Outsourcing in Kosovo and its Perception Management
Perception Management is defined as: ‘’Actions to convey and/or deny selected information and indicators to foreign audiences to influence their emotions, motives, and objective reasoning as well as to intelligence systems and leaders to influence official estimates, ultimately resulting in foreign behaviors and official actions favorable to the originator’s objectives’’ – Kenneth Eade, bestselling author of the Brent Marks Legal Thriller Series.
This is a military version of the definition of perception management, but if we intend to provide a more civilian version of it, we could call it the ability to make the real picture look like a different picture, by using advertising methods such as social media and other propaganda resources.
The closest definition of Perception Management in the business sector has been propounded by Chris Komisarjevsky, CEO of Burson Marsteller who quotes: Perception Management is basically a methodology which helps us while we work with our clients to go through a very systematic thoughtful process in order to be able to help our clients identify what resources they have, what are their barriers for being successful, and how we can use communications tools( internet, social media, TV etc) to help them accomplish their objectives.
In terms of relating Perception Management with the Outsourcing Services industry, we need to bear in mind what the thought processes are with workers who are not associated with outsourcing and what their thoughts are about the Outsourcing sector in Kosovo.
When talking about outsourcing ICT services in Europe, there isn’t a more appropriate place than Kosovo. This statement is measured by reviewing capabilities in terms of youth education levels and their commitment to the ICT sector. This is a socio-economic development in Kosovo that can’t be ignored and is poised to play a dominant role in the future of the country’s burgeoning IT industry.
With the aim of enhancing Perception Management in terms of outsourcing in the Kosovo, we are setting the stage for different worker types to be involved and the number of workers in terms of the overall worker population which keeps growing dramatically in the Kosovan business sector.
At first glance unemployed Kosovan workers have solid skills speaking foreign languages or even bilingual abilities – They view the outsourcing sector as a potential opportunity for future employment, and these are the ones who have difficulties getting a job in this promising sector. Considering this population constitutes 35% of the overall population in the Kosovo, it holds promise for the Kosovo to become a potential outsourcing paradise for foreign developed ICT companies.
Secondly, we have a segment of the population whose skills have become obsolete. Their conservative job orientation viewpoint, “doesn’t believe in the virtual progression of the world”, and they want to leave things as they are. Since younger workers dominates Kosovo’s demographics (61% of the population are from 20 to 50years old), and the youth of Kosovo are the most progressive in Europe, regarding globalization in the business sector, this group is slowly retiring or becoming fewer in number in the workforce. Each day more progressive minded people enter this work sector who are developing concepts to provide a more modernistic, progressive credible and reliable values to the Kosovo labor market.
Thirdly, these new youthful, progressive workers are entering many different occupations but they second guess their decision – making processes whether to join the outsourcing market by adhering to their professional expertise and hesitant to leave their current jobs to contribute to this sector which is becoming one of the critical motivators in reducing the unemployment rates in the Kosovo, which does remain high in some critical industries and occupations.
