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Over the next year or so, we will be sharpening our focus on the impact of globalization on the world of enterprise IT. Among the key issues are the need to support rapidly expanding operations in emerging markets; the proliferation of international partnerships and joint ventures; the challenges of cross-cultural operations; and, of course, the changing geography of work itself, as companies seek to optimize their costs and resource allocations.

In this issue, we will present some of our work and thinking thus far. My opening piece provides an overview of the major globalization drivers, as well as the complex dynamics between globalization’s many proponents and opponents. The subsequent papers become more specialized and tactical. Alex Mayall looks at changing organizational models and the need for companies to get the right balance between centralized and decentralized operations. Kirt Mead then assesses a similar balance, between the extent to which companies seek to be pecialists or integrators in their given industries.

Boston University Professor N. Venkatraman, who serves on our Research Advisory Board, was the first person I know to use the phrase ‘the changing geography of work’ as a way to think more broadly about the whole issue of global sourcing. On this topic we have three contributions. The first, by Richard Sykes, urges us to view globalization in terms of ‘Globalization – and’ other industry forces. Then Sridhar Vedala and Albert Sprokholt provide a framework for thinking about your global sourcing strategy. Finally, Doug Neal and Marc Posner present a strategic model for taking advantage of the emerging Web 2.0 capabilities that will provide the future infrastructure for global collaboration.

David Moschella
Editor and Global Research Director
dmoschella@csc.com