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GlobalizationToday
SAVE THE DATE! Outsourcing in Latin America: Trends, Challenges and Opportunities IAOP’s second annual Latin America
Outsourcing Summit , taking place October 1-2 at Hotel Unique in Sao Paulo, Brazil, brings together IAOP’s global community and leaders from across the Latin American business community to examine and leverage the growth taking place across the region. As companies are increasingly looking to use outsourcing more strategically as a tool to yield significant cost savings, improve efficiency and drive growth, the Summit will focus on the trends, challenges and opportunities in the region, including the findings from IAOP‘s extensive research on the state of the Latin American outsourcing industry. The Summit is being produced by IAOP and BRASSCOM with the support of Fortune magazine and will feature keynote sessions, educational breakouts, networking and more. For information on speaking, registering or sponsoring, visit www.IAOP.org/LATAM or email info@iaop.org.
October1-2, 2012 São Paulo, Brazil
The Official Magazine of the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals
GlobalizationToday May 2012
K N O W L E D G E Also in this issue:
Knowledge Management by Jag Dalal Page 12
Knowledge Wars
By Bobby Varanasi Page 20
Don’t Look For A Job – Get A Job! By Thom Mead Page 26
Consumerization of IT: Why Context Matters By Bob Janssen Page 34
IAOP membership 85% of IAOP members credit IAOP for improved outsourcing outcomes at their organizations
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achieve better business results through outsourcing. Provider/Advisor Corporate Membership provides the same organization-wide benefits of Customer Corporate Membership, but also includes member-only sponsorship opportunities that serve the marketing and business development needs of these companies. Professional Membership is available to individuals either as part of their company’s corporate membership or on an individual basis. This membership serves the needs of practitioners working in the field of outsourcing whether as customers, providers or advisors. In addition, it provides these professionals with direct, personal access to association services.
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INSIDE May 2012
5 PUBLISHER’S NOTE
12
6 NEWS FEED
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
An Achilles heel for many – a competitive advantage for some By Jag Dalal, Managing Director – Thought Leadership, IAOP
What’s new and noteworthy in global commerce.
34 CONSUMERIZATION OF IT
By Bob Janssen CTO RES Software
Why Context Matters
36 IAOP WORLD CONNECTION 42 SCRAPBOOK
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26
KNOWLLEDGE WARS
DON’T LOOK FOR A JOB – GET A JOB!
by Bob o byy V Varan anasi,i C COP OP, CO OPP-GOV, V, COOPM, CO M CEO Matryyze zel Consulting
By Thom Mead
WE KNOW TOO O MUCH – PERHAP PS? REAL WORLD LESSONS FOR JOB SEEKERS AND RECRUITERS
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FOUNDER & PUBLISHER Ali Comelek ali.comelek@globalizationtoday.com
2012 ÂŽ
EDITORIAL and PRODUCTION EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Ali Comelek ali.comelek@globalizationtoday.com
= The Leaders of the Leaders The August issue of Globalization Today will be a special issue covering GO100. Offering insights into the award process it provides a recap of the selection process and criteria that were the basis for this year’s recipients and guidance for those considering taking the challenge for next year. You can use this space to offer your view on why you company was selected: t Highlight your company services t Do an executive profile, or an excerpt from an interview with one of your t executives. t Draw attention to why you are a market leader t Publish a case study from one of your clients that wrote a testimonial
AD PRODUCTION MANAGER Donna Eastman donna.eastman@globalizationtoday.com GRAPHIC DESIGN AND PRODUCTION Webstaze Design Studio www.webstaze.com
EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Dr. Bruce Greenwald Prof. Asset Management and Finance Columbia Business School Dr. Matt Waller Prof. Marketing and Logistics University of Arkansas Dr. John Hindle Sr. Manager - Accenture, Adjunct Prof Vanderbilt University Mike Corbett Chairman - International Association of Outsourcing Professionals Matt Shocklee CEO & President - Global Sourcing Optimization Services Arijit Sengupta CEO of BeyondCore, Inc Chair of the Cloud Computing Chapter of IAOP
1/2 page, full page and 2 page spread opportunities available. This is a one time, special promotion to honor those companies that earned their place among GO100 and comes with deeply discounted rates only available to the award winners. To learn more about this opportunity email: info@globalizationtoday.com.
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PUBLISHER’S NOTE
Ali Comelek Founder and Publisher
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT Oxford Dictionary defines knowledge as “facts, information, and skills acquired through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject; awareness or familiarity gained by experience of a fact or situation”…. Whether you are a provider, buyer or an advisor, to be successful in your business, you ought to have a systematic and deliberate way of acquiring skills, information and facts; you better have both theoretical as well as practical understanding of your subject area otherwise you are in serious trouble. You might as well quit before it’s too late, if you are not gaining awareness and familiarity by experience and mistakes you’ve done or done by others around you. No doubt Knowledge Management is a key factor in any partnership where there are complex systems, processes, owners, deliverables, etc. Provider’s ability to identify and acquire what is
necessary from the customer, supplement with their expertise, and essentially improve the job on hand will be the key differentiator. Our first feature story, “Knowledge Management in Outsourcing” by Jag Dalal looks into explicit and systematic management of vital knowledge and discusses Knowledge Management Cycle. For Jag’s article, go to page 12. This month’s second feature, by Bobby Varanasi, focuses on finding the right balance between having too much or too little knowledge. He argues perhaps there is too much knowledge, which could be as much an issue as having too little knowledge. He also provides a great historical perspective on how we got here. Page 20 Our own Thom Mead is again a contributing columnist this month and he’s doing what he does best… giving actionable items that can be put to use the moment you finish reading his article. This time, Thom dives into “Getting a Job” (not necessarily same thing as “Looking for a Job”). Whether your career is in HR, or you are looking to hire someone to fill in a position in your organization, or you, yourself, are looking for a job, Thom’s article on page 26 is a valuable read. Once again, I am very happy to have this opportunity to share these great stories with you and looking forward to connecting with you face-to-face. Feel free to email me or call me with any questions/ suggestions/ideas or just to say hi anytime.
Founder and Publisher Globalization Today Magazine “Official Publication of IAOP” www.GlobalizationToday.com 1-602-492-4194
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NEWS FEED
NEWS Feed WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW IN THE WORLD OF OUTSOURCING
OBAMA AD ACCUSES ROMNEY OF OUTSOURCING US JOBS www.ap.org
President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign released a new ad Tuesday accusing Republican Mitt Romney of outsourcing jobs and slamming him for keeping money in foreign bank accounts. The ad says Romney “shipped American jobs to places like Mexico and China� when he led the investment firm Bain Capital. And it says Romney “outsourced state jobs to a call center in India� when he was governor of Massachusetts. The campaign was spending about $780,000 to place the ad in markets in Virginia, Ohio and Iowa, according to a Republican strategist monitoring the purchase of advertising time. Obama’s camp only described the ad placement as “a significant buy.� Virginia, Ohio and Iowa are three crucial swing states in November’s election. The Obama ad is partially in response to a spot released last week by the conservative political group suggested money from Obama’s package went to overseas greenAmericans for Prosperity. That ad $814 billion economic stimulus energy companies. 6
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NEWS FEED
ONTARIO TO PLUNGE DEEPER INTO OUTSOURCING www.itworldcanada.com
Province is looking for one integrator to be sole supplier of certain IT services and one provider to build a unified communications system. Ontario is about to launch two pilot IT outsourcing projects that it hopes will lead the way to significant cost savings as the province tries to keep spending under control. One project is for a unified communications system to be installed in a refurbished Toronto building that some 2,500 provincial staff will move into next January. It envisions the government buying telephony as a service with virtually no hardware supplied by the winning bidder. Instead, all staff will have softphones on their PCs, which will also be equipped for video and audio conferencing. If things go well, this pilot will be a template for rolling out a unified communications system to all provincial government offices in the greater Toronto area. A formal request for proposals (RFP) for this pilot is about to be issued. A recent call for interested parties to submit ideas around which the government could craft an RFP drew submissions from an all-star group including BCE Inc.’s Bell Canada, Rogers Communications Inc., Telus Communications Co., MTS Allstream, Cisco Systems Inc., Avaya Inc. and Mitel Networks. The second project, for which an RFP was just issued, calls for a single company – or consortium
– to supply maintenance and support services to one of the province’s five IT clusters. The usual practice is to hire people on contract to do the work. The two projects were among several initiatives outlined Tuesday by Ontario’s chief information officers to members of the Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC), which represents suppliers of technology. The province’s IT heads meet annually with ITAC to let vendors know what Ontario’s information technology spending plans are for the coming year – and to emphasize the province wants to work closely with the private sector. Both projects detailed Tuesday have been in the works for some time and aren’t related to the spending cuts in the recently-
announced provincial budget. In fact, David Nicholl, Ontario’s corporate chief information and information technology officer, told the meeting the budget will have virtually no impact on IT spending. The unified communications pilot is part of a telecommunications modernization services plan, said Marty Gallas, corporate chief of infrastructure technology services for the province. “This new network is looking at converging the voice and data network to improve productivity amongst the workforce, and to bring solutions that enable folks to collaborate more seamlessly than we do today.” The platform would also allow staff to work from home, or from provincial satellite offices when necessary, he added. www.globalizationtoday.com
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NEWS FEED
ARGENTINA’S INFLATION EATS INTO BUSINESS MODELS OF OUTSOURCERS www.nearshoreamericas.com
There is a growing consensus among international economists that Argentina’s decade-long economic boom is rapidly becoming an out-of-control inflationary spiral. Real inflation has grown at 20+% annually for over three years, and the Argentine government is clearly in denial or even cover-up mode regarding the situation. Many businesses in Argentina are already struggling from the double-digit inflation, especially industries like outsourcing that rely largely on income from outside of Argentina, and things are only going to get worse as most sources expect Argentina’s inflation rate to approach 25% in 2012. Like many Latin American countries, Argentina has a long history of economic ups and downs. The most recent major economic bust occurred just a little over a decade ago, as Argentine unemployment hit 21% and 60% of the population fell below the poverty line in 2002 just before Nestor Kirchner and the Peronist party came to power. However, the resulting devaluation of the currency, and the default/renegotiation of national debt under very favorable terms as well as the expansionary monetary policies promulgated by Kirchner and the Peronists (led by Kirchner’s wife and protege President 8
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Cristina Fernandez today), has created a multi-year boom in the Argentine economy. It is a basic law of macroeconomics that expansionary economic policies cannot continue indefinitely without causing an economy to over-expand and leading to inflationary pressures, and the evidence is mounting that Argentina is no exception to the rule. The bad news is that the current Argentine government is showing no signs of changing its expansionary policies, and worse yet has responded
to criticism by resorting to intentionally misrepresenting the official inflation figures and instituting price controls as well as protectionist policies in a number of industries (including effectively nationalizing the Argentine operations of the Spanish oil company REPSOL on April 17). The official Argentine inflation index listed inflation as ranging between 8.5-10.9% in the period from 2007 to 2011, whereas a wide range of private sources all calculated inflation at rates
NEWS FEED
ranging from 16-27% during that same time span. The official inflation rate was 9.5% in 2011, as compared to 22.8% estimated on average by half a dozen private sources. Furthermore, there is no evidence that the inflationary pressures are easing. A number of economists have forecast that real inflation in Argentina will exceed 25% in 2012. Cesar Donofrio, CEO of MakingSense, a software development company with offices in Argentina, says that everybody knows that inflation is
