The last few years have brought with them a number of sizeable changes which change the way each of us work and live our lives. However, what few people appreciate is the way in which the changes in the both the economy and in technology are continuing to drive organisations to create an environment where work becomes more flexible and personal, allowing them to take a more collaborative approach.

Of course, this is a trend which will only serve to benefit those with a vested interest in outsourcing, as more and more organisations look for new ways to harmonise and integrate business processes on an end-to-end basis across their enterprises - but why are we seeing this approach?

It’s clear that the pressure brought by the global economic downturn has had a huge economic impact on organisations across the world. As a result, more organisations are finding that not only do they need to turn to outsourcing as a means of alleviating their economic pain, but are also waking up to the idea that by investing in and committing to a collaborative relationship with their outsourcing supplier, they can add even greater value. Shared services is a perfect example of how working together can help to cut costs and increase efficiency, and one which has been driven, to a large extent, by the global economic climate.

Equally, it’s true that advances in technology have helped to support a collaborative approach, with innovations such as virtualization and the cloud leading to new ways of working, managing, innovating and outsourcing together. Now that the tools are available for organisations to work together, it’s no surprise to find that more are taking the opportunity to do just that.

Many have predicted that collaboration will be one of the watchwords of the next few years, we are set to see a huge increase in collaboration between end users, suppliers, support, employees, customers, delivering a continuous business value. With this in mind, the NOA launched part one of the BS 11000 towards the end of the year in conjunction with the British Standards Institute (BSI), with a view to promoting solid and profitable relationships in business.

Part two of the BS 11000 is set to launch early next month, with a practical guide. For more information, please visit: www.noa.co.uk