Offshore, Outsource ... What's a Red-blooded American To Do?
I've been around the IT world for a long time so the debate over outsourcing, or offshoring as the job flow to foreign shores is being labeled, seems like old news. Offshoring has been going on since before Nike built its first Air Jordan in Malaysia or the Sudan or Laos or where ever. Heck the textile industry was pretty effectively offshored a long time ago and yet our country has survived and even prospered.
I guess it was okay as long as it was those smelly old factory jobs in the denim mills that were being shipped overseas. The bright guys said, no worries, we'll all be knowledge workers now. No more back breaking piece work for us. We'll trade black lung for carpal tunnel syndrome and everyone will be better off.
So what's the big deal? Well, now they're outsourcing the knowledge workers. Yep, somebody finally figured out that the 20,000 PH.Ds in Computer Science that the Indians turn out annually who are willing to work for $200 a month rather than $200 a day are too good a deal to pass up.
So what are all us ex-knowledge workers supposed to do? I guess that means we'll all become top management. What other choice do we have? We all know the squeeze has been on middle management for quite some time. The top is all that's left. No more factory labor, no more middle management, no more knowledge work. By elimination that means the 'C' level for everyone. Oh yeah! CIO, CFO, CTO, and CEO here we come. Yeah, baby! Stock options, multi -million dollar salaries, perks, bonuses, the corner office and the keys to the executive restroom.
Man, why didn't we think of this offshoring before.
Sidebar
Offshoring: Love it or Hate it?
I recently subcontracted the redevelopment of a client's web site to a small, local web design firm. Their competitive advantage? They had established a development office in a small town in India and, as a result, their programming fees were less than half of locally based developers. In this instance, my client and I both loved offshoring.
Last week, however, I lost a hard drive and spent 3 days on the phone with 4 tech reps in India and one based in the Phillipines. I resented every second of it. I can't tell you that an American on the other end of the phone would've been more competent then the folks I dealt with but it would've been a more pleasant experience. There is something to be said for enjoying a shared culture and the common bond of mutual citizenship. The Indians seemed stiff, barely comfortable with the language. Unable to grasp the nuances of my 'American' sense of humor and irony, they were no fun to deal with at all. They also seemed to lack the creativity and imagination that I've experienced with American tech support professionals. And, I must admit, I couldn't help but think that there was some out of work Idahoan or Texan who'd lost his job to 'Chris' or 'Raoul' or 'Harry'. I mean how bogus is it to have to deal with someone who won't even give you there real name because it's, I suppose, to foreign?
In this case, I hated offshoring.
Respectfully submitted,
tom.gray@gemsolv.com
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