Importance of having someone local run things

Setting up a off-shore development center seems to be the latest buzz word for a lot of companies around the world. The reasons they do it for is varied and many. The cost factor is not the only reason. Some reasons why one might choose to set up an off-shore development center are

• To tap into the local talent pool that may not be present in the on-site location.
• To make use of the time difference between the time of the on-site and the off-site locations.
• To spread the risk of having a single development center.
• To be able to scale with quality man power.

What ever the reasons might be the most important thing to do once the decision is made to start a off-shore development center is to identify the person that would be able to run operations.

This person should ideally be from the location where the center is being set up. Why do I think it should be this way? Well, I hope to illustrate in the rest of this article as to why I think it should be this way.

A person who is local would be able to understand the dynamics of the location where the center is being set up. For example it is very important for the person to understand the profile of the other organizations in the city and the talent pool that is available from which he/she would be able to draw the initial set of people to start off with. This initial set of people is very crucial for the success of the center. This bunch of people have nothing to believe in other than a dream and its important that this bunch of people to believe in each other and the dream that they are building. When the person who is setting up operations is local to the city in which the operations are being set up he can draw on people that he has worked with and can trust and then they in turn can draw on people that they have worked with and trust and that way a core team of very good people will be formed.

Setting up operations is all about location. You dont want to set up in the most expensive part of town that the real estate agent sold to you. You can be killed by the cost. You dont want to be setting up in the cheapest and shadiest part of town you will not be able to hire anyone. Now you need to set up in a place that is not too expensive and yet does not have a reputation