really 20+%. “Everyone knows the government inflation index is not correct. If you bought one pound of meat for 20 pesos in 2010 and you are paying 40 pesos today, it is obvious.” However, the Argentine government has ramped up the programs in its social safety net significantly over the last few years, and is providing a generous inflation-pegged stipend to many lower income families. According to Donofrio, this means that it is not the poor, but the middle class that is really getting squeezed in the current inflationary economy. Wage inflation has become a huge problem for businesses in Argentina. Argentina is a highly unionized country, and the unions have contracts with annual wage increases tied to the inflation rate (based on private source figures, not the government inflation index). Furthermore, most nonunion businesses (including the outsourcing industry) peg their wage increases to those of the unions. This has resulted in wages in Argentina doubling in the last three or four years in many cases. Donofrio reports that at MakingSense they gave employees 25% annual raises in 2010 and 30% annual raises in 2011, and that was just enough to keep them competitive in the industry. DOnofrio also mentioned the inflation-related phenomenon of “rotation” that is actually
working to his benefit right now, as he has recently hired a couple of top-line, highly experienced software engineers who formerly worked for larger outsourcing firms whose corporate policies did allow them the flexibility to increase wages fast enough to keep up with inflation. DOnofrio continued on the subject of inflation in 2012. “I have spoken to several people in the government off the record, and they all agree that the annual inflation rate is likely to remain close to 25% in 2012.” The Argentine IT/software development industry entered a rapid growth phase in 2003 as the country began to emerge from the economic chaos of the previous three or four years, and has grown at a 15-20% clip ever since. In fact, Argentina, along with Mexico, has become one of the largest software outsourcing destination in Latin America today. However, the IT and software development industries are certainly not immune to the out-of-control inflation that is driving up the cost of all businesses in Argentina, and Donofrio commented that he has seen signs of a slow down in the industry already. And beyond that, many of the more savvy human capital providers have focused their sales efforts on still-growing local Argentina markets as an inflation hedge. www.globalizationtoday.com
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‘Together we’ve developed a common language for IT within central government which has underpinned our transformation journey.’ Andy Nelson, Chief Information Officer for HM Government and the Ministry of Justice
Our partnerships are all about results
© BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, is the business name of The British Computer Society (Registered charity no. 292786) 2012
01445/PDS/AD/0412
bcs.org/together_6
BLOG BEAT NEWS AND COMMENTARY FROM BLOGGERS AROUND THE WORLD MANAGING OUTSOURCERS: WHEN SLAS DON’T DO THE JOB www.nearshoreamericas.com
by Dan Berthiaume
Service level agreements (SLAs) are the heart and soul of many outsourcing contracts. They define what the provider must deliver and their penalties for failure, in anything from application uptime to the time required to solve a customer’s problem on a help line. But at least as currently defined, SLAs often fall short of detecting (and, more importantly, correcting) problems quickly. That was the message at the recent SIG Spring Summit from Senior Corporate Counsel Richard English of Ingram Micro and Shaalu Mehra of Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton, who helps the electronic distributor negotiate outsourcing deals. SLAs fall down, said Mehra, because they don’t change with the customer’s requirements, aren’t defined precisely enough, and often aren’t structured to do a root-cause analysis of the root problem behind multiple failures. “I love SLAs,” Mehra said in a session on “Best Practices for Ensuring Quality of Service in Multinational Outsourcing Engagements.” However, he continued, they are limited because they are just one “data point” measuring a provider’s performance. While SLAs are the subject of intense negotiations at the start of engagement, he says, they may not be based on the right metrics to measure the effectiveness of the outsourced service for the customer. In addition, he said, SLAs “can be undermined by even minor changes” to the processes or systems they measure, and are often not updated often enough. Another factor that limits their usefulness is “single incident limitation, (which makes) root cause analysis subject to an agreement of the parties,” said Mehra. Understanding and correcting the reasons for past failures can also be hindered by what English called a “statute of limitations” requested by vendors on how long a customer can ask for a service credit after a failure.
Both strongly suggested using a common approach to SLAs and other terms with all outsourcing providers, regardless of their location. “While that company may be India-based, and might be doing work for us in Asia, or might be doing work for us in Latin America…we don’t care,” said English. “We’re going to build in one global SLA.” Two areas where the pair said specialized SLAs might make sense were to measure English language fluency and attrition. While Mehra agreed that “fluency” is subjective, he said it could be measured through a sampling of calls or surveys of whichever end users were being served. Mehra said such SLAs often measure attrition on a rolling 12-month basis, and is an area where definitions (such as whether promotions, reductions in force or departures for personal reasons count as attrition) are often the cause of hard bargaining. “However reasonable the vendor’s concerns may sound, at some point, we have to draw a line” about where and how the customer will be protected from excessive turnover, he said. In addition to SLAs, Mehra recommended regular payments based on the achievement of milestones, as well as periodic payments with provisions for holdbacks as a penalty to the provider for failures in delivery. www.globalizationtoday.com
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KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
Knowledge Management in Outsourcing by Jag Dalal, Managing Director, Thought Leadership, IAOP
An Achilles heel for many – a competitive advantage for some This is first of a series of articles based on the Advanced Intensive COP Workshops, held during the Outsourcing World Summits. Intent of the workshop is to further the knowledge of COPs in a collaborative fashion and increase the richness of OPBOK (since these topics get added to the next revision of OPBOK and Master Class in outsourcing). It also serves the purpose of providing required continuing education credit to COPs for the renewal of their certification. A key success factor for outsourcing is the service provider’s ability to collaboratively manage knowledge – acquire what is necessary from the customer, augment with experience and expertise and eventually share it with the customer. Experience has shown that a disciplined knowledge management process makes the relationship successful in the short and long term. For a customer, it is a key element of governance and for a provider, it is a key differentiator. DEFINITION: In order to understand how knowledge management can be managed, first let me define what “knowledge� means in this context. The concept of knowledge often gets fuzzy and generates confusion between aspects of knowledge, data, information and intelligence. Figure below shows the relationship among these dimensions: 12
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KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
Information is data organized according to some framework or common criteria. Outsourcing engagements generate lot of data and periodically this data is converted into information and published as status reports and findings. For example, in a call center BPO engagement, data consists of number of calls, call durations, customer “hold” times. This data is collected continuously and is generally used as a “snapshot” of activities and performance. Each data element, on its own does not provide a picture that can be analyzed to understand the overall effectiveness or efficiency of the operation. For example, a short call duration may not mean a high completion of task in an efficient manner. A high completion percentage may not reflect a successful conclusion to the caller’s request. However, when this data is combined and converted into “information”, it provides a further
insight into the operation. Information then can provide trends, comparison between operations and overall effectiveness of the engagement, as well as, the health of the outsourced environment. In the example of the call center, “successful call completion” may provide the information necessary to assess the performance. In this context, it would be necessary to define “successful” criteria, so that the data can be mapped against it to create the information. For example, a repeat call on the same issue, within X days may indicate the previously reported call duration was ineffective and the call “closing” statistic not accurate. Thus, data when converted to information will provide a better understanding of the efficiency, effectiveness and health of the call center engagement. Customers and providers can now utilize this information in assessing their relationship and discuss changes, if required. Mere availability of data or even information does not necessarily create knowledge. Knowledge requires manipulating information so as to yield an in-depth understanding of the topic at hand. In our example of the call center, understanding the subject matter of the call in depth or understanding the success factors of a superior call center can be classified as knowledge. Oxford English Dictionary defines knowledge as (i) expertise, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject, (ii) what is known in a particular field or in total; facts and information or (iii) awareness or familiarity gained by experience of a fact or situation. Booz Allen Hamilton in a 2006 published paper defined knowledge much more clearly as: ““Knowledge Management is the explicit and systematic management of vital knowledge and its associated processes of creation, organization, diffusion, use and exploitation.” (my highlights to emphasize two key words in their definition). In this article (as we discussed at the Advanced COP class at the World Summit), we will focus more on how to manage knowledge rather than debate the definition more acutely. www.globalizationtoday.com
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KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT CYCLE:
As shown in the graphic below, knowledge management is a closed loop process and it is the total feedback process loop that not only captures the knowledge but increases its currency and value. First of all, there must be the facility to “store� the knowledge. In an individual, this is our brain. For business, this is a storage mechanism utilizing knowledge management tools such as Microsoft SharePointŠ. Without establishing this infrastructure in business, knowledge management cannot be a process. It will only be anecdotal where people involved in the knowledge creation and storage will depend on human interaction. Interestingly, prior to recent technological advances, this was accomplished through “story telling� or “information exchange�. Older culture depended on their elders to hold sessions with their juniors and pass on the knowledge for learning and preservation. The cycle begins (initially) with collection of information. Classification of this information is a key element for creating knowledge. This requires that there must be taxonomy for categorizing the knowledge. This taxonomy can be based on the process or a set of standards. For example, we organize and store vast information on the IAOP’s Knowledge Center by classifying submissions using IAOP (ten) Standards as taxonomy. Without this classification, information cannot be easily shared or accessed. The next critical element in the knowledge management loop is access and dissemination of information. This will broaden the base for knowledge and create the opportunity to enhance / increase the knowledge through its use. This is quite similar to conducting “lessons learned� sessions in a call center to examine problems or achievement of a higher level of performance. This increased knowledge when deposited in the knowledge repository, will enhance the quality and value of knowledge. It will also close the loop and make the knowledge management an ever-enriching closed loop process. 16
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KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT BOUNDARIES:
As discussed above, knowledge increases its value when there are more participants in the closed loop process. In the outsourcing environment this can be extremely broad and hence, quite rich. When we look at the outsourcing relationship in the context of business environment, there are several participants in knowledge creation/use. Each of them is generally constrained within the organizational boundaries as shown in the graphic. In order to expand the breadth of knowledge management, these boundaries must not be rigid and must be transparent as far as the knowledge management is concerned. It may be easier to manage an intra-organizational boundary than extra-organizational boundaries but each of them are critical in their participation. Later in this article, we will look at the incentives and process for promoting break-through intra-organizational boundaries. In order to create an open, transparent boundary between the company (customer)
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT and supplier, knowledge management must be a key element of the agreement between the two. Requirements and incentives for participating in the knowledge management must be a part of the strategic requirement for outsourcing (generally documented in the Outsourcing Business Plan) and the outsourcing contract. The governance process must include assessment of the efficacy of the knowledge management process and, if necessary, manage improvement. In IAOP’s governance framework, this would typically be included in the framework identified as “commitment compliance” (ref: IAOP Governance Workshop material).
