The Next Evolution of Outsourcing: Micro-Local
Micro-Local Outsourcing:
There are lots of ways to outsource these days, although there are limits to the amount of accountability and transparency you can have with these agents. To be fair, many are ethical, but perhaps not. You rent a partial manager and a partial outsourcer–and they are local. This doesn’t have all the cost savings of working overseas, but it has a couple of advantages.
First, language and cultural similarities
Second, it supports the local economy
Third, it can (possibly) leverage the network effect in some cases
Forth, accountabilty and transparency
Fifth, flexibility.
Six, face to face training (for technology, design, writing, or other process)
What are your thoughts on micro-local outsourcing. I think one disadvantage is the extra-layer of bureaucracy this creates, but it does potentially create extra-flexibility to the entrepreneur to allow work to be done while they are away. Also, the amount of focus any one meta-manager (or meta-coach) can provide may be limited. If a manager is managing 40 people, that leaves them about 10 minutes per day.
