“Don’t let the actions of a few determine the way you feel about an entire group. Remember, not all German’s were Nazis,” said Erin Gruwell, an American high school teacher so unorthodox and inspirational that ABC News commissioned a documentary about her, which Hollywood picked up on and made into a hit movie*.

Smart lady, wouldn’t you say? Well, a great deal of the Great British public could do with taking a leaf out of her book. Just because one high profile deal goes awry, it doesn’t mean that the entire concept of outsourcing should be written off.

As I said on Sky News, sourcing only arouses interest on the rare occasions it doesn’t work. It’s like a good quality central defender: you never know it’s there. Not until it makes an under hit back pass or heads into its own goal. But if one of the team makes a mistake, it doesn’t mean the whole squad are bunch of donkeys.

Of the 100s of outsourcing deals that make up the Olympics, only one gets talked about. And that is so wrong. To combat this depredation of our industry, we must unite and champion success, and correct some misconceptions along the way. The National Outsourcing Association is calling upon the entire outsourcing industry to demonstrate to the media, the business community and the man in the street that Outsourcing Works.

The man in the street is going to take some convincing. Earlier this year, the NOA commissioned a research project entitled “The Public Perception of Outsourcing” which discovered that to appreciate the value that outsourcing brings to the UK economy, the public wants to see evidence of the macro-economic advantages that outsourcing brings, such as its track record of job creation and its positive contribution to UK PLC.

Well, let’s give it to them – this information is out there. Outsourcing is the second biggest aggregate employer in the UK. Every day, over three million people get out of bed, brush their teeth and go off delivering services for other brands. How can that not be creating jobs and economic benefit? Anyone who thinks otherwise needs to wake up and smell the coffee. Work is on-going to collate case studies and numerical evidence to support this argument – give us a call at the NOA if you believe you can add weight to the campaign.

Following a pilot to a selection of the NOA membership base, 80 organisations have already pledged their support to the campaign which will both celebrate success and share best practice, uniting our industry into one coherent voice that will elucidate the value that outsourcing brings to the UK. You don’t have to be a member to support the cause. Come and see us on online to find out more…