CREATING SUCCESSFUL KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT ENVIRONMENT:
Since knowledge creation, sharing and improving depends on encouraging wider participation, several strategies must be deployed in the environment (intra and extra-organizational). Some of these strategies may be defined and used in a “contract” between the participants (whether it is an employment agreement or an outsourcing agreement) so as to assure greater compliance with them. Here are some of the proven approaches for encouraging participation in the knowledge management process: Environmental / Infrastructure Enablers: Although, these enablers by themselves do not promote knowledge sharing and knowledge enhancement; absence of them acts as a barrier in the knowledge management process. Continued to page 53 »
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KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
Formal establishment of a knowledge repository This includes creating a physical facility (databases, bookmarking engines) as well as creating the framework for classifying and categorizing information. IAOP provides a good example of such a repository. Knowledge Center, located on IAOP website has over 1000 articles and presentations on outsourcing topics. These are coded for easier search using IAOP standards, industry, business processes and they are “tagged� with searchable “key words�. t Ease of access to the knowledge repository The ease of access will assure higher and wider participation. In today’s age of mobile devices and “cloud� based solutions, it is critical that these are taken into account when establishing access mechanism for the repository. One service provider has created an “app� for their employees’ smart phone where they can request, receive and retrieve information from their knowledge center. t Promotion of collaborative tools Access to and ease of using collaborative tools will promote a sharing culture and make it easy to pool and enhance knowledge. Use of web-based, video-enabled environment creates a better environment for collaboration than a remote, mail-based environment. One of the premier outsourcing service providers has created a “closed� IM environment and provided all employees with a directory that can guide them to the knowledgeable person on a specific topic. These IM messages are then captured in their knowledge database and categorized by subject matter. t Physical closeness Although, it may not be possible in many circumstances, studies have shown that physical proximity creates a more open environment for sharing. This has led to the “open� office layout more common in the offices. Where this is not viable, periodic physical connection is encouraged – through conferences, workshops and even topical meetings. 18
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Cultural / Organizational Incentives Since, knowledge management is heavily dependent on individuals contributing to the process, cultural and organizational incentives are critical success factors. Some of these factors are driven through organizational structure – policy and process driven; while others are a part of creating and maintaining a culture of sharing. t Rewards and recognition Although, rewards and recognition do not necessarily create a cultural change, they are critical in promoting and incenting necessary behavior. In the early days of quality management, “Quality Days� (where people show their quality related accomplishments) were forums of recognition for quality teams. t Formal and Informal sharing activities As I mentioned earlier, “story telling� is one of the informal ways of sharing knowledge. Formally setting up such sessions will enable knowledge sharing. Lessons learned exercises, when conducted formally also contribute to such sharing of experiences and results.
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
One of the best practices I have seen is practiced by a customer who has several key service providers engaged in BPO and ITO relationships. Annually, they bring all of their service providers together for a multi-day conference and set up “best practices” and “lessons learned” presentations. This enables all of the providers and customers to increase their knowledge about practices and customer relations. t Inter-personal interchanges When people are enabled and encouraged to reach out to each other, they will more easily share the knowledge. Establishing Subject Matter Expert (SME) directories, corporatecontrolled chat and bulletin boards are examples of such practices. Some of the better organized companies also establish a formal relationship between individuals by creating “mentor-mentee” or “master-apprentice” structure. Establishment of Centers of Excellence is another example of that.
Summary Creating and managing a strong knowledge management process in outsourcing is a strategic advantage for a service provider. It is a cornerstone for a customer in establishing a strong governance and business continuity process. Customers, who encourage/require their providers to work with them in creating this environment, find that in the long run it provides them with higher service performance and lower cost. Providers, who create and manage a knowledge management environment working with clients, find that they create a longer term value and relationship and end up with a stronger engagement. Creating and managing a knowledge management process requires commitment and, initially, an investment. Often, this deters companies from successfully implementing it. However, implementing a knowledge management process later in the outsourcing engagement life cycle is even more expensive and less successful in achieving strong results.
Jagdish Dalal IAOP Jagd dis ish Dalal is Managing Director, Thought Lead der e ship for IAOP and a world-renowned conssultant in the field of outsourcing. He brings ove er 3 decades of senior executive leadership exxperience at Fortune 100 companies and e PricewaterhouseCoopers. Jag is a Certified Outs Ou t ourcing Professional and in is role at IAOP®, he manaage g s the COP® program content as well as be the leaad judge for the Global Outsourcing 100 list jointly published by IAOP® and Fortune® magazine. He is a no n ted author and presenter and has earned recognittion for thought leadership in the field of IT managem ment and outsourcing.
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KNOWLEDGE WARS
KNOWLEDGE WARS
By Bobby Varanasi, COP, CEO Matryzel Consulting, Inc.
GLOBAL SOURCING & TRYST WITH GROWTH WE KNOW TOO MUCH – PERHAPS?
