Skip to main content
Contribution to Book
IT Leadership in a Flat World: Beyond India and China
Business Acumen II (2012)
  • Amy B. Woszczynski, Kennesaw State University
  • Pamila Dembla, Kennesaw State University
Abstract
By now, many of us have read Thomas Friedman's "The World is Flat" (2006) or some of his many follow-up books and articles. As a result of this increasingly flat and crowded world, globalization has blurred the clear borders between countries. We are no longer working locally – everyone is connected. The Information Technology (IT) field has not been exempt from the changing trends in this flat and crowded world. Twenty-four hour news channels in the US frequently remind us of the IT jobs that are being outsourced to India and China. In fairness, IT managers faced with increasing pressures to reduce costs and increase services were compelled to search for alternatives and immediately saw India and China as viable options. It is clear why IT managers easily saw these options over the horizon - low-cost, large English speaking population and highly trained workforces in these countries make them easy selections. The governments of these two countries have invested millions in IT infrastructure, IT and English language education, protection of intellectual property rights and provided tax benefits to the companies over the years making them leaders for IT outsourcing. While India and China are leaders, there are other countries that may provide IT managers similar advantages. In this article, we describe alternative IT outsourcing partners, mainly Mexico and Russia and We encourage wise IT leaders to look beyond India and China - to get binoculars if needed. Although India and China are easy to see in our flat world, they are no longer the only options – and may not even be the best options. When considering where to outsource functions to achieve savings, the successful IT leader in the flat world considers many factors, including access to a skilled workforce, governmental support and stability in the IT marketplace, and compatible cultural and diversity perceptions. Taken together, IT leaders want to select the option with widespread availability of workers who are technically competent, an environment that rewards and encourages IT development, and diversity and cultural perceptions that are in line with the home country. Mexico and Russia offer two such environments, with each offering opportunities to consider when thinking about outsourcing IT projects.
Keywords
  • flat world,
  • India,
  • China,
  • outsourcing,
  • Eastern Europe
Publication Date
2012
Editor
Sheb L. True
Publisher
Kennesaw State University, Coles College of Business
ISBN
2370000088406
Citation Information
Amy B. Woszczynski and Pamila Dembla. "IT Leadership in a Flat World: Beyond India and China" Kennesaw, GABusiness Acumen II (2012)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/amy_woszczynski/38/