12 Steps to Beat Your Service-Provider Addiction

eastbayted writes "It starts off simply enough: Your company signs on an outside firm to help you finish an important app dev project on deadline. But then they convince you they can be of service in getting other work done at your company, and you agree. Before you know it, your organization has become far too dependent on this team of outsiders on whom you're wasting a ton of money and perhaps not getting much in the way of a return. InfoWorld has devised a 12-step program 'that can help wean you off unhealthy dependencies on service providers, consultants, and outsourcers — without having to check into the Betty Ford Clinic or make a tearful confession on Oprah.'"

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[Anonymous Coward]

http://www.infoworld.com/archives/emailPrint.jsp?R =printThis&A=/article/06/08/28/35FEservices_1.html

Re:Understand why

[gusmao]

For what I've observed, high management just doesn't see any underlying issue. I once have prooved to my old manager that it would be much cheaper and less riksy for the company to hire permanent employees and pay them fairly than keep spending tons of money on consulting and outsourcing for long periods of times. He replied that new employees would be seen as an increase in headcount (and consequently in expenses) as opposed to hiring a consulting firm, which is considered an investment. In other words, it would look good in the balance sheet for the stackeholders, even though the company would be losing more money.
As long stakeholders are happy and high management is getting their bonuses, there's no issue at all.