From understanding the conundrum with value and scale, to determining who wins or loses in the battle of wits as it relates to developing the global sourcing sector in emerging and developing nations, in the past two white papers – part of this continuing series – I have tried to address the complexities we are dealing with both as citizens of such countries, and professionals in a globalized marketplace. Among a host of other facets contributing to both the noise and the chaos – across the social, economic and commercial spectra – no discussion is complete without addressing the complexities knowledge, or lack of it, brings to the table as we know it. Do we really understand what knowledge we are collectively trying to create? We live in an era where crowd contributions – large number of “connected� people around the planet endeavoring to share what they know – have become the norm. From unstructured dissemination of information via blogs and e-commentaries to structured conversations via webinars, social networks, and Wikipedia-like sites, there is just too much information, too varied the content, and far too vast for one to sift through. So why is that a problem one may ask? I am inclined to think that across the information spectrum, too much or too little is neither good nor beneficial. Unfortunately the fallout of too much or too little information / 20
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knowledge has at times disastrous consequences, both for economies and citizens. Prudent use of information has never been man’s forte, and I am not inclined to believe that nations are any better at it. I would like to delve further and zone-in on this piece of the puzzle and how it parlays for the global sourcing industry today. DEMOCRATIZATION OF KNOWLEDGE
Industrialization has driven economies for well over 200 years now, commencing with the need to address territorial advances (re colonialism) to modernization thanks to various inventions and discoveries over many decades. In the past 30 years alone, mankind has moved so far ahead that at times it is quite impossible to imagine the great leaps of faith our ancestors have taken. Technologies, mechanics, engineering, medicine you name it and you can see advances that have
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taken us toward more comforts and quality of life (if not equally or inclusively). Most nations have settled their territorial disputes (at least to the larger extent that permitted co-existence, notwithstanding ongoing disputes over borderlines or certain tracts of land or the quest for oceanic natural resources), and have embarked on a modernization endeavor, some faster and smarter than the others. The need to continually capture existing knowledge and pass it on to the next generation – embedded in what we know as formal education systems – have become prevalent to such an extent that today it is no longer possible to be a part of a contributing citizenry without a formal qualification or structured education to back one’s knowledge. The quest to capture as much information and convert to structured knowledge has led to today’s undeniable chaos: education systems lag far behind demands placed
for content and competence across the spectrum, from governments to the private sector. Measured by qualifications and the ability to knowledgably speak about business outcomes has come to far outweigh the utility value of one’s knowledge or learning abilities. Wisdom has taken a back-seat to modernity, so goes the philosophical rant across much of the world today. Quest for quick returns has replaced the need to learn with a view to longevity, for the very simple reason that most knowledge is fast becoming irrelevant, as new knowledge quickly replaces the old! The belief that homogeneous enhancement in man’s abilities will translate to tangible returns has been upturned and discarded as no longer relevant. The need to understand this pivotal point is never more opportune than now, especially in the face of myriad endeavors being undertaken by countries and companies www.globalizationtoday.com
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KNOWLEDGE WARS around the globe. Of course this conversation is meaningless without a more specific context. For most of the past millennium, man’s endeavor at creating formal education systems was built around capturing real experience from the marketplace. Inventions quickly led to formal programs in colleges and universities, resulting in structured information dissemination first with a quest to seek knowledge sufficiently to be seen as a potential contributor to economies, and second to address one’s personal aspirations. Today aspirations override any and all concerns, thereby causing a rift so wide that measures to bridge the gap are proving insufficient. Let’s try and understand this situation in greater detail. Most industries did – more often than not – require consistent inputs in the form of knowledge and competencies, skills and abilities that spanned decades, thereby pushing people to acquire such skills and knowledge from formal institutions so as to become inclusive contributors to various endeavors (both public and private). For instance the construction sector surely required formally qualified architects and planners, engineers and builders, which therefore become areas where formal education was obtainable, because countries provisioned for it. Laying a road, operating a lathe machine or a crane didn’t need too many skills, resulting in the complete absence of formal education programs for such skills. Employers trained people on the go. Such “blue-collared� skills were not the responsibility of nations; neither did formal institutions ever cater to them. Fast-forward 50 years down the road, nothing much has changed even across most modern industries excluding the ICT sector. Formal education continues to focus on “skills and knowledge considered relevant� in the context of industry longevity, without much attention to the context of changing industry dynamics. Replication became the important goal so as to spread the knowledge, which is today leveraged from a standpoint of labor arbitrage (else the 22
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US would still have its manufacturing intact). Democratization of knowledge has been an important facet that has contributed to global growth and wealth creation (never mind its inequitable distribution). However, since most industries continued to remain relevant (we still haven’t been able to get rid of the gas pedal in the car a 100 years after the first car was invented, or even the qwerty keyboard), the illusion that they will remain intact for ever has come into serious question, thanks to the advent of computers, global telecom networks and the new normal with technology sophistry. On the other hand, the need to contain costs especially in less endowed nations drove indigenization (economists would like to term it as import-substitution, and the Indians would like to call it Jugaad), resulting again in the exclusion of the need to formally provision for all skills. So the question is – are there any adverse impacts to such discretionary provisioning of formal education systems? Well, there is as we shall see shortly. However it is important to first accept the fact that the corporate sector always took the responsibility for imparting low-end skills to its employees, while leaving national institutions for formal knowledge where higher skills were
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necessary. In some developing countries however, governments took the responsibility of setting up vocational training institutions (variously called technical training institutes, skills institutes etc) where the less-able were channeled to gaining skills at the expense of the government, backed by large industries and factories looking continually for skilled blue-collared labor. Aspirations didn’t exist as much as they do today hence provisioning such skills was considered both politically correct and economically inclusive an endeavor WHAT WE KNOW IS IRRELEVANT
The advent of the internet, global telecom networks and the spread of technology around all sectors put the biggest spanner in the works with formal education systems. They were simply not geared to re-align their content and knowledge-dissemination mechanisms to the new reality. Most institutions around the world continue to suffer from provisioning knowledge that has become either obsolete or insufficient, resulting in the biggest worry for any country – unemployment and the resultant social unrest/ anarchy. However countries did what they knew was a proven model from the yesteryears, treat the technology and technology-enabled sectors
much like the manner in which they had always treated other mature industrial sectors, i.e. to retain formal education systems without too many modifications, and provision new skills through vocational institutions. After all – it had worked once and there was no reason it wouldn’t work again. The consequence was the mushrooming of a plethora of tertiary vocational skills institutes in most developing nations, typically driven by opportunistic entrepreneurs who knew there was much money to be made from the ignorance of the general citizenry. The ICT sector created a wave of positivism in many developing nations, where the unanimous acceptance that modernity through ICT was their one sure-shot way out of poverty and entry into middle-income economies drove much of the policy making in the past two decades. Yes, some nations have really done well, but most others are languishing far behind. Meanwhile the doublewhammy to a lackluster endeavor is the increasing cost of living coupled with the sense of “uselessness” amongst citizens who aren’t able to contribute, which is beginning to bite back. The world calls this the “increasing sense of entitlement”, which I am fully inclined to believe is a consequence of an individual’s inability to contribute economically within his/ her social strata. Taking a lesson from the days of industrialization it would only be fair to assume that the private sector would take the responsibility for basic skills (which in today’s ICT world could include programming, project management, testing, development, computing skills et al) while governments and formal institutions would concern themselves with more structured and complex knowledge areas like Artificial Intelligence, 3D Imaging/ Animation, Geospatial Mapping etc. Unfortunately that isn’t happening. Formal education systems are unable to deviate from their lethargic view that course content for formal education need not be embedded in history all the time (but needs to be both relevant, and www.globalizationtoday.com
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KNOWLEDGE WARS
current). Therefore they continue to hold guard to the old ways of imparting knowledge which has become both unimportant and irrelevant (I am not sure if any 15 year old on the planet is interested in spending a full semester studying about Shakespeare or Pablo Picasso as part of his graduate course). Meanwhile, it would’ve been expected that the corporate sector would take responsibility for its own base skills. Unfortunately they have neither the penchant nor the time to do so; they are busy trying to remain relevant in an era that sees knowledge obsolescence at paces similar to the pace of its acquisition in the first place. We have therefore gone a full circle, with the responsibility dovetailing back to governments and academic institutions. As a sidebar, let’s look at some of the opportunistic providers of such content who have taken both the 24
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liberty and the responsibility of not just imparting base skills but promising employment. NGOs and private training institutions have mushroomed in many developing nations unfettered. Governance of such institutions is minimal, policy thrusts to ensure transparency with delivery doesn’t exist, monitoring mechanisms are paltry and recourse to law for breach of promises doesn’t exist. Private operators have profiteered for well over 15 years now on the misery of an increasingly disgruntled citizenry which is doing all it can to remain current and relevant to their economic well-being, hence rushing to such institutions to gain knowledge hoping fervently that such acquisition will lead to well-paying jobs within economies that are modernizing at paces too fast to comprehend. For instance India is perhaps the best (or worst, if you want to term it) example where private entities have milked the country promising instant job gratification in exchange for highly expensive vocational technology courses. Not many have been gainfully employed since, adding to their disgruntlement ad nauseum. I have also been witness to the plethora of NGOs who have taken it upon themselves to impart English language and basic BPO skills training to underprivileged/ vulnerable youth with no plans to “close the loop� by soliciting confirmations from the corporate sector for jobs, again adding to a disgruntled citizenry. Another instance where the modalities are different, but results are similar is Malaysia. The country has taken it upon itself to provision “new age skills for a knowledge-economy� by investing significantly on provisioning technology and related courses to young graduates and unemployed youth, again without any visibility to jobs. While some large global corporations like SAP, Microsoft, and Intel etc have gained significantly by cooperating with the government where such skills were provisioned by the latter in partnership with the former with a guaranteed visibility to employment, other skills that are being provisioned have no industry takers.
KNOWLEDGE WARS
What is disappointing in both cases is the manifestation of similar realities. Vocational training for base skills has become a government mandate, while the corporate sector continues to disassociate itself from the responsibility for creating its own competent resources. Granted that the corporate sector faces mammoth challenges with relevance in a fast-paced ICT environment, but that doesn’t relinquish them of the responsibility. This is the conundrum we continue to face. National endeavors at creating knowledge-enabled economies are falling short of the basic ingredient – formal provision of skills and knowledge relevant for today’s (and tomorrow’s employers and economic drivers). Existing formal systems are insufficient, and too slow to change. On the other hand corporate sector continues to disengage from the academia stating lack of understanding. A third element is those opportunistic educators (be they private entities or NGOs) who add an additional layer of complexity to an already murky situation. No wonder that the sense of entitlement amongst citizens of most developing nations is on the rise. I am afraid that this sense will soon deteriorate to social anarchy (and as a case in point the number of people who have stopped looking for a job are increasing year on year, on top of the general rate of increase in unemployment and unemployable citizens). Is there an easy way out of this issue? I am not sure. However I have a few prescriptions. For one, it is time that formal academic institutions realize that their compartmentalized environments are not only irrelevant, but highly damaging of the future of their student base, hence they are better off working hand-in-glove with the private sector/ industry (and if that means throwing out existing obsolete course content then so be it). Two, governments will have to institute quick policy reforms that take the higher education sub-sector head-on, and incorporate compulsory industry partnerships such that a longer-term view to creating citizens with skills relevant to the time
becomes a foregone conclusion. Three, corporate sector cannot relinquish its responsibility for provisioning basic skills to its employees, regardless of the massive pressure they face in their business. The competitive will survive, while others will automatically perish. After all, isn’t that what has driven human endeavor and growth? Magnanimity of governments surely results in an increasingly incompetent and illiterate workforce (I mean illiteracy in the sense of having no relevant knowledge that could find applicability in the current sectoral context, regardless of the sectors). Four, the sense of entitlement growing amongst most citizens in developing economies is not just a function of social inequities, but economic marginalization, to which knowledge/ relevant education (or lack of it) is a key contributor. Well, I have so far addressed four pertinent issues in this series so far I shall continue the series and touch upon another interesting component in my next paper, namely Inter-Sector Collaborations. So please watch this space! ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bobby Varanasi is one of the top 25 most powerful leaders in the global sourcing space, and the [founding] Chairman & CEO of Matryzel Consulting Inc, a strategy consulting, sourcing advisory and management firm headquartered in New York. Matryzel advises corporations and governments worldwide adopt concerted strategies aimed at enhancing competitiveness while focusing on their core competencies. He advises federal governments across four continents on ICT sector development with particular emphasis on policy development, industry-government partnerships aimed at creating GDP growth and enabling positive economic impacts. Bobby has advised Fortune 500 customer organizations on Strategic Planning, Mergers & Acquisitions, JVs, Private Capital Investment Evaluations, Process Reengineering, Pricing Strategies, Sourcing Relationships, Business & Financial Modeling et al, contributing immensely to global sourcing for clients.
