Margo Crawford, our Founder & Chair here at Business Sherpa Group, recently had a conversation with Dr. Heather Walker of Lead with Levity on outsourcing and how SMEs can preserve business culture while working with external experts and sources.
Throughout the episode, Margo offers advice on how SMEs can have a smooth transition while maintaining their culture when outsourcing. Margo also offers her recommendations for leaders who are preparing or considering outsourcing, in addition to sharing her thoughts on outsourcing and the benefits that it can accompany.
Key Takeaways
Maintaining company culture is one of the most vital aspects of a business, especially when thinking about outsourcing. Here at BSG, we don’t typically use the term outsourcing, and within this podcast episode, Margo highlights why. “[Outsourcing] leaves the impression you are taking a function that is core to the business and taking it out of the business. What [our] model is and what we really talk about is embedding ourselves inside the business. We are very much a part of the team; everything is done under the umbrella of the team.”
When ‘outsourcing’ an expert from BSG, you are really adding an additional member to your organization. This is someone who will learns your culture and corporate norms like any of your employees would. Likewise, staff within the organization will get to know this ‘outsourced’ expert and develop connection. So even though the expert is only there for a certain number of hours per week, staff feel comfortable to approach them with questions.
Aside from this, there are three additional takeaways from this discussion: 1) embracing a human-centric approach, 2) reinforcing what SMEs want to the outcome to be, and 3) leveraging technology. These takeaways can be useful for those considering outsourcing an aspect of their business. Throughout the discussion, Margo shares examples of companies who prioritize a good work-like balance, which can add to a more positive company culture. Margo also speaks about company culture and shares what creates and contributes to a strong company culture.
Summary
In this captivating 35-minute episode, SME owners can find insightful advice and develop a deeper understanding for what outsourcing, and the external and internal relationship could look like. The conversation centered around the idea of how outsourcing can be done to still protect and maintain company culture if an SME was considering outsourcing an aspect of their business. If you or your business are thinking about outsourcing an aspect or area of your business, this is a good listen to learn more about what outsourcing can look like, and how to make that transition for your employees and the organization as a whole as smooth as possible while maintaining company culture. Check it out!
