Outsourcing has really turned into a widespread phenomenon yet creates an additional problem that organizations are now dealing with: How do you develop a powerful organizational culture in a business context that involves outsource service providers, freelancers, virtual assistants, and consultants?

A lot of people concur on the importance of creating that sort of culture. After all, you do not want to have a me-versus-them mindset in your organization, with in-house workers not appreciating the value that the outsourced staff can supply (and the outsource staff not understanding what's going on). Instead, you want to have a company operating as a powerful, single entity focused on making your clients happy. While it can seem challenging to create that organizational culture it is truly not. It begins with good communication. Make certain that you offer your staff (both in-house and outsource) plenty of methods to talk with each other. Email is one way, instant messaging is another, even social media might be a good one.

Create periodic meeting calls as often as you might setup a regular in-house meeting. For instance, a weekly meeting call where everyone dials in might be a useful method to touch base and really keep every person up to date. Make certain you hear from every person. Consider employing meeting software programs like Adobe Connect 8 so the staff can see each other, share desktops, and even take a few notes, just like in a regular conference. There might be a somewhat increased cost in paying wages for the hour-long conference, but the improved, effective interactions that come out of that will be well worth the cost.

Be intentional about exactly who you assign to jobs. Connect an in-house worker with an outsourced service worker; do not just connect two in-house people simply because they happen to be in the same room whenever you need the actual work done. That's another reason why Adobe Connect is truly a good choice as it will allow the staff to understand each other much better.

Team building is however a little more challenging to do in this situation but possible. Have a contest, pairing your in-house employees each with an outsourced service provider and give these people a project or business problem to find an innovative answer to. Again, you might initially resist the added cost, but this truly builds relationships between staff members and it's still way more effective than having your in-house people in a room for a bunch of foolish team building games. Learn more about Adobe Connect 8 now.