not outsource anything. It is not just about cost arbitrage, it is also a finer expression of division of labour at the organisational level.
- What are the key criteria that help you decide when to outsource and when not to outsource?
In this book, you will learn to recognize how ubiquitous outsourcing is the modern day organization and life, and how to keep your eyes open to recognize situations that are amenable to outsourcing. The full list of all outsourceable activities within a company may include an element of surprise.
You will also learn why you must NOT outsource in some circumstances because of strategic or tactical reasons.
- The big question that everyone asks is…
- How to do it well?
- That is what we address in this book