Seamless Offshoring

The Challenges

The decision to offshore processes to India or elsewhere in the world can be a painful one. In addition to the stress of knowledge transfer, setting up operations abroad, and putting the right technology in place, leaders often must manage significant resistance at home. If employees fear losing their jobs, they may not wish to participate in making the offshore transition a success.

Once the process has moved to offshore, you may experience high quality work and access to talent, but you also might experience significant challenges. Or perhaps your offshore relationship is well established and operating fairly smoothly, but you wonder if it could be better or more optimized.

Common Offshore Challenges

Unmet deadlines and shipping commitments
Well established offshore relationships needing a "tune up"
Heavy dependence on offshore "liasons"
Getting a “yes” when you have a sense that something is wrong
Lack of trust on both sides
More time spent explaining processes than money saved
Projects behind schedule
Resentment and/or low morale around offshore strategy
Uncertainty about what capabilities your Indian resources have to offer
Language and accent barriers
Time zone difficulties
Lack of social interaction, “us and them” feeling between India or Mexico and U.S.
Not getting the cost savings you expected

Chief Highroader Vicki Flier Hudson discusses
the meaning of the word "yes" across cultures.

Most companies are busy growing their businesses and do not have the time or resources to plan an offshore transition properly. Yet studies show that cultural differences have significant impact on offshore contracts.

Let Highroad help you solve these challenges and build an offshore team that operates with trust and effectiveness.

Do you want to get the best results from your offshore partnership?

Read on to find out about the initiative that brought offshore success to companies like Ceridian Corporation and Procter & Gamble.

The Solutions

1. Highroad Offshore Excellence Initiative

This initiative has brought the most success to our clients in resolving their offshore challenges. We recommend the steps be taken together, but they can be done separately if needed. Here we present the initiative as conducted between the United States and India. Highroad can, however, bring clients through this process with any onshore/offshore relationship, such as the USA and Mexico, or Germany and China. We design the initiative to fit your specific offshore operation.

Assessment A: For companies from zero to thirty six months into their offshore relationship

Assessment B: For companies looking to optimize an established offshore relationship

This is where we start. Similar to an energy audit on your home, we look for areas in your offshore partnership where productivity, morale, revenue or efficiency might be slowly leaking out, causing unnecessary frustration and lost time. These often simple adjustments to process and communication can save hours.

How does the Offshore Excellence Assessment work? Click here for an executive summary.

B. Working Effectively with Indian Partners Workshop

For Westerners in Offshore Partnerships (1 day with follow up)

After the initial assessment, the Western partners gather for a session. Through this workshop you will...

Provide feedback on your offshore challenges through a live survey
Learn about offshoring best practices and get a road map for applying them
Apply concrete tools to get direct communication flowing, set expectations, and manage deadlines with India
Discover the best ways to build relationships with Indian teammates
Create a high-performing team with Indians through knowledge of Indian workplace values, history, etiquette, and beliefs

C. Working Effectively with Western Clients and Partners

For Indian Team Members in Offshore Partnerships (1 day with follow up)

Next the Indian partners gather for a session. Through this workshop you will...

Discuss the survey results from the West taken in step B of this initiative
Take a live survey of challenges and delights from the Indian side
Identify how your client sets expectations and delivers information
Address the common cultural gaps and frustrations between India and the U.S. or Western Europe
Learn about your Western client’s country dos and don’ts
Develop an effective communication protocol with your Western client
Optimize your existing protocols and relationship with your Western client

D. Building a High-Performing U.S./India or Europe/India Team

Bringing the Whole Team Together (1-2 days with follow up)

Now that each side has had the opportunity to give feedback through surveys and explore one another’s culture, we bring both sides together to build a true global team. In this inspiring, solution-oriented session the team will...

Discuss the survey results from both sides and select the priority issues
Resolve or begin resolving those issues in a structured, non-defensive way
Engage in exercises to build trust and get to know each other on a more personal level
Build protocols such as managing time zones and conference calls
Plan the next series of action steps to ensure the continued growth of the team

Once this initiative is complete, Highroad Global Services makes a presentation to leadership with our recommendations. If you want to stop struggling and get the best results from your offshore partnership, contact us to learn more about how the Highroad Offshore Excellence Initiative can meet your needs.

2. Offshore Consulting

Whether you are sending work to India, Mexico, or elsewhere, an offshore transition can be stressful. Even when things are working well there is always room for growth.

Let Highroad Global Services offer you preventive strategies to get team buy-in, meet your offshore objectives sooner, and avoid common pitfalls. Contact us for more information at 770.936.9209.

Seamless Offshoring

The Challenges

The Solutions

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