That’s the title of my latest column for Outsource Magazine. It begins this way: Too often people and businesses are locked into either destructive I-win-you-lose relationships, or what I often call a “ping pong” match where you are in a so-so relationship but either don’t know there is a better way or don’t have the […]
outsourcing
Incentives the Wright Way
In my Vested books and speaking engagements I frequently cite the Wright brothers’ first contract as a great and early example of a win-win, outcome-based incentive plan. The challenge with any outcome-based plan is to understand the business at hand, align the parties’ interests and then clearly define and measure the results. The Wright brothers’ […]
SIG Webinar on the Ten Ailments
For those who may have missed the May 22 SIG webinar on the Ten Ailments–or if you want to hear it again!–here’s the playback link. Many thanks to all the folks at SIG who made this this such a success.
Global Delivery Report, May 2012
A Step by Step Path to Vested Outsourcing Vested outsourcing replaces the often adversarial relationship between service provider and customer with a “win win” agreement in which both sides share the benefits achieved by outsourcing. In this case study, researcher and author Kate Vitasek explains the role time and trust play in developing a vested […]
Outsourcing is No Longer “Out There”
Even as outsourcing becomes more and more mainstream confusion remains about its relationship to offshoring says Deloitte, the highly regarded tax, audit and financial consulting firm, in its latest survey on the topic. “The outsourcing market continues to confuse outsourcing with offshoring,” Deloitte says. “Many respondents still see the two processes as inseparable – even […]
Collaborative Outsourcing and Trust: A New Tack for MSPs
Charles Weaver, CEO of the MSP Alliance, last month wrote about a common problem that managed service providers encounter with their internal IT departments—“inherent suspicions” about the real motives of an MSP. “For as long as I can remember,” he says, “MSPs have struggled with how to disarm the threat of internal IT departments and […]
Reveal Intentions to Gain Trust
There are a couple of sides to trust and fostering trust, one being management competence—both operationally and politically—and another being character. Linda A. Hill and Kent Lineback, authors of Being the Boss: The 3 Imperatives for Becoming a Great Leader (HBR Press, 2011), have written about the trust aspects of leadership for the HBR Blog Network. […]
Buyer-Seller Chess Games Ultimately Don’t Work
In the ancient game of chess the object is to beat your opponent. A collaborative, trusting strategy has no place in this struggle for ultimate power and domination. Instead, players try to out-strategize and out-maneuver their opponent to get the “win.” It is very common for companies to use “strategic” approaches to win in the […]
Use Vested to Mitigate “Vicarious Liability”
Nothing can ever fully insulate a business from “vicarious liability” lawsuits—which can bring a company to its knees in quick order—but a Vested partnership with a shipper, supplier, 3PL or transportation provider will go a long way to avoiding those kinds of issues. TranzAct Inside, a group that provides valuable information and research on transportation […]
Putting Some Vested Skin in the Game
In a Vested partnership it’s important for the company and the service provider to have what I often call “skin in the game,” or basically a commitment to making the deal work by putting their money and resources where their mouth is. A real-world example of this idea was on display in the case of […]
