Strategic planning is something that many of us will talk a lot about this year. As the business landscape continues to evolve, today’s forward-thinking brands are already looking to reinvent their strategies.
It’s always struck me as a somewhat interesting paradox that despite the fact that age, like race or gender, is a “protected class” when it comes to workplace discrimination, we continue to talk about “millennials” in offensive ways that are a blatent compliance violation.
Is Agile for everyone?
Conventional wisdom has it that Agile product development works only in business cultures that fully embrace the methodology’s principles of responsiveness, speed and focus on business requirements. If you’re not all in, the thinking goes, don’t bother.
No business, large or small, successful or struggling, can expect to see organisational change on a large scale without creating – and embedding – a culture. Without a set of core values instilled into the workforce, the company is fractured and its employees are at odds. It’s up to HR to make sure that doesn’t happen.
Innovation in most sectors has its roots in technology. What is curious though is that the outsourcing industry that plays such a big part in transforming other sectors has somehow ignored the need for innovating its own business models.
There is clear evidence of headwinds and industry players need to innovate to stay relevant and play their part in the IT supply chain of the future in a fast changing market place. And the time for them to do so is running out fast.
There are some notable trends that underline the need for change -
Professors Helena Haapio and Thomas D. Barton are on a mission to educate organizations on how to create “business friendly” contracts – without giving up safety or security.
How the rise of smart cities and smart manufacturing is driving the future of nearshoring
Wherever you look and whoever you talk to, we’re all being told the same thing – we’re facing a major talent shortage. This isn’t helped by an ever-increasing skills gap meaning, from an employer point-of-view, the graduate market is as competitive as it has ever been.
Outsourcing agreements come to an end, just as do some political treaties.
What can those steering the perils of partition learn from each other? There are few experiences as visceral as the turmoil of politics. As a British citizen, I have taken my part and cast my vote on 23rd June, 2016. The comparison of events since with recently managed outsourcing exits is the source of inspiration for this article.
Know The Rules
With all of the advances in Vendor Management Technology (VMS), some companies are evaluating the idea of managing their cadre of non-employees internally. Much of the value brought to bear by a Managed Service Provider (MSP) is typically in the form of process efficiency and consistency. A mature contingent workforce program can bring those same benefits - so does it still make sense to have this third party manage it for you and charge a transaction fee to your staffing suppliers?
Recruitment is a serious matter for businesses of all sizes. It is a pricey process, both in terms of time and money. As such, we all enter into recruitment hoping to land an incredible employee who will add value to your organisation for years to come. Unfortunately, things don’t always turn out that way. Sometimes, despite our high hopes for a given candidate, we are let down and have to let them go.
The notion of healthcare quality being measured only based on the level of medical care given to patients is on its way to a complete disappearance. From our position in the healthcare contact centre space, we have been witnessing more and more organisations focusing on the patient experience to gain and maintain a competitive advantage. This evolution toward value-based service benefits the patient, the healthcare provider and the payer. Value-based models encourage healthcare providers to deliver the best care at the lowest cost.
Over the last two decades I have had the opportunity to work with some of the largest (as well as mid-sized) enterprises who had outsourced their IT work to offshore based teams. The offshore teams themselves were either part of service providers who were domestic companies out of North America/Europe, or part of providers who were headquartered out of India (with largely a sales presence in North America/Europe).
In this day and age, there is no organisation that does not require outsourcing governance as a part of its operations. It could be critical or a support function, but outsource they all do.
What is intended to be a seamless transition of work and, in some case, part responsibility, in fact, becomes fraught with challenges. What should’ve been an easing of the load for the outsourcing organisation becomes a point of stress and could even lead to lower productivity because of duplication of effort or lack of harmony.
