A crucial part of managing change of this nature is communication with the various stakeholders who, to a greater or lesser extent, must be enrolled into the process. It's not the right place here to embark on a long treatise about the different approaches to change management but, in short, it is our experience that communication about offshoring usually needs to include a much wider audience than most Customers think. The cultural repercussions can often be felt across a surprisingly wide spectrum of people. You might find those who, despite the fact that they work for a relatively distant part of your organisation, have concerns that result in them taking a negative position. Indeed, in the current climate even people’s political views can influence their view of offshoring and this can create unexpected issues.

Better to be safe than sorry. Draft simple messages and deliver them consistently. Put yourself in the stakeholder’s shoes and consider how the communication will sound when heard from their perspective.

One question we are often asked is the extent to which such offshoring projects should be driven as ‘top-down’ change programmes as opposed to consensual ‘bottom-up’ initiatives. The answer depends to a great extent on the type of offshoring project you foresee. If you are planning a wholesale outsource then you probably have little choice but to work in a ‘top-down’ manner, whereas the other two types can both lend themselves more to a consultative approach with stakeholders.

Having said that, our advice is that, no matter what your technical people say, never assume they are 100% on board. It only takes one rotten apple to spoil the barrel. We have never yet come across an IT function that has engaged in offshoring where 100% of the people were 100% behind the offshoring initiative. Even in the case of tactical augmentations in-house teams may see the offshoring as the ‘thin end of the wedge’. “If this projects succeeds what is to stop them doing more, it will be our jobs next”. Staff often seem to assume that once started, offshoring is an inevitable one-way street to the virtual organisation where everything from software development to car-parking space allocation is outsourced to unfamiliar faces working in some far-flung corner of the globe.

These communication and enrolment issues can always be addressed even in the most extreme situations. Again, find a supplier who can add value here, a company who have credible experience in helping their Customer navigate this rocky terrain.