A 90-Day Blueprint For Building High-Performing Offshore Teams with Ingo Piroth

In this episode of the HRchat Podcast, host Bill Banham is joined by Ingo Piroth, Chief Revenue Officer at Emapta Global, a leader in building high-performing global teams for some of the world’s fastest-growing companies. 

Listen as they explore how outsourcing and offshore teams are evolving into a strategic lever for workforce transformation.

With over 30 years of experience across global technology, outsourcing, and digital transformation, Ingo shares what organizations must get right to build high-performing distributed teams that go beyond cost savings and drive real business impact.

Together, they unpack a practical 90-day blueprint for launching offshore teams successfully—covering clarity of roles, workflow design, and leadership alignment. The conversation also explores how culture is built across borders, why governance matters more than ever, and how AI is reshaping outsourcing from labor arbitrage to capability arbitrage.

If you're scaling globally, rethinking workforce strategy, or exploring outsourcing in 2025 and beyond, this episode offers actionable insights to help you avoid common pitfalls and build sustainable, high-performing teams.

Key Topics Covered:

•  Workforce transformation through outsourcing and offshore teams 
•  The critical first 90 days when building global teams 
•  Designing clear roles, expectations, and workflows 
•  Why “minimum viable workflows” outperform perfection 
•  Embedding leadership to build trust across locations 
•  Creating culture through rituals, relationships, and recognition 
•  Structuring teams for agility through standardization 
•  What to demand from outsourcing partners beyond cost savings 
•  AI’s role in shifting outsourcing to capability arbitrage 
•  Managing compliance, risk, and privacy across international markets 
•  Aligning HR, finance, operations, and delivery teams 
•  Leadership skills for managing distributed, outcome-based teams 

About the Guest

Ingo Piroth has held senior leadership roles at global organizations including IBM, SAP, AT&T, and Cognizant Softvision. He brings deep expertise in helping organizations scale through global talent strategies and operational transformation.

Transcript

Welcome And Topic Setup

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Welcome to the HR Chat Show, one of the world's most downloaded and shared podcasts designed for HR pros, talent execs, tech enthusiasts, and business leaders. For hundreds more episodes and what's new in the world of work, subscribe to the show, follow us on social media, and visit hrgazette.com.

Ingo’s Outsourcing Career Path

SPEAKER_02 0:26

Welcome to another episode of the HR Chat Show. Hello, listeners. This is your host today, Bill Bannham. And in this episode, we're going to tackle a big topic for any organization thinking about how to scale efficiently and tap into global talent. And that's workforce transformation through outsourcing and offshore teams. Joining me on the show today is Ingo Piroff, Chief Revenue Officer over at MAPTA, a leader in building high-performing global teams for some of the world's fastest growing companies. Listen as we dive into what enterprises must get right when building offshore teams, how to maintain culture and collaboration globally, and why outsourcing has matured far beyond cost savings to become a strategic growth lever. I hope you enjoy this conversation that I had with Ingo. Ingo, it's my pleasure to welcome you to the HR Chat Show today. How are you doing?

SPEAKER_03 1:24

I'm doing great, Bill. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 1:27

So, as we like to do on this show before we get into the hard-hitting stuff, let's just get to know you a little bit more beyond the Wii introduction just a moment ago. Why don't you take a minute or two, Ingo, and uh tell listeners a bit more about yourself, your career background, and what gets you up in the morning? What motivates you?

SPEAKER_03 1:45

Uh yeah, so um I have been in the outsourcing IT services and business process industry for the last 30 years or so. Um here in the United States, I've worked for some of the largest companies, some of the smallest companies in various different capacities, also as a private consultant in this space. And um I've kind of seen this uh outsourcing journey from many angles, including, by the way, as a client, not just as a provider, which I think uh is really essential when you're building credibility for clients. Uh what gets me up in the morning? Um, I like working with enterprise customers to solve large strategic problems. And uh while outsourcing at the core of it is a way for people to uh bring on extra capacity, create cost efficiencies, etc., uh there's a much larger mandate here in play that typically revolves around workforce transformation. Those are the most interesting conversations. So uh beyond just executing, I do like the strategic conversation that involves for the enterprise.

SPEAKER_01 2:52

Thanks for listening to this episode of the HR Chat Podcast. If you enjoy the audio content we produce, you'll love our articles on the HR Gazette. Learn more at HRGazette.com. And now back to the show.

SPEAKER_02 3:08

Let's now talk about the 90-day blueprint for high-performance global teams. You have a number of recommendations for companies building out their offshore teams. What are these best practices? Um, what does success look like?

