IAOP: Innovation is a Community that Goes Beyond Company Walls

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y., Oct. 24 – Outsourcing is a connector that is bringing companies and the community together to produce innovation that couldn’t be achieved by businesses on their own, the chairman of the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP) said at the Forbes-Wipro Innovation conference.

“No longer is innovation an isolated activity that takes places inside a company’s R&D lab with a few bright minds,” said IAOP Chairman Michael Corbett at the Oct. 23 event in Manhattan, which also recognized winners of the first Applied Innovation Awards for Business Excellence.

“With today’s collaborative spirit, innovation is a community activity that goes beyond the four walls of a company,” he said. “Customers, suppliers, academia, investors, industry associations, researchers and other partners are all part of the innovation process, as well as consumers who directly provide input and exchange ideas through social networks in today’s Web 2.0 world.”

IAOP joined with the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA), Wipro Technologies and Forbes.com to launch the new awards that recognize organizations that have innovated collaboratively with a sourcing partner through co-innovation or global sourcing.

“Outsourcing is a way to connect these groups of people in the community and drive innovation,” said Corbett, who was a judge on the panel for the Applied Innovation awards.


About IAOP
The International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP) is the global, standard-setting organization and advocate for the outsourcing profession. With 40,000 customer, advisor and provider members world-wide, IAOP helps companies increase their outsourcing success rate, improve their outsourcing ROI, and expand the opportunities for outsourcing across their businesses. To learn, more visit www.outsourcingprofessional.org.