Deloitte “takes the pulse” of global outsourcing every two years or so, and its latest survey reflects the growth of outsourcing, and indeed observes it is accelerating “forward” and making a “beeline toward innovation.”

Deloitte found the acceleration is guided by three key trends:

– Companies are broadening their approach to outsourcing as they begin to view it as more than a simple cost-cutting play. “With more respondents viewing service providers as key business enablers, service providers are becoming purveyors of innovation and enabling transformation rather than just providing a source of price arbitrage. Additionally, respondents say that innovation is a key component of the value derived from an outsourcing relationship.”

– Organizations are “redefining the ways they enter into outsourcing relationships and manage the ensuing risks.”  Many of the respondents said they actively track the incorporation of innovation into their outsourcing agreements. But the results also indicate that “the majority of respondents still struggle to define, track, and motivate innovation from their service providers, or that they are unsure how to do this formally within a contract.”

– Organizations are changing the way they are managing their relationships with outsourcing providers to “maximize the value of those relationships.”

Hmmm! Those points sound very familiar, in fact straight from Vested’s collaborative approach.

This report tells me that , and that companies want “more” from their vendors, including “authentic partnerships.”

More and more, outsourcing continues to be a key enabler for business strategy.

Image: from Deloitte’s webpage