These days I believe outsourcing is immediately understood as
exporting work to foreign lands with abundant labor pools working for
pennies on the dollar, not the dictionary definition.
Outsourcing conjures many opinions and often emotions in people around the
world. From various documentaries I’ve seen and material read, attitudes
range from resignation on the part of workers on the “low cost” end, to
heated resentment by those displaced.
I’ve gone through a number of attitudes about outsourcing myself.
For example, from a purely “clinical” perspective, in one sense it’s
basically another form of competition, with plenty of room for debate
about how healthy that competition is.
As a small business owner that supports other businesses, I carefully
consider what and how to outsource, and plan on using local contractors whenever possible. This is cooperative economics (Ujamaa, as observed in Kwanzaa).
Any type of outsourcing should also consider conditions for workers, crucial
to any Diverse Elements affiliation. For example, it would be a major disappointment if someone marketing advice for Personal Branding on the Internet exploited anyone (and dissociation would follow, pronto). Until evidence proves otherwise it should be assumed things are working decently.
So we know, as long as the infrastructure for a globalized economy is in place, that outsourcing is here to stay. How can this be managed?
If it is from a perspective of competition, showing the difference in the value of services and products offered is definitely one way. As mentioned in numerous articles, outsourcing is not without risks, and may cost more than savings expected. Cost can be measured in more than just money.
If it is filling a resource gap temporarily, then letting clients and team know that their requests and concerns will be handled with personal oversight would be an imperative.
Where I go from here depends on a lot of things encompassing a spectacular
list of milestones. One of those is my productivity. If cost drives every decision to meet an optimal level, I’ll be the biggest loser.
