Now that the recession has come and gone, what have we learned? Something that corporate America has learned is this: they can pick-up the pace of outsourcing, the practice of contracting work to people or other companies outside the traditional organizational pyramid.
During the recession the economic slump became so pronounced that even outsourcing got scaled back. In addition, executives also reined in outsourcing on concern of government pressures against it.
Several factors point to the continued growth in corporate outsourcing:
- With the economic recovery still unsure, cost saving remains one of the major reasons for outsourcing.
- Latest trends point to a change of focus from the outsourcing of non-core services to the outsourcing of core business functions.
The growth of outsourcing means that shadow pyramid organizations are going to become more common.
But contrary to what some doomsayers will tell you, this is good news for employees willing to reinvent themselves vocationally. Think about it. Work is not going away, its just that it will be owned, or done, or managed by others outside the traditional organizational pyramid.
Take a little self-inventory and ask yourself these questions in the spirit of, “Would you keep you on?”
- What is your value as perceived by your internal and external customers?
- What is your uniqueness as compared to others who are performing the same job?
If you have a difficult time coming up with answers, chances are your company is also having a hard time determining your value and uniqueness to the organization and to its internal and external customers.
If you find yourself in this situation you may need to reinvent your self vocationally. How do you survive in such an uncertain environment? Investing in your professional development comes to mind.
However, the answer may be as simple as changing your perspective of the employee/employer relationship. In other words, think of yourself not as an employee but as an independent contractor providing a product or service for a fee. I don’t mean you should go out and start your own business. Instead, think of yourself as CEO of “You, Inc.” and your employer as one of your clients.
Demonstrating your value and uniqueness to those who make the hiring decisions is your key to surviving in today’s fast changing business environment whether your job is outsource or not!
About the Author:
Gabriel Najera is the president & founder of the Najera Consulting Group. Gabriel is a frequent speaker to organizations. And, is a highly sought after advisor to corporate and nonprofit executives looking to develop a strategic thinking mindset.
Gabriel is available to speak to your organization. To inquire about scheduling Gabriel for an upcoming speaking engagement or to inquire about our consulting services, please click on this link.
Thinking about this in a critical way can really show you what your worth is in the field you’re in. If your work can be outsourced to someone else, then you know that change needs to be made if you want to continue with what you are doing. As an independent Contractor myself, I like to make sure that my work shows genuine quality, high professionalism and flexibility. Although these alone may not cause my work from not being outsourced, it does help build happy rapport which does help in keeping my work under me. Adding uniqueness is the next step that makes you stand out. I think a lot of people need to think about this because this is how people get blindsided otherwise.
The reinvention of the self to create a business environment that shows both cost consideration and uniqueness in skill sets is indeed a challenge but that’s what makes people who put effort into professional development so successful. By watching how the market changes, and it will change quickly, and then adapting to what the market wants, you have a lesser chance of having your type of work outsourced.