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DON’T LOOK FOR A JOB – GET A JOB!
Don’t Just Look for a Job‌
G
! b o J a et
While I am certainly conversant on the topic, having headed Sales and/or Marketing for more than one company that professes this as a line of business, I would not say that I am a recognized “expertâ€?. Now an area where I have perhaps greater depth is in RPO, otherwise known as Recruitment Process Outsourcing. As the SVP of Sales for, the then newly created Outsourcing Group at, Spherion, we structured many deals to include the industry’s first RPO deal, with Verizon. We were metrics hounds. It probably didn’t hurt either that we owned the Saratoga Institute, the largest repository of HR data in the world. While we could slice and dice metrics to address any situation, we often found our prospects were not as analytical in their metrics. After leaving Spherion, I opened a recruiting franchise with Global Recruiters Network. I was again struck by the fact that most employers (but certainly not all), were actually not very thorough or rigid in their requirements or their process. Yes, even during a recession. They appear to be more selective, when in reality they just have more candidates to choose from now. It was about this time too that I attended a job fair at my church‌hoping to potentially find that elusive 26
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By Thom Mead
“purple squirrelâ€? candidate. What I found instead was a chance to help job seekers in a different way. I became a volunteer at our church’s job seeker ministry‌a role I have continued to do for nearly 10 years now. Having helped hundreds of people, that I know about, and multiples more that I never heard from again, I thought I would share a good portion of our ministry’s teachings‌and learnings‌through the years to hopefully help those of you currently in, or contemplating, career transition. Should you ever be in Atlanta on a Tuesday night, feel free to stop in to St. Brigid Catholic Church from 7pm-
DON’T LOOK FOR A JOB – GET A JOB!
9pm. The sessions are non-denomination and we do not charge a fee. You can find us on LinkedIn. com @ www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1851094& mostPopular=&trk=tyah, or at The Employment Network (TEN) website @ www.ten-sb.wikidot.com If this article helps you on your path to new or better employment, please feel free to drop us a comment on our LinkedIn Group page. It’s always rewarding to know we helped someone. While some may take exception to some of the comments and recommendations, they are generally true in most cases…not necessarily universally true.
Let’s start with job fairs. Overall a waste of time for job seekers and employers. If it is a specific job fair oriented to a specific function, like Marketing, or Sales, or Accounting, or an industry such as Healthcare or Banking…you might have better luck than if it is a one size fits all, one size fits none that describe most job fairs. In today’s Internet based, social media connected world, would you expect to find your job seekers who are current of the skills of the modern world in attendance. Of course not. Most employers send an HR representative, typically a recruiter, www.globalizationtoday.com
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DON’T LOOK FOR A JOB – GET A JOB! who is unable to answer any specific questions about the job. If it is a company you never heard of, they may be able to answer a few questions‌but if you did your homework on the Internet before attending, then you would have learned as much or more. I recently attended one where the companies took turns introducing themselves, and one executive stood up and said, �I work for the company but don’t have anything to do with hiring, I run Marketing. I’ll be happy to collect your resumes and answer any questions you have about the company�. Hmmm, could I not submit online and accomplish the same thing? If it is a small to midsized company and I give them a paper copy of my resume, how do I get into their applicant tracking system to be matched to their opportunities? The objective in the job seeking process is to speak with the hiring manager‌not a company recruiter. Only the hiring manager feels the pain of his helicopter structural engineer, with a Masters degree and experience on Sikorsky and Bell helicopters, not being on the job on a Federal contract. The recruiter may have 20-30 positions to fill, and this one is just too hard to fill. As a retained recruiter years ago, I filled this very position in 3 weeks when my client’s company recruiter could not fill it for 9 months. Job fairs work best for entry level positions. It’s wishful thinking that a CFO, or a Consulting Managing Director, or a Head of Sales will find their next position attending a job fair. Recruiters are not all created equal. There are broadly speaking three basic kinds of recruiters, Retained, Contingency and Corporate. In any category, the best have an area of specialized focus. You should interview them to determine if they are of the caliber of individual you want 28
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representing you in your job search. However, under NO circumstances should you ever pay an agency/recruiter to find a job for you. Retained and Contingency are essentially the same‌well, at least the good ones. The primary difference between the two is when they get paid. Retained recruiters are typically paid a portion up front, partial payment during the process and the balance upon hire. Some are paid in full even if the position is never filled. Many are paid regardless of where the candidate was sourced from, even the company itself. Their loyalty, being they have already been paid, is to the employer. They have little vested interest in helping you to get the job, other than completing the assignment for the employer. Whether you get hired or not, or somebody else gets hired, they still get paid. By contrast, contingency recruiters are paid ONLY when they fill the position for their client. You will likely get more assistance/coaching as job seeker from a contingency recruiter as they likely also have more positions they are working simultaneously. There are some extraordinary contingency recruiters, but they are rare. The turnover rate is like that of a stockbroker‌ most (like 95%) do not last 90 days‌so do your homework.
DON’T LOOK FOR A JOB – GET A JOB! Corporate recruiters at large companies often have some degree of specialization. As the company size gets smaller they become more generalists, assigned to fill any open position. Mostly they are the second screen of your resume (not your qualifications). The first scan is done by the computer. If you did not have the right, or enough of, the relevant keywords for the position, the computer will screen you out and the recruiter likely will never see your resume. The primary purpose of the resume is to make it easier to disqualify you. It is for that reason, the average resume is read (scanned would be a more accurate statement), for a total of 23 seconds. More on this later. Getting an interview with the hiring
manager is the goal…period. If you can gain access to this person without a job fair, a resume, or a recruiter, then that should be your first goal. The simple truth is networking remains the #1 way to find a job. But if the last time you looked for a job was 20+ years ago, even networking has changed. When people hear networking, they quickly think of family, friends, past colleagues…and job fairs (ugh). There are often job networking events also… and if you are seeing the same people each week and not getting introductions, then try a different group since the one you are attending is now more m of a club for the unemployed than a networking venue from which you will make me meaningful contacts. Best to look for networkin networking events where there are ar mostly employed people. people Doing some voluntee volunteer or pro bono work is another ap approach. Probably the best reso single resource for netwo networking in today’s world is LinkedIn.com. Linked There ar are people who wh teach courses co on this to topic so I cannot cann do it justice in the space
of this article, and will not even try. But, here are some basics to get you started. First consider the numbers when it comes to networking. Let’s say you are connected to 100 people on LinkedIn.com within the next 30 days. And if on average each of them was connected to 100 people (some like me will be connected to many, many more). This means that within 30 days, you are connected to 10,000 people (100 x 100) who are one recommendation away from helping you. If only 10% of those were even in your industry, you have 1000 people you could network with to find a position. If only 10% of those were even hiring, then you have 100 people who can potentially help you. If you could get an interview with only 10 of these people, then you would have 10 interviews. You only need one job. How many interviews did you have last month? How many hiring managers did you speak with last month? LinkedIn enables the job seeker to reach out and touch people they may have never previously had access to before, or even known about. For some, who they know is sufficient to enable them to get repotted into a new role fairly quickly. In case you are thinking it is you, it is probably one in a thousand who can make this claim. They are the best at what they do. The best recruiters call them whenever they have
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DON’T LOOK FOR A JOB – GET A JOB!
an opening. They are known throughout their industry, might have a blog or spoken at numerous conferences. Jobs find them. Still think it is you? With Linked In, if you do get an interview somewhere, you can research the company by reaching out to people who currently or previously worked there and get insights that will make you appear a sharper, more thorough candidate. Jobs are posted on LinkedIn, and often you can see the hiring manager who posted it. If you are a weak or lazy job seeker, you just blindly submit your resume as you would at any other job board. But if you realized that 400 other people did the same thing this week‌what makes you think you will stand out? Do your research, find a connection, and then reach out. Make your search more efficient and instead of searching endlessly through the same jobs each day, you can set up an RSS feed to be alerted when new jobs meeting your search requirements are posted. More about this technique and other advanced job search techniques can be found at: www.vimeo.com/16547988, courtesy of Jim Stroud. Another, often overlooked approach to networking, is what I call “cold networkingâ€?, and it is amazingly successful. When 30
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I owned my executive search firm, I would at times have an open desk. When I did, I made the desk available to job seekers from the St Brigid career ministry in which I volunteered. Since most people lack discipline during their job search and do not treat it with the same rigor as the job they are seeking, if they were to ever get it, I provided that professional work atmosphere‌free of charge. My offer was simple, “Anyone who wants to find a job the way a recruiter would find them a job, is welcome to come to my office for 3 days, and I will train you personally.â€? In all, eight people took me up on the offer, some more than once, when they were in search mode againâ€?. People who had not had any success finding a job for 6, 12, 18 months, in every job category‌ C-level, salesperson, engineering, accounting‌it works for anyone. After giving them their crash course in “cold-networkingâ€?, I put them on the phones. The only hard requirement was you cannot go home until you have tried to reach 100 people each day‌by phone. Most were not there, close to 60%, resulting in voicemail. In a typical day, they would have a conversation with a hiring manager 10-20 times. In all, the average person left after 3 days with 7 interviews scheduled.