SPEAKER_03 3:23

I think the first 90 days is really the foundation that you have to create before scaling an organization, and clarity, cadence, and connection really is what creates the high-performance teams. I think while we could go into many of the um nuts and bolts of how to do outsourcing implementations at scale, what it boils down to for me is three really big strategic things that you have to think about. Uh, number one, um, teams need clear roles, workflows, and expectations set. And as long as you are aligned on what success looks like, you're already set up for uh a very good transition into the outsourcing universe. I also think that most people um really look at perfecting their operating model, and that's typically a mistake. I would say that a minimum viable workflow allows for weekly iteration and allows you to scale quickly. So you don't have to have perfection right off the bat, but um uh keep working and iterate as you go. And I think the last thing is that um, and we'll talk a little bit perhaps about how important we consider culture to be. Um, an embedded leadership side on both sides really accelerates trust and helps the teams operate as a unified whole. And so you cannot skip the um uh cultural alignment that I think is so central to make outsourcing work. At the end of the day, the first 90 days is about creating trust, rhythm, and clarity so that teams can accelerate quickly.

Culture Across Distance That Sticks

SPEAKER_02 4:57

During COVID times, uh what we saw was a move by many companies to embrace the global talent pool. It didn't matter where you were in the world, uh, if you're able to do the job, um you could you could get a job. And I thought that was one of the silver linings from a very dark uh cloud. Um we have seen, of course, in the last year or two, Ingo, uh, a bit a bit of a move back towards um encouraging employees to uh uh be in the be in the same time zone, maybe be in the same locale. In many instances, folks are now expected to be back in the office uh a few days a week. I'm not I'm not um an advocate of that. I I think if the talent is right, it doesn't matter where they are. In terms of culture and connectedness, for for optimal collaboration, it's important to ensure that teams feel connected and share a sense of purpose, even if they are disparate. How how do you do this when people are working half a world away?

SPEAKER_03 5:53

Um that is a great question, Bill. And I do think that uh what we learned during COVID with hybrid work models and being able to work remotely is actually something that's translated very well into how uh the outsourcing universe works for our clients because the expectations that you're in the office, you're right, certainly still exists. However, uh finding the right talent globally is really part of a workforce transformation strategy that most of our clients uh uh really look at. And I think as long as you can create rituals, relationships, and recognition to build a real culture, uh you really have got something that you can build on. And again, I think to me that boils down to you know a handful of things that are most important to think about. I think uh shared rituals are a big uh uh advantage. So maintaining rhythm and identity and treating your outsourced organization as if they're part of the corporate identity that you have really sets yourself up for success. Um and that boils down to communicating the why uh people are working for this company and uh anchoring them in the same purpose and mission that you have. And if you can extend that kind of capability, that kind of uh culture to your outsourced um organization, then you're you're setting yourself for success. And I think one last thing here is I do think you have to uh amplify some of the local culture uh to strengthen belonging and performance. Your outsourced organizations will be typically in a different geographic uh area. So making sure you understand what makes these people tick, making sure they understand how you operate, especially if you're perhaps in North America or another Western country, um, that's really important. So fundamentally, it's about creating belonging at scale. I think culture flows through connection and not location. And that's really something important to remember. So you treat your teams like they're just an extension of your own team.

Structure That Enables Agility

SPEAKER_02 7:50

I love uh part of your answer. There was the why. Uh we've had uh we've had Simon Sudics, uh main uh main advocate on the show a couple of times. I think he holds the record uh in terms of downloads, a chap called Stephen Chadlepsky. So I I love that you you mentioned the the why of the business. Uh let's talk about structure and agility. How do you balance the need for structure and standardization of processes with the flexibility required in global fast-moving organizations?

SPEAKER_03 8:18

Yeah, um, it's a great question. I think structure versus agility is often something that people misunderstand. I don't think structure and agility are opposites. I think they're actually complements to each other. So um, as long as you can standardize the way you work and you can stay agile in what you work on, the process really provides a platform for this purposeful pivoting into uh the outsourced organization. Um, you do need to create standardization because that reduces friction and improves the collaboration across the teams. Uh there's no doubt that you're extending what you currently do with your organization to a different uh part of the world, uh, different kind of work standards, etc. So you do need to make sure that the standard processes are well articulated, you have SOPs, knowledge transfers in place. But I think if you set your team up correctly, then flexibility is really what enables the innovation and rapid adoption to these kind of business ships. Ultimately, you have to map the core versus adaptive processes because that really prevents the chaos while you're also enabling your uh outsourced organization to do speed, right? When all is said and done, global teams really succeed by being consistently structured, but also selectively flexible to accommodate the uh the strategic kind of agility that you need to be effective in today's market.

SPEAKER_02 9:49

What should HR business leaders look for in an outsource outsourcing partner then uh to ensure long-term success that transcends beyond just the cost savings?

SPEAKER_03 10:01

Yeah, I think um, you know, most of the clients that we work with when they're choosing an outsourcing partner, uh, use cost as an entry point. Um, it is often the reason why people are driven to think about outsourcing in general as something they want to incorporate into their workforce transformation strategy. But I think far more important than that is the capability, partnership, and risk management that drive long-term success. I think you need a partner that can scale with you, not a vendor who invoices you. So we mentioned cultural alignment, that's really what creates partnerships rather than the vendor dynamics. It's one of the principles I think that our organization has been built on. And I continue to advise the C-suite, you know, go beyond the uh the cost deficiencies that you're looking for and look for the right partner who can strengthen your capability, not just your cost base. In the long term, that's really the thing that's going to make your journey to outsourcing successful.

