A Different Way to Think About the Game

 

Situation: The 2002 Oakland Athletics.

Billy Beane was the general manager of the Oakland Athletics from 1997 – 2016. Following a successful 2001 season, Beane lost his top three players to free agency. Giambi. Damon. Isringhausen. All fan favorites. All top producers for the team. All gone.

At $29M, the A’s spent the third least amount of money in Major League Baseball. Compare that to the Yankees who spent $126 Million in the same season. In an attempt to replace the players lost, Beane went to owners Schott and Hoffman to ask for an increased budget to not only replace the players lost but to remain competitive in the sport referred to as America National Pastime.

Talks failed.

Billy was left with a budget that was less than 30% of the best team in the league yet was still tasked with remaining competitive to keep fans in the stadium.

Have you ever heard, “This is how we’ve always done it?’” I certainly have. Each of Billy’s player scouts remained using the same process and doing the same push-ups and sit-ups as they had done the 20+ years prior. They looked at names on a board and their respective statistics hoping to simply field a team using the same methods they always had, looking for a different outcome. Isn’t that the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result?

Since this was the hand he was dealt, Beane recognized that he needed a change in the thought process in order to achieve a different result. In meeting with the Cleveland Indians, he met Peter Brand who was clearly part of their decision-making process in player trades and acquisitions. Beane immediately recognized Brand’s deep analytics skills, hired him, and together, they based the 2002 Oakland Athletics roster solely off of statistical analysis. Rather than drafting or trading for players with an all-around skill set, they focused on players who excelled in an area that the current roster was lacking.  

What was the result? A league-leading 103 wins in the 2002 regular season, and a 20-game win streak within it. The longest win streak in a single season since the 1935 Chicago Cubs.

At the end of the day, these teams are playing the same game. It’s about the efficiency.

Peter Brand

On the differentiation

 

Trent… We are technology leaders. Moneyball?

Why are companies still sourcing talent from a bench?  In the race for talent, there seems to be a huge frustration to find team members that even vaguely meet the requirements.  That doesn’t even begin to consider company culture, soft skills, and retention.   

Globally thinking, this is even more challenging.  Do you know who your offshore talent is? Their strengths and how they can be the player on your team? Most often this is a black box for US leaders. 

Attracting and retaining top talent is a global concern.  We’re here to share an alternative that works.  Let’s play this game to win. With precision and data analytics on your side, SMC Squared offers you an alternative to offshoring and outsourcing.  You’ll like the shift. You’ll love the outcome.  

Stop overpaying for underperforming players.

SMC Squared focuses on you and your organization. We find what your current team is lacking and optimize your offshore strategy to fit your culture, and your specific needs. This is our Recruit to Fit model. We believe that each team member should be valued as an employee, rather than a commodity.  SMC Squared focuses on an individual’s cultural fit, just as much as it focuses on their talents and technical skill sets.

We hire players with grit and drive.  The team members that we bring to the table are walking, talking, and breathing your brand and objectives.  There’s a reason our teams outperform the big names in the industry.  

The result? SMC Squared delivers value-driving focused teams, 1:1 productivity compared to US counterparts, measured quality and efficiency. 

It’s all about the data.   Business outcomes and bottom line?   We deliver a retention rate of 90% (measured monthly), and an average cost savings of 42% over our partners’ previous solutions.   We are different for a reason.  

SMC Squared is the Moneyball of Offshore

SMC Squared is able to deliver offshore teams in the IT and business operations space within 3 months, which is shorter than an offseason in Major League Baseball. All it takes to achieve unprecedented data analytics, digital, and development teams is the willingness to depart from the long-existing, underperforming way of the past. Find out about the SMC Squared team that is making a difference in a growing number of US and multinational companies via Global Capability Centers.

The biggest joy for SMC Squared is watching our clients soar to new heights and compete on a level they didn’t think was possible. We would love the opportunity to build you a championship-caliber team.

The Boston Red Sox see Johnny Damon and they see a star who’s worth seven and half-million dollars a year. When I see Johnny Damon, what I see is… an imperfect understanding of where runs come from. The guy’s got a great glove. He’s a decent leadoff hitter.

Peter Brand

On the monetary value of Johnny Damon

  • To learn more about SMC Squared’s approach to building an employee-centric team, click here.
  • Read more about how SMC Squared partners with clients to save an average of 42% on IT talent as they turn to our innovative Global Insourcing Centers.
  • Want to go inside a GIC? Click here.

More Perspectives:

SMC2 Blog: Building an Engaged and Retained Team for Your Global Capability Center

SMC2 Blog: Building an Engaged and Retained Team for Your Global Capability Center

In the journey of establishing a Global Capability Center (GCC), one of the pivotal steps, as discussed in our previous article “How to Hire the Right People for Your GCC in India”, is ensuring you have the right team on board. However, the journey doesn’t end there. As COO and Co-Founder of SMC Squared Steven Stephan emphasizes, “Initiating, recruiting, and nurturing a team that’s not just skilled but is also deeply engaged and retained is equally crucial.”

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Scale Your Tech Output: Step 1

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