I can recall one seeker, out of work more than a year. She had 4 interviews in a year, but no offers. She came in, Starbucks coffee in one hand, dragging her computer bag with the other. The initial dialogue went something like this:
Jane (not her real name): Well, I’m here am, I’m ready to do this! Me: Great, have a seat, get settled, bathrooms are outside by the elevators. Did you bring the calling list I emailed to you yesterday? Jane: Oh nuts, I left it at home. I can run and get it. I live pretty close, should only take about 30 minutes to get it. Me: No need, I have a copy I can print another for you. (Basically she was not leaving after reporting for “workâ€?) Jane: Where can I plug in my laptop? Me: You won’t need it Jane: Oh, do I just use your network? Me: No Jane: Then how do I research the companies before I call them? Me: You don’t (she begins to turn pale with the look of a scared cat with its pupils fully dilated) Jane: Then how do I know what jobs they have if I don’t look at the company website? Me: You are not looking for a job‌ you are networking.
DON’T LOOK FOR A JOB – GET A JOB!
Picking up the phone to talk with a person whom you have not met seems to almost universally strike fear in people for some reason. Even if it is a professional request for help networking. But if you were standing in line at Kohl’s customer service as the person in front of you tries to refund or exchange their 37 items they purchased over the last year and has no receipt, you would likely not feel uncomfortable speaking with the person behind you, or speaking with the department manager…both of whom you never met before. If you don’t get on the phone and reach out to network, essentially a cold call, you will soon be making a different cold call…to the mortgage company trying to explain why you have not been paying your bill. Surprisingly, more people would prefer to call the mortgage company. BTW, Kohl’s has amazing customer service! But as for Jane, having digested her training, scripts in hand, coffee refilled…she begins calling. Within 90 minutes she reaches the Regional President for a leading paint manufacturer. He answers his own phone. They begin to have a dialogue. She is deftly taking his questions and redirecting them to her strengths.
He stops the conversation short to get to a meeting, but asks her to call back at 1pm…he wants to have his VP of Sales on the call also. They speak at 1pm and a face to face interview is set. Another job seeker was a CIO. He walked into the office, greeted me, then smugly said:
Bill (not his real name): Thom, I seriously doubt that a CIO with a minimum base of $160K is going to find a job by “cold calling”. But, I figure it is the 3 days before Thanksgiving and most people won’t be there anyways.
In his first hour, he connected with the president of a local Atlanta company. The president stopped him in the middle of his pitch stating, “Bill, we already have a CIO…and I’d fire his butt (sic) in a heartbeat if I thought I had found a decent replacement. Are you free for lunch this week? Suffice it to say, networking remains the #1 way, by far, for finding a job. But networking is not what it used to be 20 years ago. With social networking sites, sites like LinkedIn.com, the ability to run Boolean searches and have relevant positions sent to you and all the other tools at your disposal, there is no reason to play the job board lottery and blindly submit your resume a few times a day and wait for the phone to ring. Should you not use job boards? You definitely should… just don’t use them the same way as everyone else and expect better results. There has been much written about resumes, and a lot of it even conflicts. So if what you are doing is not working…try a different approach. But what I, and many professional recruiters, HR Professionals and hiring managers have told us are the critical things on a resume to be considered are as follows:
Me: Bill have a seat… (similar Objective Statement: dialogue to Jane)
Yes, you should have one. Like the headline on a newspaper, www.globalizationtoday.com
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DON’T LOOK FOR A JOB – GET A JOB! it orients the reader to why they should read your resume. Applying for a position as a bank teller but stating you want to be an Interior Designer will not help. The objective should relate to the position to which you are applying. It is helpful to orient the reader to the value you will bring to the position‌such as‌ “I have secured contracts, more than once, with every leading retailer. I can get products on the shelves at Kroger, Target, Wal-Mart, Albertsons and others faster than anyone you are likely to consider.â€? May sound bold, as a former head of Sales for three F500 companies, you have my complete attention. Major Accomplishments: List 4-6 major accomplishments related to your objective and to the position for which you applied. It is essential to have quantifiable achievements. Vague platitudes that do not also indicate the value you created will lead one to believe you did not create any value, or equally bad, you have no idea if you contributed any value to your previous employers. Juggling a soccer ball 2361 times is not a job requirement for a Tax Manager. According to an Internet survey, 56% of employers will dismiss a candidate if there is just one typographical error on the resume‌and 83% if there are two errors. Ask 2-3 people to proofread it. The descriptions of your 32
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positions held should reflect the value you contributed to your employer. Again, these should be quantifiable accomplishments. Speaking of Facebook, heard on the news today that 69% of employers are disqualifying candidates based on the candidate’s social media profile. Remember those varied dating sites you to which you subscribed, those block party pictures of you playing beer pong? Guess what‌if it is in the public domain, it is fair game. That carefree, youthful moment of questionable judgment that seemed like a good idea at the time, may cost you the job. Do not put any text in the
header of the document. About 5% of the time, candidates put their contact information in the header, and not where it should be‌in the body text, within the margins. Why? Many of the prevailing applicant tracking systems do not parse the data in the header. The result is your resume data is stored‌and it is even searchable. But because your contact information was left out, they cannot identify and contact you. Affix a QR code to your resume in the upper right corner of the first page. This is especially helpful if you have a long version of your resume online, with project listings, awards and such. You can
DON’T LOOK FOR A JOB – GET A JOB! eliminate distractions and in the process eliminate excuses. Based solely on the approach, discipline and effort you are putting forth every day to find a job…to sell yourself into a job…would you hire you? It is one of the reasons the employed seeker is the preferred seeker. Their work ethic likely has not taken a holiday. They are fresh, sharp and on top of their game. There are no helpless victims in the job search. You get out of it what you put into it. Tiger Woods, Lee Trevino, Arnold Palmer, and Bubba Watson all play golf. They all played the same courses. They all swing the club very differently. And they all have won major golf tournaments. Even as Augusta National was lengthened, all the players had to adjust their game to compete and win the Masters. You need to do the same with your job search. For more tips, information, and job searching advice, please visit our group page on LinkedIn, or visit The Employment Network (TEN) website @ www.ten-sb.wikidot.com Good Hunting!
Google “QR Generator” to create one. Affix it to the back of your personal business card as well. Arial is the easiest type to read. Be sure your font style and formatting is consistent throughout. Have a professional/neutral email. John1959@ whatever.com is likely an indicator that John is 53 years old. 1hotchik@whatever.com may be fine for Match.com, but not your resume. A new address on Google is free and worth the effort. Similarly, have a voicemail recording that is professional… not one with the family, the dog contributing their voices with YMCA playing in the background. The last tip I will offer here is to treat your job as a job…more specifically a sales job. Have a daily stretch quota of how many phone calls you will make or how many people you will speak with each day. Do not run errands during work…do it before, after or at lunch…just like you would do if you got your dream job. Put in a full day’s work each day,
Thom Mead Thom m has been a key figure in structuring and closin ing g more than $17B of outsourcing transactions in hiss career. Thom was VP of Marketing, Alliances & Channels – North America for Firstsource, CMO fo for o EXLservice, SVP - Sales for Spherion, VP of Sales and Marketing for Unisys Outsourcing and VP of Glob Gl o al Marketing for ACS where he also served as presid iden e t for an ACS BPO subsidiary. Thom can be reached at: 770-76 69-7795 thom.m mead@yaho oo.com om www.lin nkedin.com/p /pub/t /tho hom-mead ad/0 /0/224 24/a98
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Consumerization of IT
CONSUMERIZATION OF IT: WHY CONTEXT MATTERS By Bob Janssen
Employees are growing more comfortable working from their own devices, whether these are laptops, smartphones or tablets. self-service delivery of applications in their personal lives. IT must manage these new devices entering the workplace, so they can take the lead on what is possible, device regulation. The IT department’s aim should be supporting user productivity and does not offer business value. Bob Janssen, RES Software, reports. The first step for assessing how to support users on their own devices is to understand the roles they have. Does it make sense for this group of users to have access to applications while they are mobile? Based on this information, IT can establish a set of flexible business rules governing which employees should be using which applications on which devices. This involves creating a strategy and standards for providing access that adapts to the users’ changing needs, while still allowing IT to retain control over corporate IT services. This means looking at users based on their context: where they are, what device they are using and how much access they should be given at any point, rather than strictly on their 34
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identities. The objective should be to provide a secure workspace that enables users to be as productive as possible, without squeezing out the efficiencies being delivered by IT. A user’s context includes application and data requirements, as well as other variables such as device types, physical locations and times of day. As ‘bring your own PC’ programmes start to become popular with both employees and companies, IT will be forced to move away from the current devicecentric approach to desktop management. Instead, they will need to manage IT at the user level. For example, a user may be on a laptop during the day, but rely on a tablet or smartphone outside the office, switching between devices when necessary. For most enterprises, this user-centric approach will be a new way of delivering desktop management that isn’t supported by their traditional technology architectures. IT departments must find ways to manage this new way of consuming technology while retaining the benefits of automation and scalability that enterprise IT has worked so hard to achieve.
Consumerization of IT
PROVIDING END-USER FLEXIBILITY
SHIFTING DELIVERY MODELS
The number of ways an application or entire desktop can be delivered to employees has expanded tremendously, from server-based to cloud-based to virtual. These methods for delivering access are all meant to provide the best possible user experience at the most cost-effective rate. However, no single delivery method is appropriate for every user. Mobile workers may not work well with virtual desktops, while task workers will be suited to server-based computing. This often results in a hybrid desktop scenario for IT. “IT as a service� (ITaaS) is one model that IT can use to accommodate the ways in which applications and services are delivered. ITaaS allows employees to request the applications and services they need and have them provisioned automatically. For IT managers, moving to ITaaS requires a deep understanding of how content use changes based on users’ varying contexts, even in a day. It also requires that companies look at what applications each user requires based on their roles, what devices they will be using and where and when to permit access.
