Wouldn't it had been something if there had been some sort of interactive journal during the Great Depression, where we could have truly experienced the emotions of the time, peoples' ideas for change, the stark contrasts between desperation and hope?
It's been a geniune privelege to have hosted these emotional debates throughout the entire Great Recession of 2008-9. It's incredible how attitudes have changed over these tough months - I don't know about you, but I feel a little wiser as a result - and the great interaction I have enjoyed and observed with so many of you, has made this all possible.
Here's the whole story of the Great Recession and it's impact on the global sourcing industry (in chronological order):
The Wall Street Mess and the Outsourcing Industry... early thoughts
Why not build a shared services infrastructure to support the banking sector?
How the credit crunch will affect Britain
Can Obama turn the USA into a competitive sourcing location?
Why Rick Astley should be put in charge of the US Treasury
Why these are good times for the outsourcing industry
How should companies approach outsourcing in this economy?
Investing in the right vehicles for change
Getting the fundamentals right
The change imperative: it's back-to-basics time
Can flagging industries be replaced by BPO services?
Emerging from the rubble of 2008: BPO has a breakthrough year
Preparing for '09: It IS time to dump the term "Outsourcing"
After the wake-up call: time to focus on our young talent
Mumbai events test appetite for offshore
Time to put banking executives on trial?
Is the call center finally coming back onshore?
Think before you fire: The cost of replacing IT talent
Think before your retain: is IT impeding many companies' survival in this economy?
Forget 2006, let's go back to '96
Global business on a Knife-edge: Bonuses, H-1Bs and Naïve Protectionism
Where should outsourcing vendors invest their marketing dollars in this climate?
The politics of offshoring: all talk, no action
White water canoeing with Newt Gingrich
Horses Exclusive: Obama to ban offshore outsourcing
Why the lay-off culture is far more damaging than offshoring
It’s time for disruption, not stagnation
Exclusive: Outsourcing poised to rebound
Shaping your career in this sourcing industry
The next stage of industry development: Co-learning partnerships, not mega-mergers
Who's looking out for the US business these days?
Is this "2001 all over again" for outsourcing?
Captive sell-offs: good for innovation, good for employment
Is this a good climate to take a career "risk"? Or is it riskier staying where you are?
Crash and Learn: is TPI's "quartus horribilis" reflective of the sourcing industry at large?
The future of the sourcing industry: DNA and industry knowledge trump scale
Stan (Lepeak):
The photos I added are there to portray these stark differences between these times the those of the '30s.
While this recession has been a relative "walk in the park" for many fattening mid-career executives, let's not forget the whole "lost generation" of college-graduates and school leavers who are facing a chronic challenge to find companies prepared to invest in their long-term careers. While many of us have barely lost 5 minutes of sleep because of thie recession (probably thinking about lost stock valuations via-à-vis our next meal) I do believe the long-term ramiifications of this recession are going to be highly profound.
We are going to be saddled with ever-inreasing unemployment with people who simply do not have the skills or experience to find employment in today's changing markets. Couple this with continued population explosions and global warming, and food lines may one day come back to haunt...
PF.
Posted by: Phil Fersht | Aug 27, 2009 at 08:02 AM
The "great depression" (the real one of the 1930's - really sucked. I don't think we need to have had bloggers around to confirm and elaborate on this point. This recession had been a walk in the park by comparison, unless you are a laid off US auto worker never to return to past levels of greatness and income or a Vegas condo speculator.
Posted by: Lepeak | Aug 26, 2009 at 11:55 AM
My favorite is still the Rick Astley one--I still chuckle even though I already knew the joke!
Posted by: Esteban Herrera | Aug 26, 2009 at 10:17 AM
Phil,
I tip my hat to you for a wonderful collection of great articles - over such a sustained period. I await your book release one of these days,
Sam
Posted by: Sam McDowell | Aug 26, 2009 at 12:38 AM