Management
Your Telecom Contracts Are Ending – Now What?
Since the breakup of AT&T in 1982, the U.S. telecom carrier landscape has evolved rapidly, sometimes in dramatic fashion. Familiar names have come and gone – MCI, WorldCom, Qwest, Cingular and Nextel, to name a few. Today, with CenturyLink acquiring Level 3, AT&T completing its acquisition of Time Warner and Sprint looking to combine with T-Mobile, we see no signs of these changes slowing down.
Adopt a “Two-in-a-Box” Partner for Efficient Outsourcing Governance
Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) is all the rage and for a good reason. Far too many “strategic” contracts have been developed (especially outsourcing contracts) that do not include sound SRM practices.
It’s good to see that virtually all of the major advisory firms are now incorporating solid governance frameworks into their contracts. Software companies are also making inroads, such as Old St Labs and SirionLabs
Life Lessons: Ravichandran Venkataraman
Ravichandran Venkataraman is the Founder of Alive Consulting and a former Senior VP and Head of Global Business Services for HP - as well as a long-time columnist for Outsource.
Doing more with less
Several times throughout my career, people have queried of me, “How do you manage to get so much done?” I think there are a few factors, working in concert, that have enabled me to get more done, often with less, and for less. Much of what I have done and done well, I give credit to my mentors throughout my life. Many of them did not know the high regard in which they were held by me, and others. True leaders do not do it for the praise, they do it because it is inherent to their character.
Three steps to help IT leaders make better business decisions
Faced with a seemingly endless cycle of disruptive technology and increasingly inflexible budgets, IT executives have their work cut out when it comes to making decisions about how to improve operations and meet demanding business needs without driving costs up. Today's heavy-handed drive for cost savings necessitates that IT services are demonstrably aligned with business priorities.
Contracting for multi-supplier DevOps
Just when multi-supplier (also known as SIAM) contracting is starting to get under control, DevOps emerges. This article looks at the interaction of the two for the design of retained and sourced IT operations. The implications for service contracts are profound and largely un-tested.
Partners or pawns? (Part 1)
“We are nothing more than a bunch of pawns on this outsourcing checker board,” Jeanette said.
“I think you mean ‘chessboard’,” I said smiling at her.
“You know damn well what I mean, Dean. Hey, that rhymes,” Jeanette said, returning the smile.
“Sadly I do understand, and, from what you’ve described, I have to agree with you.”
Brexit: a black swan with unexpected relevance for outsourcing contracts
Europe is in turmoil after Great Britain’s vote to leave the European Union. Those who now claim to know what will happen now – in outsourcing or in other areas – will make two big mistakes: First, they will show that they don’t understand what Brexit is. Brexit is, to use the words of author Nassim Nicholas Taleb, a “black swan”: an unexpected event with largely unforeseeable consequences, just like 9/11 or the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy filing. Second, they will simply be wrong.
Culture gaps in a shrinking world
In so many ways the business world is smaller and more accessible in the modern era – a place where even tiny online companies can trade globally, where people travel for work as a matter of routine and where businesses become international by outsourcing tasks across all seven continents.
How outsourcing HR can give access to world-class capabilities
The term ‘world class’ has become so commonly used that it has lost some of its impact and Holy Grail magic. In our highly connected workplaces and social lives, we can access knowledge, expertise and insight from people we will never meet, and choose our heroes and role models from a global panoply.
‘World class’ is no longer about having global experience, or confidently operating in an international context, because on some level, most people are doing that on a daily basis, even if it’s only through following celebrities on Twitter.
Churchman, Rittel and Webber: The “Wicked” Problem
Do you have one of those really tough business problems that seems to plague you? No matter what you try, nothing seems to solve the problem?