Instead of having to go through IT for all assets, ITaaS is based on giving all employees a standard desktop build that can be personalised. IT can also provide employees with access to additional applications or tools they might need via a self or service, they can request it through the portal and have that app installed automatically once approved. Enterprise IT can track and monitor how assets are used, to ensure the organisation remains compliant and that costs are kept low. The model is a corporate version of an ‘app store,’ where users access applications based on their changing contexts while widely-used apps remain part of everyone’s base services. A successful corporate app store relies on making this service catalogue respond to user context. This includes eliminating their ability to request ‘off-limit’ applications or services, based on their identity, location, device and time of day. The aim is to simplify use of IT resources and support employees up additional IT costs. The consumerisation of IT is making organisations rethink their management approaches from device, data and application perspectives. Focusing on what users really need and when will be a requirement for forward-thinking IT departments looking to provide For IT managers, this future focuses less on static assets and more on the delivery of services that provide business value. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bob Janssen is the co-founder and Chief Technical Officer of RES Software. He has been responsible for product vision, strategy and development at RES Software since cofounding the company in 1999.
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WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE IAOP
IAOP IAOP IAOP IAOP P IAOP IAOP IA AOP IAOP IAOP IAOP IAOP IAOP IA AOP IAOP IAOP IAOP IAOP IAOP P IAOP IAOP IAOP IAOP P IAOP IAOP IA AOP IAOP IAOP IAOP
CONFERENCES & EVENTS THE 2012 LATIN AMERICA OUTSOURCING SUMMIT October 1-2 at Hotel Unique in Sao Paulo, Brazil
Building on the momentum of the first Latin America Outsourcing Summit, held in Colombia in 2011, which drew over 300 outsourcing professionals, we are excited to announce The 2012 IAOP Latin America Outsourcing Summit, which will bring the thought-leadership and global network of the International Association of Outsourcing ProfessionalsÂŽ (IAOPÂŽ) together with leaders from across the Latin American business community. An exceptional opportunity for individuals and organizations involved in 36
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WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE IAOP MEMBERSHIP Membership in IAOP provides access to an extensive array of services, and just as importantly distinguishes organizations and professionals as leaders in the field of outsourcing. IAOP membership demonstrates a commitment to innovative thinking, continuous performance improvement, and to the sustaining development of outsourcing as both an industry and as a profession.
MEMBER SERVICES IAOP membership provides access to a wide range of services designed to help you and your organization improve outsourcing outcomes. Many of these services are included as part of IAOP’s Professional or Corporate Membership, with discounts available for use beyond the level provided. Some services are also available individually at non-member rates.
CUSTOMER CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP Organizations that are currently outsourcing or are considering one or more outsourcing initiatives should become Customer Corporate Members of IAOP. This membership provides organization-wide access to the association’s research, training, certification, and networking programs - all designed to help companies achieve better business results through outsourcing.
t (MPCBMJ[BUJPO 5PEBZ - The official publication of IAOP creates the largest and best informational publication on outsourcing by uniting and tapping the collective intellect of individuals from around the world. IAOP Members receive a free subscription plus the opportunity to get published, promote products/services and advertise.
PROVIDER/ADVISOR CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP Outsourcing service providers and advisory firms should join IAOP as Provider/Advisor Corporate Members. This membership provides the same organization-wide access to IAOP’s research, training, certification, and networking programs as Customer Corporate Membership, but also includes member-only sponsorship opportunities that serve the marketing and business development needs of these companies. PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP Professional Membership is available to individuals either as part of their company’s corporate membership or on an individual basis. This membership serves the needs of practitioners working in the field of outsourcing whether as customers, providers, or advisors. In addition, it provides these professionals with direct, personal access to association services. For information on IAOP membership, e-mail sales@iaop.org.
outsourcing as customers, providers, and advisors with operations in the region or looking to do business in this exciting region to both understand and leverage the explosion of outsourcing taking place across this part of the world. With Brasscom as our partner, the support of our members in Latin America, and SĂŁo Paulo, Brazil as the backdrop, this event will unlock the power of outsourcing for all of Latin America and for the global community of outsourcing professionals. For information on sponsoring or speaking, go to www. IAOP.org/LATAM.
t *"01 T ,OPXMFEHF $FOUFS - This online repository houses more than 1,000 articles, including chapter meeting presentations, conference proceedings, industry whitepapers, research articles and more. t (MPCBM $IBQUFS /FUXPSL Through its active and expansive chapter network, IAOP members can share their expertise and find knowledge on best practices for specific industry segments, topics and geographic areas within outsourcing. t $POGFSFODFT &WFOUT IAOP hosts the world’s best-known and most highly-respected executive conferences on the topic of outsourcing, including The Outsourcing World SummitŽ. t 0VUTPVSDJOH 1SPGFTTJPOBM $FSUJÜDBUJPO 'SBNFXPSLT (OPCF) - RIAOP’s trainings and certifications are the industry’s de facto. Members receive substantial discounts. t 7BMVF )FBMUI $IFDL 4VSWFZ - This web-based diagnostic tool provides outsourcing customers and service providers with rapid insights to realizing outsourcing value. t NEW! (MPCBM 4VQQMZ 3JTL .POJUPS - A unique web-based product that enables clients to monitor, predict and manage the various risks in their services supply chain (captive centers and outsourced services such as ITO, BPO, KPO etc) across countries, cities and suppliers, in real-time. t #FTU0VUTPVSDJOH+PCT DPN - Companies seeking the best talent for outsourcing jobs, as well as professionals looking for employment opportunities, will benefit from this IAOP member service. For more detailed information on each of these member services, visit www.IAOP.org/MemberServices.
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WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE IAOP CORPORATE & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT GLOBAL OUTSOURCING TRAINING FROM IAOP THE 2013 OUTSOURCING WORLD SUMMITŽ
!" #$ #$!' * 7; < = > @ * = Q [ Save the Date! Register by 5/31 and get $400 Off PLUS a Free Room Night!
97% of 2012 Summit delegates rated The Outsourcing World Summit â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;good to excellentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; when compared to other industry events. We arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t surprised. Every year, hundreds of outsourcing executives from across the industry and around the world who are seeking the very latest insights and ideas attend the Summit. Educational sessions deliver specific actionable solutions to current challenges faced by experienced professionals. Case studies feature actual experiences and the lessons learned, and discuss new ideas, approaches and opportunities. The Outsourcing World Summit has become the event that executives attend each and every year to stay informed of the latest developments affecting the outsourcing industry and their profession. For more information and to register, visit www.IAOPorg/Summit. CALENDAR OF EVENTS
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The calendar is frequently updated â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to stay current, check IAOPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website for details at www.IAOP.org/calendar. IAOP Professional Members may attend an unlimited number of chapter meetings. IAOP also offers complimentary Associate Membership which allows non-members the opportunity to attend up to two chapter meetings as IAOPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s guest. Go to www.IAOP.org/chapters for more information and to register.
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Today May 2012
IAOP Training- Maintain Your Competitive Advantage
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Outsourcing is a highly strategic, complex, and ever changing process that requires constant governance, due diligence and monitoring on the part of clients and service providers. Keeping up with changes in the field and implementing best practices is critical to outsourcing success - IAOP provides state of the art instructor led and online training on outsourcing best practices for both clients and service providers. IAOP training delivers the knowledge and skills outsourcing practitioners need to keep up with the ever changing field of outsourcing.â&#x20AC;? Jim Shea, COP-GOV A new year brings expanded opportunities for individuals and companies to incorporate IAOP outsourcing training into their plans for exceptional development. Expanding on the success of the globally lauded COP Master Class, IAOP is adding new training opportunities, both live and online, that will appeal to outsourcing professionals at every step of their career pathway. IAOP offers: t COP Master Class (Live public or on-site private, online) - the de facto end-to-end global training for outsourcing professionals. (leads to IAOP aCOP or COP Certification) t Outsourcing Professional Course Catalog Accredited course offerings through our training partners, such as the eSCM Capability Model courses from ITSqc, or the Sourcing Governance Foundation course (leads to IAOP COS-FP Certification) t Governance Workshop (Live public or on-site private, online) - gain comprehensive, cutting-edge knowledge on all aspects of creating and sustaining successful relationships with your outsourcing partners (leads to IAOP COP-GOV Certification) t Service Provider Business Development Workshop (Live on-site private, online) - provides service providers, large and small, with the knowledge and skills to deal with complex and rapidly changing market realities and challenges needed to win and survive (leads to IAOP COP-BD Certification) Tailored training packages from 1 - 10,000 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; for more information contact sales@IAOP.org.
WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S HAPPENING AT THE IAOP COP MASTER CLASS & GOVERNANCE WORKSHOP SCHEDULE
Resources - (COS-HR) t Certified Outsourcing Specialist - Foundation Principles (COS-FP) New!
The COP Master Class is a great option for earning up to half (75 points) of the Knowledge and Training points Certified Outsourcing Professionals needed for COP certification, and fully completes t Associate Certified Outsourcing Professional the required training for the aCOP designation. (aCOP) Completing the one day Governance Workshop is t Certified Outsourcing Professional - (COP) worth another 15 COP Certification points. t Certified Outsourcing Professional - Governance Professional development is an important part (COP-GOV) New! of staying ahead in your career. Whether you are a t Certified Outsourcing Professional - Business novice in the outsourcing profession or a veteran, the Development (COP-BD) New! COP Master Class continues to provide new content t Certified Outsourcing Professional - Human to improve your skill set with our training offerings. Resources - (COP-HR) Currently Under With our multi class locations and online options, Development there is an option for everyone. WHY CERTIFICATION WILL BENEFIT YOU 2012 CLASSES CURRENTLY ACCEPTING ENROLLMENT ARE:
t .": Ĺą HARBOUR PLAZA METROPOLIS, HONG KONG t +6/& Ĺą ASIA E-UNIVERSITY, KUALA LUMPUR t +6/& Ĺą KINGBRIDGE CONFERENCE CENTRE, TORONTO, CANADA t +6-: Ĺą ASIA E-UNIVERSITY, KUALA LUMPUR t 4&15 Ĺą ASIA E-UNIVERSITY, KUALA LUMPUR t 4&15&.#&3 Ĺą INVERNESS HOTEL AND CONFERENCE CENTER, DENVER, CO (NEW!)* t 4&15 Ĺą #3&6,&-&/ 5)& /&5)&3-"/%4 CERTIFICATION
As the management practice of outsourcing continues to mature, achieving a professional certification will ensure that outsourcing professionals are capable of meeting the design, implementation and management demands of projects across the globe. The use of outsourcing within organizations has increased as companies are starting to see that to build a bigger and better structure within, outsourcing is one of the most important pieces. Be prepared to take on the gravitational changes to outsourcing by becoming a Certified Outsourcing Professional or Associate Certified Outsourcing Professional. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just follow the trend; lead your company to success by initiating it.
