by Nancy Foster Jacobs
Whenever there is a lot of buzz about a smart new way to do business, quite a few people find themselves worrying about their workplace I.Q. Right now, outsourcing is one of the business trends that many managers are trying to learn about as if they were cramming for a potential pop-quiz. Relax. If you've ever ordered a pizza delivered or picked up an entire six-course Chinese dinner to-go, you already know most of what you need to know about outsourcing ... and why you may be uncomfortable with the concept.
In today's world, every project must be managed utilizing three budgets: time, money, and personnel. If you run out of one, your project can still be pulled off successfully if you have plenty of at least one other budget. Everyone can appreciate this scenario: Two weeks ago, you invited several friends from your last job to come over for dinner so you could catch up on all the office gossip. You were going to dazzle them with your culinary brilliance. You kept planning to pull out the cookbooks and make a shopping list, and you were going to leave work early on the afternoon of the dinner to chop, peel, purée, and bake. To make a long story short, you had a very busy week this week. And last week. And this afternoon, well, there was just no leaving the office in the middle of whatever crisis was percolating. OK, your time budget has run out.
What about personnel? Since we no longer live in the age of "Upstairs, Downstairs" when you could put a crew of kitchen navvies to work, youŐre probably out of luck there, too. And so, when push comes to shove, you order take-out. Sure, it's expensive, but throwing money at the problem is the only solution (and budget) left to you. ItŐs also a little embarrassing to admit to your friends that your budgets of time and personnel weren't managed as well as they might be, but no doubt they've been in similar situations and won't think of you unkindly. You hope.
This, in a nutshell, is the real truth about how many of us continue to think of outsourcing. Expensive, and an embarrassing admission of inadequate in-house resources, but a necessary evil, given the times. Never mind that the meal was delicious (and you knew it would be, because you've ordered from the same restaurant before). Never mind that you were relaxed enough to enjoy your meal with your friends, because you hadn't been slaving over a hot stove for hours doing unfamiliar work against a looming deadline. Never mind that your friends didnŐt feel obliged to help you wash dishes after dinner and could enjoy being your guests, guilt-free. Never mind that one of your friends actually asked for the name of the restaurant to add to her "emergency" list. In your heart of hearts, you know that ordering take-out for friends is something that just isnŐt done. Go ask your mother, she'll tell you!
The first step toward embracing "take-out talent" - outsourced personnel - is to put them in the right budget, both in your mind and on your balance sheets. The key word is right there: PERSONNEL. This is an important distinction that will put the fees you pay to contract personnel in perspective. In other words, you were always paying for someone to write your newsletter, but you considered it "free" because it was done by a staffer. If you now add the cost of a contract writer to your newsletter budget, it's going to look like a much more expensive newsletter. But if you compare the annual cost of consultant fees for both a writer and a graphic designer against the annual cost of the total compensation package for a staff member, you are probably looking at a bargain, especially considering the higher quality of work you will be enjoying by working with talented professionals.
Other fears may surface as you consider working with consultants. A good analogy is an old maxim about four types of physicians:
As medical professionals realize, none of these stereotypes must necessarily ring true! However, many of us remember unfortunate experiences when very expensive consulting firms were brought in who proceeded to tell us what we already knew about our business's problems, and then provided a list of so-called "simple solutions" which they would never have to implement themselves. These fears about consultants can be allayed through common-sense hiring and planning.
In many businesses today, an odd paradox exists. Middle managers are consistently chided for getting too mired in day-to-day details instead of keeping an eye on the "big picture," despite the fact that they often don't have the staff support they need to do the day-to-day work. Task-oriented contract personnel can free managers to do what they were hired to do: manage. WhatŐs more, today's consultants may bring extensive industry knowledge to your project ... in many cases because they used to work for you. Headlines touting the growth of entrepreneurship don't always focus on the fact that these new business-owners used to be business-workers. As you decide to try working with contract personnel, start by calling talented former employees ... many of them may be delighted to work with you as a consultant, and there will be virtually NO learning curve.
Another way to avoid being disappointed is to find consultants through referrals or professional associations such as the PBWC. Just as you might ask a friend for a good restaurant in her neighborhood, ask professional colleagues who they've worked with in the area you need. In the Chinese dinner scenario above, you can bet that your favorite restaurant was delighted you decided to serve guests from their menu! In that situation, what was there, really, to be embarrassed about? You made a very smart decision for your own sanity, paid a reasonable fee for good services excellently provided, and helped a colleague find a new resource. The exact same win-win situation can exist in your business. Another plus of working with contract workers: you need never endure more than one bad meal, as it were. The realities of hiring and training staff are rarely so cut and dried.
Finally, involve contract personnel in planning. Just as full-time staff members work better when they "buy in" to management goals, contractors can do better work if they know what came before the project they'll be involved in, and what will come after. Contractors can help you arrive at realistic budget figures related to their project expertise, and are less likely to promote "pie-in-the-sky" ideas if they know they will be responsible for executing them.
Just as California provides infinite opportunities for a delicious, creative, and affordable dinner out, the Bay Area's talent pool provides infinite staffing alternatives to spice up your company's product with excellent work that fits all your budgets. So pick up the phone, and order in!
Nancy Foster Jacobs is the sole proprietor of Words, Words, Words, offering creative consulting and contract writing services for business communications. A gourmet diner, she doesn't cook much. Ms. Jacobs can be reached at 945 High School Way, Suite 14, Mountain View, CA 94041. Phone: (415) 691-0426. FAX: (415) 969-3159. E-MAIL: jakewords@aol.com.
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