The next evolution of offshore outsourcing

Came across an interesting piece in the Times of India this morning that raised a stimulating question about the future of outsourcing: How do big companies improve the performance of the operations they've already shipped overseas?

At a certain point, it's got to be about a lot more than squeezing a few more cents in cost savings. So it is that some former bigwigs from the likes of Ernst & Young, BankOne International and Citicorp have linked up to start an IT consultancy in India. The idea here being to help mature outsourcing ventures better manage their organizations.

Easier said than done, of course, but business fads run in and out of favor. It's only a matter of time before we start hearing the sob stories about U.S. companies whose offshore outsourcing ventures came up woefully short of expectations. At that point, the idea of an IT swat team that can swoop in and take charge might sound very attractive.