This book is the definitive guide to leveraging the external services market for business advantage. Based on 30 years of research into over 2100 organizations and advisory engagements throughout Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific and Africa, three world authorities detail the frameworks, lessons and practices that inexorably produce high performance. They pinpoint the who, where, and how of leadership, establish the strategic agenda and configure the outsourcing arrangement, how to manage across the outsourcing lifecycle, the vital client and supplier capabilities needed, how partnering evolves, and its real attributes, how clients innovate through outsourcing, and how they harness offshoring effectively. Up to date, with on-line follow-on materials to address market changes, this book provides the most authoritative single-source handbook for practitioners who want to be at the top of their game.