What do you get when you put 15 governance experts in a room?

Last week I led a governance master class with 15 governance experts from outsourcing client organisations in the public and private sector.  This was a great forum to hear first hand what has worked and what hasn’t worked when trying to create an effective governance organisation.

Attendees felt that governance could be too technical and that to develop the full potential of the relationship it was essential to engage more with their business and translate requirements for suppliers. The reason for this?  Quite simply, as outsourcing is increasingly tied to organisational change activity, it’s vital that the relationship between the client and service provider is more strategic in order to support their business objectives.

A governance expert from a large central government department described what was working for them: their governance organisation now acted as a broker between service providers and sections of their organisation which allowed service providers to get the best insights through being face-to-face with the relevant staff.

This model is not as simple to operate as it sounds, as it’s important that the governance organisation doesn’t lose control of the relationship - the governance organisation also has to effectively manage business demands with the reality of what service has been bought.  

In the next week I’m looking forward to updating you on outsourcing innovation insights that I pick up from attending the NOA’s Inaugural Innovation Day which had over 60 attendees representing both outsourcing buyers and service providers. 

I’m also working on a series of six snappy blogs on the subject of value assurance, (aligning service expectations, perceptions and realities to maximise value) – a subject I’m increasingly discussing with outsourcing buyers and providers.