“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” - Henry Ford.

This was once a saying thrown around repeatedly in the training world of old to help instigate changes in managerial or organisational behaviour. Whilst the sentiment still rings true, the reality now is that if you always do what you’ve always done in the modern world, you are going to get increasingly less.

Globalised trade and the advancement of technology has fundamentally changed the way we do business these days. The growth of technology like Service Delivery Automation (SDA), and the consequential changes on business operating models make the continuous adaptation of skills absolutely fundamental for organisations looking to prosper in the outsourcing market. The pace of change and the impact of digitalisation will only increase further, and so we can expect there will be a significant impact on employment and skills over the next ten years, at all levels and in all verticals.

The ability to learn new skills quickly becomes critical in adapting to disruptive change, and those that are not willing, or able to adapt, will face being left behind and their market share continuously eroded. In recognition of this, the NOA is developing new training and qualifications to help the more traditional businesses upskill, starting with our workshops and professional qualification in Robotic Process Automation (RPA).

So you’re a ‘disrupter’, but how well do you know Outsourcing?

Innovative, more agile companies may well be the flag-bearers of this new ecosystem, but whilst their technological capability is obvious, their maturity level in outsourcing best practice, in terms of relationship management, contract negotiation, risk & governance, is sometimes seriously lacking. This is a major risk for these newer organisations expecting to thrive in the market. With nearly 30 years of best practice to our name, in every stage of the outsourcing life cycle, the NOA can also help these organisations upskill in the areas where they most need it.

This is the context in which individuals and employers need to make decisions about their investment in skills. These decisions will be critical, with skills playing a fundamental role in employability and earnings potential in the new outsourcing ecosystem, and the ability to attract new business. Irrespective of the whether you are a traditional outsourcing provider or an emerging digital disrupter, if you are future-proof yourself and your business you need to upskill now!