What is it Like to be Outsourced?
Jim Thornton
is a Senior Delivery Centre Manager who joined Capgemini as part of the Aspire
outsourcing deal from EDS where he
had previously been a Senior Manager on the same IR business. The decision to
join Capgemini was not an easy one:
“I had worked on Inland Revenue IT since 1980 – transferring to EDS in 1996 – and had no great desire to move on from this varied and challenging work. However, I was part of the EDS Account Leadership Team and the vast majority of my peers were choosing to remain with EDS. It was also clear that Capgemini had an entire Management team ready to come in and take over. What would my future be? There was a six month transition period ahead of the transfer of the undertaking on the 1st July 2004, and quite early on Capgemini managers were talking to me about roles in the organisation. I also looked to the market for employment opportunities and within EDS. At my level the decision was hard. I wasn’t part of the new team and would ‘have to earn my spurs’, together with taking a drop in organisational seniority. Many discussions were held before I was persuaded to place my trust in Capgemini and transition to them under TUPE arrangements.”
We are now fifteen months into the new contract. How does Jim feel about his decision today?
“There are two strands to that – the personal and the business. Firstly, the business. It would be hard to say it’s all been totally plain sailing, and the merger of the two organisations has caused some pain – but pain that has to be expected in an undertaking this size, and from which we have emerged. I feel strongly (from a fairly cynical start) that Capgemini have demonstrated integrity in terms of doing what they said they would. We are seeing investment in the Account, the business, and the people, the first for many years. Capgemini have ‘walked the talk’. That’s important to me. Secondly, on the personal level, I have re-joined the IRSC leadership team after a brief period away from it. I feel I am ‘earning those spurs’ in the eyes of my new colleague and am coming to terms with the new organisation. There are many positive aspects and I am pleased with my decision.”
