What is 'outside-in'?
You Can't Own Everything
“Outside-in” is a philosophy or approach that essentially says, “You can’t own everything.” Enterprises need to complement their capabilities by looking outside their own four walls and collaborating in new ways.
Enterprises must make a jump from an insular approach — “I have to have all the right talent at the right time, all the right information at the right time, and all the right services at the right time to operate my business” — to a recognition that “I can never have all the right people, all the right information, all the right services in house to truly thrive.”
Outside-in is an understanding that you need a different leadership model. You may need to think differently about what kinds of communities to develop or participate in to make sure you have access to the assets, services, people, talent and innovation that you need to operate.
For example, the enterprise recognizes that to provide a certain function, the best way might be through community sourcing rather than by hiring an employee.
Not all the smart people work for you
The fact is: Not all the smart people necessarily work for you, and not all the right people necessarily work for you. You don’t have all the information you need to truly thrive in this marketplace. So, you need to think about partnerships — partnering with your customers, suppliers and even competitors to move forward.
At DXC Technology we can create an incredibly valuable ecosystem by taking an outside-in approach and teaching our customers to engage in that approach. Large enterprises already have many great qualities: fantastic talent, extensive information and substantial capital assets. Add to those qualities two factors:
- Very collaborative cultures are outperforming their peers.
- Very information-driven cultures are outgrowing their peers.
From defense to offense
Enterprises must turn from a defensive position, in which information is power, to an offensive position — one in which information collaboration creates value. This means, for example, informing customers, partners, competitors and employees about what the enterprise is doing. (See our DXC TechTalks.) The 21st century enterprise is about an offensive strategy.
That’s where outside-in enterprises are thinking differently. It’s about rethinking your digital identity and strategy and how you participate in these marketplaces, or build the marketplaces that don’t yet exist.