Comments on: Innovation and Outsourcing – Do they go together?

By: ericbrown

ericbrown — Tue, 05 May 2009 23:28:15 +0000

Hi Edward – thanks for stopping by.

Outsourcing is seen as a way of focusing on core assets but many organizations fail to realize that your non-core assets still require innovative ideas to help you grow and compete in those areas.

By: Edward_Savage

Edward_Savage — Tue, 05 May 2009 15:03:55 +0000

Outsourcing is often seen by companies as a way of handing off the less value adding parts of their business to allow them to focus on the invention and scaling of new business. Geoffrey Moore has written about this recently. What is not covered to much depth is the new ideas and innovation that these partners bring if they are included in more 'upstream' conversations.

By: Eric D. Brown

Eric D. Brown — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 12:16:30 +0000

Thanks for stoppying by and sharing your thoughts. I agree that outsoucing and innovation 'should' go together, but they very rarely do in the real world. The business of outsourcing almost forces innovation to take a back seat to cost control and revenue.

By: Stone Forest IT

Stone Forest IT — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 11:59:19 +0000

Being in an IT Outsourcing company, I d obelieve that innovation and outsourcing should go together. We always try to learn new things and do news things that will benefit our clients.

By: Eric D. Brown

Eric D. Brown — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 00:58:09 +0000

Hi Tracey: Thanks for the comment. Great insight!

By: Tracey

Tracey — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:04:11 +0000

As a virtual assistant (VA), I am an outsourcing service professional, and I honestly believe that innovation should go together with outsourcing. I can’t imagine just going through the motions with my clients, and keeping the status quo. I am always looking for new ways to help them improve aspects of their business, and I do the same for myself. I belong to an http://www.VAnetworking.com, which is an online community for VAs, and we constantly share ideas and ‘best practices’ to keep our clients on the leading edge. Many of our clients are entrepreneurs and small business owners, and by introducing them to innovative ways to practice time management, or project management, etc., it makes us all more successful.

Tracey’s last blog post..StartupNation thinks we’re number 1!

By: Eric D. Brown

Eric D. Brown — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 13:34:07 +0000

Hi Scot: Absolutely correct. Unless specifically written into an SLA, innovation isn’t going to happen from your vendor.

By: Scot Herrick

Scot Herrick — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 00:34:35 +0000

Outsourcing, almost by definition, is a contract with Service Level Agreements. That precludes innovation right off the top, except for the vendor -- who will innovate to provide your outsourcing service at less cost! On the other hand, you can innovate in any country of the world (hey, Viagra was discovered in Ireland!) if you have employees there. Outsourcing, not so much. Scot Herrick’s last blog post..Another Monday, Another Bank Bailout