Nine Keys to World-Class Business Process Outsourcing

Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)-the sourcing of business services through external third parties-is a global phenomenon, which generated nearly $300 billion worldwide in 2012. BPO is highly IT-enabled, and on a growth trajectory that impacts across functions of major, medium and small enterprises, including procurement, human resources, accounting and finance, sales, marketing, legal, asset management and key administrative processes.

Despite this size and spread, BPO services and the ability of clients to manage their providers, are still evolving and have a mixed record. In the course of their research, the authors have found only 20% of outsourcing arrangements are world-class performers. A further 25% are 'good', 40% are 'OK' and 15% are 'poor'.

This book pinpoints and describes in detail the effective practices that characterize the top global BPO performers, including Microsoft, BP, EMC and TalkTalk. The authors provide case illustrations and examples throughout of how world-class practices were generated and evolved, and how they can be applied to real life settings and problem areas.

Dr. Mary Lacity is an Associate at The Outsourcing Unit, London School of Economics and Curator's Professor and International Business Fellow at University of Missouri-St. Louis, USA. She is a Certified Outsourcing Professional R, Co-Chair of the IAOP Midwest Chapter, Industry Advisor for the Outsourcing Angels, Co-editor of the Palgrave Series: Work, Technology, and Globalization, and on the Editorial Boards for Journal of Information Technology, MIS Quarterly Executive, Journal of Strategic Information Systems, and Strategic Outsourcing: An International Journal. She was inducted into the IAOP's Hall of Fame in 2014. She is the recipient of the 2008 Gateway to Innovation Award and the 2000 World Outsourcing Achievement Award. She has published 16 books.

Dr. Leslie Willcocks is Director of The Outsourcing Unit, London School of Economics (LSE) and Professor of Technology, Work and Globalisation at LSE. He holds visiting chairs at Erasmus, Melbourne and Sydney universities and is an Associate Fellow at Green-Templeton, University of Oxford. He has been Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Information Technology for the last 20 years, and is joint series editor, with Mary C. Lacity, of the Palgrave book series Technology Work and Globalization. He has co-authored 39 books. In February 2001 he won the PriceWaterhouseCoopers/Michael Corbett Associates World Outsourcing Achievement Award for his contribution to this field. In 2014 he was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the IAOP.