IAOP, through our Outsourcing Professional Certification Framework (OPCF) is addressing the needs of individuals who work across the global outsourcing industry from entry level positions focused on the delivery of outsourced services through to senior executives leading global For more information on any of IAOPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s programs and outsourcing programs at customer, provider and services, email info@iaop.org. advisor organizations. FREE WEBINARS: THE INS & OUTS OF CERTIFICATION
IAOP certifications are now available at every step in the career pathway: Certified Outsourcing Specialists
t Certified Outsourcing Specialist-Transaction Processing - (COS-TP) t Certified Outsourcing Specialist-Finance & Accounting - (COS-F&A) t Certified Outsourcing Specialist - Human
Want to understand your certification options and how one of IAOPs designations can benefit you and your company? Regular complimentary webinars are held on COP Certification/Master Class, COP Recertification, and the OPCF Framework of Certifications. Companies can request a special webinar for their teams. Space is limited and preregistration is required. All attendees will receive a www.globalizationtoday.com
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WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S HAPPENING AT THE IAOP
special gift from IAOP. Recorded versions are also available for 24/7 replay. Contact Courtney Coon at courtney.coon@iaop.org for dates and registration information. For more information on any of IAOPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s programs and services, email info@iaop.org.
and Company! For current COPs this is a great way to keep your information up to date at all times. Just login to your MY IAOP and enter your updated information into your Member Profile. It will automatically update in the directory. Check out the new COP Directory: www.IAOP.org/COPDirectory. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES AVAILABLE
10-QUESTION QUIZ: FIND OUT IF YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO BECOME CERTIFIED
Are you prepared to successfully manage outsourcing initiatives? Do you have the knowledge and experience needed to join the industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most elite Certified Outsourcing Professionals? Begin your journey to earning one of IAOPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most distinguished designations by testing your outsourcing professional skills with IAOPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 10 question quiz at www.IAOP.org/Quiz. Once you have completed the quiz email it to copprogramservices@iaop.org for your results. Those who submit the quiz will receive a complimentary electronic sample of the Outsourcing Professional Body of Knowledge (OPBOK) from IAOP partner Van Haren Publishing.
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No matter what industry you are in, IAOP has resources available for all outsourcing professionals. For the latest titles from IAOP, ITSqc and others please visit www.iaopbookshop.com, and get 15% off of any title you order. Also new from IAOP are titles from the American Bar Association found at the IAOP/ABA Legal Bookstore (www.ababooks. org/affiliate/iaop). For more information on any of IAOPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s programs and services, email info@iaop.org. NEWSWIRE
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THE COP DIRECTORY IS YOUR GUIDE TO THE MOST QUALIFIED OUTSOURCING PROFESSIONALS!
Increased need and demand leads to more educational offerings
Want to see who the COPs are in your company? Looking to work with the industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most elite professionals? Head on over to the NEW COP Directory where you can search by Name, Country
With the outsourcing industry continuing to experience 10 percent growth, the need for outsourcing professionals to stay up to date on the latest trends and standards is more pertinent than
Today May 2012
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE IAOP “Being a COP is a differentiator,” says JoAnn Martin of Pitney Bowes, COP, PBI and PMP. “Gaining this certification has allowed me the expanded scope of knowledge learned, experienced and gathered from my peers to help guide my company in outsourcing maturity. The COP certification goes beyond the validity a certification brings. COPs help align customers, vendors and consultants in outsourcing in order to achieve company success in the global economy.” MASTER CLASS PARTICIPATION INCREASES
ever, fueling an increase in professional certification training programs. In response to the increased need and demand from individuals and companies employing outsourcing professionals globally, the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals® (IAOP®) has continued to expand its educational offerings in its Certified Outsourcing Professional® (COP) program. New offerings include the Service Provider Business Development Workshop, a one-day live or online program that earns 15 points towards the COP certification and qualifies candidates for the new Certified Outsourcing Professional - Business Development (COP-BD) certification. “Outsourcing is a highly strategic, complex and ever-changing process that requires constant governance, due diligence and monitoring on the part of clients and service providers,” said Jim Shea, CEO of CDI Online Management Services, who holds the designations of COP-BD and COP-GOV. “Keeping up with changes in the field and implementing best practices is critical to outsourcing success.” The number of professionals gaining the COP designation that validates expertise in the endto-end process of outsourcing continues to rise. More than 325 professionals from 22 countries have received COP designations, while over 650 applications for award of the certification are now under consideration by the Outsourcing Standards Board, IAOP reports.
IAOP also has seen a 25 percent increase from 2010 to 2011 in its COP Master Class training, a comprehensive learning experience for improved outsourcing outcomes. Over 1,000 professionals have undergone the COP Master Class training globally and report high satisfaction with the program with 92 percent of attendees saying they gained skills specific to their position and also gathered new ideas to bring back to their companies and more than 75 percent responding that it met or exceeded their expectations of improving their outsourcing ability. To offer greater flexibility, IAOP has changed the Master Class format from a four to three-day class held at prestigious executive conference centers and also increased options for companies to hold on-site private classes. In North America, the Master Class and one-day Governance workshop can be combined to give executives more training in one business trip, reducing travel expenses. All IAOP training also is available online for universal accessibility. “IAOP provides state-of-the-art instructor led and online training on outsourcing best practices for both clients and service providers,” Shea says. “The COP training delivers the knowledge and skills outsourcing practitioners need to keep up with the ever-changing field of outsourcing.” Among the upcoming COP Master Classes being held globally are sessions April 16-19 and June 1114 in Kuala Lumpur; May 9-11 in Hong Kong; and June 25-28 in Toronto combined with the one-day Governance workshop. For a schedule of Master Classes and professional training, see IAOP. www.globalizationtoday.com
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SCRAPBOOK
China Week IAOPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inaugural China Week recently brought together outsourcing leaders from IAOPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s four China chapters discussing important topics ranging from outsourcing services, governance, innovation and outsourcing trends. The meetings were held in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Beijing and Shandong (Jinan). IAOP CEO, Debi Hamill, and Chairman, Mike Corbett, were among the attendees at the weeklong event. â&#x20AC;&#x153;China Week provided a concentrated platform to bring together the outsourcing community from within China and elsewhere to share thought leadership on subjects at the top of mind for all outsourcing professionals,â&#x20AC;? said Hamill. Opening the event in Shanghai, chapter chair Eric Rongley, CEO of Bleum, Inc., focused the meeting on Governance. Guest keynote Edge Zarella, Clients and Innovation Partner at KPMG, presented on 5IF *NQPSUBODF PG (PWFSOBODF #FTU 1SBDUJDF JO 0VUTPVSDJOH Hong Kong Chapter chair, Sidney Yuen, held his chapter meeting in conjunction with the Luoyang Outsourcing Summit, in which Mike Corbett discussed (MPCBM 5SFOET JO 0VUTPVSDJOH BOE UIF SFTVMUT PG UIF *"01 .FNCFS 4VSWFZ The Beijing Chapter, chaired by Angela Wang of Neusoft, and co-chairs Ken Schulz of VanceInfo and Michael Rehkopf of ISG, highlighted the outsourcing industry in China with presentations on 7BMVF "TTVSBODF JO 0VUTPVSDJOH o *EFOUJGZJOH BOE 4UPQQJOH 7BMVF -FBLBHF -FWFSBHJOH 0VUTPVSDJOH UP &OIBODF *OOPWBUJPO BOE 8JO JO UIF (MPCBM .BSLFU BOE B QBOFM EJTDVTTJPO PO 5IF 4PVSDJOH *OEVTUSZ JO UIF 3JTJOH 8PSME moderated by Nielse Jiang, Head and Chief Consultant, Government Business, ISG China. The Jinan Commerce Bureau hosted the chapter meeting headed by chapter chair Matthew Bruno, Managing Director, Resource Pro. The primary focus of the meeting was on data security. Arthur Wang, Security Specialist of Resource Pro, presented a session entitled 1SPUFDU :PVS JOGPSNBUJPO 20
Today December 2010
Outsourcing Professional Certification FrameworkTM (OPCF) The OPCF is designed to address the needs of individuals who work across the global outsourcing industry from entry level positions focused on the delivery of outsourced services through to senior executives leading global outsourcing programs at customer, provider, and advisor organizations. At each stage in an individual’s career there is an opportunity for both professional development and professional recognition. The OPCF is made up of three families of certifications:
Certified Outsourcing ExecutiveTM (COE) Certified Outsourcing Professional® (COP) Certified Outsourcing SpecialistTM (COS)
BENEFITS OF CERTIFICATION Certification establishes a level of professional recognition essential in a field as complex and risk-based as outsourcing. When working together across the customer-provider relationship, certification brings a common framework for success that benefits both organizations involved. Certified individuals command greater respect within the industry and their companies, higher compensation levels, and expanded and enhanced career opportunities.
*
I’M A COP
*Expect better, more consistent results with me.
Training programs are available at the individual and corporate level. For more information, visit
www.IAOP.org/OPCF.
ADVERTISER INDEX PAGE #
COMPANY NAME
URL
14, 15
Accenture
www.accenture.com
10
BCS
www.bcs.org
0, 2, 43
International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP)
www.IAOP.org