In recent weeks I've reached out to the Outsource community a couple of times for editorial input - most prominently, of course, in our just-launched writing competition (which I'm hoping you'll all either enter or pass on to someone who will) - and I'm doing so again now, for a feature I'm hoping to include in July's Outsource Monthly.
For all the headline-grabbing, game-changing technology we have at our disposal - not to mention that which is to come in future (and there's still time - another whole week, in fact - to get involved in another article I'm putting together entitled "What's on our technology wishlist?" - see this post on our LinkedIn group for details) - outsourcing remains dependent on the human factor, on those people whose work means the success or failure of any outsourcing agreement. To celebrate that fact, and to help those at the outsourcing coalface - in whatever corner of the space - I'm working on an article which aims to highlight some of the techniques people have developed to ensure success for themselves and their teams, and I'd love to take input into that article from as many of you as possible.
To get involved, please have a think about the questions below and get responses back to me by close of business on Friday June 24th; responses must be a maximum of 250 words per question, and all submissions must be accompanied by the author's name, job title and company name. You can reply to as many of the questions as you like, so don't feel like you have to respond to all of them if you only have something to contribute in one area. Please do remember, as always, that I can't promise to use each and every response, nor that every response I do use will appear in full, but I'll do my best to feature as many good answers as I can.
The questions are:
1. What has been the most successful measure you've seen put in place - or have implemented yourself - to improve communication within and between teams involved in an outsourcing project?
2. What in your opinion is the secret of successful change management, and can you share an example of this in practice?
3. What's the best example you can give of the development of a genuine team spirit and culture during an outsourcing transition?
4. Can you share an example of world-class leadership in outsourcing, and why did this matter?
5. Can you nominate an unsung hero from your career, and say why this person deserves recognition?
As I said, I'm hoping to get this article finalised in time for July's Outsource Monthly (published Friday July 1st) so please do get cracking and get your responses to me as soon as possible. You've got three weeks to put something together for the benefit of your fellow Outsource readers; I've got extremely high hopes for all of you!
Please send me all your responses at jliddell@sig.org - and I'm happy, of course, to answer any queries you may have. I look forward to hearing from you as always.