Most contracts are fairly short-term and the general consensus, according to Tim Cummins, president and CEO of IACCM, is that their average duration is about four years. Tim, an expert and prolific writer on contracting issues, adds further that existing contracts are renewed or restructured at a rate of about 48 percent. There is some […]
outsourcing
Avoid Danger: Get Outsourcing Right
The title of the op-ed piece on the Harvard Business School Working Knowledge site was probably meant—and destined—to get a rise out of the outsource community: “How to Do Away with the Dangers of Outsourcing.” I mean is it really possible to “do away” with the dangers inherent in any human or business endeavor? And […]
Boeing Needs a Vested Approach
A report in a recent Sunday Seattle Times reported Boeing faces an indefinite grounding of the Dreamliner – its newest jet—because of a battery fire on a 787 in Boston and the smoldering of another battery on a flight in Japan a week later. The article quoted anonymous Boeing engineers who are blaming the company’s […]
Outsource Magazine — October 2012
Douglass North: institutions and success The October column in Outsource Magazine explores Nobel laureate Douglass North’s ideas on institutions, “new institutional economics,” how institutions and societies interact and how those interactions can positively or negatively impact economics as they evolve. Here’s the link: http://outsourcemagazine.co.uk/articles/item/4826-douglass-north-institutions-and-success
Mean It When You Measure It
I often teach, talk and write about the 10 Ailments that can disrupt, derail or even destroy an outsource or business relationship—and many of these ailments relate either directly or indirectly to the foibles of measuring performance. A recent post by Paul Michelman on the HBR Blog Network stresses the necessity of getting the metrics […]
APQC SCM Community Call Webinar — October, 2012
SCM Community Call September 2012: Vested – How P&G, McDonald’s and Microsoft are Redefining Winning in Business Relationships By Kate Vitasek October 1, 2012 In the presentation, Kate Vitasek shares the real stories of how organizations are using a Vested approach to achieve award winning results by redefining how they “win” in their business relationships. […]
Supply & Demand Chain Executive — September, 2012
Introduction to “Academics of Outsourcing” The first in a monthly series for SDCE on the academic thought leaders who, over the years, did the initial spadework on concepts such as the structure of the firm; credible contracting; market forces; game theory; free markets; performance management; and flexible, collaborative contract governance. Here’s the article link: http://www.sdcexec.com/blog/10735027/introduction-to-academics-of-outsourcing
Global Delivery Report — September, 2012
10 Essentials of a Vested Outsourcing Agreement By Kate Vitasek This article in Global Delivery Report notes, “If you are increasingly wary of outsource ‘partners’ who seem to put the fun in dysfunction on a regular basis—but not in a good way—it’s probably time for a change.”
Haque and Caffeine-fueled Collaboration
Umair Haque, the always engaging and thought-provoking economist, hit the nail squarely this week in his HBR blog on the importance of teamwork, collaboration and achieving synchronicity for business success. He poses this question: “If you were the next Steve Jobs, what problems would you try to solve?” He relates a personal story about his […]
Outsource Magazine — September 2012
Ronald Dworkin: trust and treating each other as equals By Kate Vitasek This month’s column features big thinker Ronald Dworkin. I like Dworkin because he tackles and integrates major ideas in ethics, morality, equality, justice and the “unity of value.” One of his most famous of many books is entitled Justice for Hedgehogs…
