Our latest global research piece,  2008 outsourcing report: Why settle for less? reveals that many outsourcing programmes are achieving well beyond anticipated return on investment, but not all of them are achieving their full potential as a tool for business transformation.

The survey of 300 executives found that a large percentage of the companies that implemented outsourcing reached their financial objectives and averaged a strategically-important ROI of over 25%. However, it seems that not all respondents had an easy journey to get there. A much larger than expected level of company-outsourcer conflict was reported and many of the companies expressed disappointment with the outsourcer’s overall ability to provide continuous process and technology improvements. 

Based upon our analysis of the survey results, it appears that those companies that view outsourcing in a broader strategic context, and implement it systematically with proper financial analyses, governance, and methodologies, can gain greater business value and potentially a competitive edge over those that view outsourcing in its traditional form – as an avenue for cost reduction. In short, successful outsourcing initiatives are achieved by design, not by luck. This report explores five key dimensions of that design that organisations must progress through in order to reap the full benefits of their outsourcing programme.

For further information, download our publication 2008 outsourcing report (PDF, 792KB)