The Outsourcing Enterprise distills 20 years of research into over 1,500 outsourcing arrangements. It provides evidence-based answers to the vital managerial question: under what conditions does outsourcing become an effective approach to achieving organizational objectives? The internationally acclaimed authors assess the evolution of outsourcing, pinpoint the practices that work, and show how each organization can get to the next stage in leveraging the ever expanding services market for significant business advantage. The common denominator finding is that outsourcing itself is not a quick fix but represents a different way of managing. The requisite practices are described in detail, together with multiple case examples and guidelines. Much depends on experiential learning and sheer hard work. Executives must conquer a significant learning curve and build key in-house capabilities in order to successfully exploit outsourcing opportunities. They need to accept that outsourcing is not about giving up management but managing in a different way. Suppliers also need to work on their strategies and capabilities if they are to sustain the more collaborative relationships that clients increasingly demand, and deliver meaningfully on an innovation as well as a cost and service agenda.

The book details the practices suppliers need to adopt. Written to influence executives, focused on the new opportunities, while learning from the past, this book shows how to: develop a dynamic strategy linking business, sourcing and IT objectives and actions; leverage suppliers through collaboration to look for innovation as well as cost reduction opportunities, reduce the pressure through more BPO and offshoring; and, crucially, how to maintain effective flexibility and control in present and future outsourcing arrangements. In practice, the Outsourcing Enterprise is a must read for any practitioner, student, or scholar concerned with global sourcing in the next ten years.