I’ll close this 10-part series with a bang: a Nobel Laureate in economics who also happens to be a psychologist, Daniel Kahneman. Kahneman, a professor emeritus of Psychology at Princeton University, questioned the assumption of rationality behind the decision-making process and the “cognitive traps” that make it virtually impossible to think clearly about happiness and […]
Psychology of Outsourcing, Part 7: Abraham Maslow and the Hierarchy of Needs
Abraham Maslow (1908-1970), a founding father of humanistic psychology, has more to do with outsourcing than you might think. He is famous for his breakthrough work on the “hierarchy of needs,” featured in his book: Toward a Psychology of Being. His premise was simple, yet profound: human beings are motivated by unsatisfied needs, and certain lower needs must be satisfied […]
The Psychology of Outsourcing, Part 6: Wayne Dyer and the Power of Intention
Wayne Dyer, widely known for his new-agey and somewhat metaphysical teachings on self-development, is also known as the “father of motivation.” In a very real sense this highly aphoristic spiritual guru and author of more than 30 books has a lot to say about the business and outsourcing mindset. Much of what Dyer says boils […]
The Psychology of Outsourcing, Part 3 Carl Rogers and the Art of Achieving Full Potential
Carl Rogers was a giant in the field of psychology, perhaps the most influential psychologist in American history, with groundbreaking contributions in education, counseling, psychotherapy, peace and conflict resolution. A founder of “humanistic psychology,” his research and experiential work focused on demonstrating the psychological conditions for allowing “self-actualization” through open communication and empowering individuals to […]
Psychology of Outsourcing, Part 2: Eric Berne and the Games People—and Companies!—Play
Last time I kicked-off what I think will be an enlightening series on the “psychology of outsourcing” based on the work of modern psychological thinkers and how their theories and analyses—which mainly apply to personal and social interactions—also contain definite lessons for the business world. More than 50 years ago Eric Berne’s classic and powerful […]
Looking Back to Go Forward
I’ve been thinking lately about the psychology of outsourcing, even more so after reading Art Markman‘s recent article in his Harvard Review blog. In fact, it made me reflect on many other “Big Thinkers” in the field of psychology and how their pioneering work can improve how companies craft and manage outsourcing deals. With that in mind, it’s […]
Business Happens—Embrace It!
Business happening is making headlines with HP. The computer and IT giant’s share price has plummeted after announcing it would exit the PC and tablet computer business. The company’s rationale: Ability to improve focus on higher-margin cloud and business software solutions “with an emphasis on enterprise, commercial and government markets.” Exiting the PC market is […]
Beware the Scope Nazi!
Flexibility and insight when it comes to statements of work and workscope changes—and the dreaded “scope-creep!”—is necessary when crafting a properly governed and collaborative Vested Outsourcing agreement. This was brought home to me recently by Jack Everett, president – CEO at Triad Logistics Partners, LLC, who related the story of how he became known as […]
Learning How Not to Compete
From a very young age we’re taught about the virtues of competition, about how competing ferociously in every aspect of life leads to success and winning. From Ayn Rand we learn about the “virtue of selfishness,” a hallmark of the all-out egotistical, competitive spirit that was on display to the Nth degree in the recent […]
Tweaking the Kraljic Model
More than 25 years ago Peter Kraljic published his seminal “portfolio purchasing model,” which has been both a widely critiqued and widely accepted method for assessing procurement demand, risk and profit factors for supply chains. The model distinguishes among four product categories: leverage items, strategic items, noncritical items, and bottleneck items. My take on the […]
