After Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), the companies in the US and Europe, with further increased competitive pressures on business margins, are planning to source their knowledge work from developing countries like India. Some Indian companies are taking this opportunity and preparing themselves to export knowledge products on a sustainable basis and making grounds on how to retain and manage their own professional intellects so that they can create a niche in this field. This article discusses the attributes of professional intellectuals in Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) to gain a firm footing in the global offshoring industry.

In July 2004, an Indian market research firm Evalueserve projected that the world market for KPO will grow to $17 bn by 2010. It has now been found that after BPO, Indian companies are becoming increasingly aggressive in going after professional and skilled functions of BPOs, despite having many outcries in the US and other western countries for offshoring. Most of these knowledge processes are in the areas of legal services, accounting services, financial analysis, architectural, engineering services, etc. However, with increased intellectual costs in the West, there are further opportunities in areas of radiology, market research, computer animation, human resource services, etc.

In a recent interview with The Economic Times, Avinash Vashistha, Chairman and CEO, Tholons (an investment advisory and management firm) opined that KPO will remain a niche play for the next few years. With such opportunities in hand, the management of KPO industries in India must take utmost care to motivate and understand the needs and aspirations of their professional intellectuals for the success of the organization.

HRM Review Magazine, Professional Intellectuals, KPO Industry, Human Resource Perspective, Business Process Outsourcing, BPO, nowledge Process Outsourcing, KPO, Indian Market Research, Knowledge Professionals, Indian Companies.