AI Changes The Outsourcing Case

SPEAKER_02 11:06

Okay, we're about 10 minutes into this conversation, Ingo, and we haven't yet mentioned AI, but we're going to do that now. Uh because you can't have a conversation these days without talking about AI. So uh how how is AI changing the business case for outsourcing then? And what new skills or roles are now commonly offshore?

SPEAKER_03 11:27

Um, it's a great question, Bill. And I would say AI plus your global talent strategy is probably one of the most common topics we end up talking about, both internally and for our clients. And I think uh what you have to remember is while there are implications for uh cost basics and the way people do work, at the end of the day, AI is shifting outsourcing from labor arbitrage to capability arbitrage. Um AI doesn't replace offshore talent. For the right kind of partner, it amplifies it. And um, as long as you can uh create these offshore roles that enable that are enabled through AI, I think you're on to a winning start. Um I think the uh advanced data and automation skills that are required with long-term AI, large language models, etc., are a journey that most of our clients are on. It's not an end state. And in order to do that, the modern talent profile really means that you have to invest in the infrastructure, in the people, and the way that you try to embrace AI as part of your overall strategy. Smaller teams now produce greater output through AI augmentation. And so I think fundamentally AI is less about replacing the talent and more about unlocking amplified capability. It does speak to the fact that you need to partner with someone that can bring you outsourced capability that is enhanced by AI and that can help you with the nuts and bolts of building out an AI strategy. It's a very important topic.

SPEAKER_02 13:05

And what's an example of a company that shifted from outsourcing for efficiency? You mentioned earlier on, okay, a lot of people get into um offshoring and outsourcing for the cost benefits, but it's so much more that there's so many other reasons to make it a success. So what what what are the what are the is an example of a company that shifted from outsourcing for efficiency purposes to outsourcing for innovation purposes? And what changed?

SPEAKER_03 13:32

It's a great question, Bill. And I do believe that um uh it's not so much um what companies are doing it, it's become a standard forcing function where most customers have talked to us about uh cost efficiencies first, but really quickly realize that there is a number of areas where AI will be essential in their outsourcing journey. Um the first area is the need for leveraging AI tools and platforms to accelerate and simplify the onboarding experience. So think about uh SOP documentation, knowledge transfer platforms that allow you to take business processes from one area to the next very quickly. The second area is really creating an AI enablement platform so that the tools that are required for your customer service centers, your finance and accounting uh competency areas are accelerated by using AI platforms. And we're finding that as these implementations for outsourcing move from cost efficiency, small deployments, do some core business processes, and become a strategic partnership for us, AI is going to continue to be the driving factor for being a being able to accelerate that.

Pitfalls When Scaling Globally

SPEAKER_02 14:57

Okay, we are flying through these questions and answers. Uh next stop, let's talk about scaling internationally. What are some common pitfalls when companies rapidly expand into new geographies and how do you help clients avoid those?

SPEAKER_03 15:11

Yes, thank you, Bill. I think um most outsourcing that people consider these days is international. It's uh global in nature. So figuring out the global expansion and um the uh things that are inherently going to uh solve those things is super important. I think the three things you have to watch out for the most is that culture and change management challenges are often underestimated. Um the alignment between your outsource team and the internal mission, vision, and strategy that you have is going to be critically important to make sure your international teams don't feel isolated, that they feel incorporated into what you're doing. That is part of the principle of dedicated staffing versus just uh managed services. I think you have to ensure that operational readiness has to precede any hiring ramp, because at the end of the day, international expansion succeeds when you design, discipline, and culture uh lead the way to making that happen. And then I would also say that uh governance through a 30, 60, 90-day plan really prevents this uncontrolled growth. A gold standard to me is launching with a pilot team and having a clear readiness checklist before scaling headcount. That is uh something you should be doing anyway, but is even more accentuated when you're scaling internationally.

Aligning Finance Ops And HR

SPEAKER_02 16:40

In terms of operational excellence, you emphasize aligning financial, operational, and workforce strategies, of course. Where do organizations most often fail in that alignment?

SPEAKER_03 16:53

I think for operational excellence uh to really work, um, what we're seeing is that misaligned incentives really derail even the best strategy. And so you want finance efficiencies, ops wants stability, HR wants capability. So alignment is the great unlocking advantage you have right here. And so uh there are a number of ways that we advise our customers to do that. The first is you need cross-functional goals so that teams um uh are not pulling in different directions. Goal setting and alignment around that is critically important. And then governance syncs. So if you think about the decision making that happens across finance, ops, HR, and delivery, you really have to have a governance process to manage those. And most importantly, I think is real-time analytics, because that's what's going to take and move your organization from being reactive to proactive. Fundamentally, operational excellence is about aligning ambition with execution.

Leadership Skills For Distributed Teams

SPEAKER_02 18:03

Okay, so I feel like uh our next question, we've we've kind of touched upon this a little bit before, but I'd still like to tease a bit more information from you. However, uh, because we have touched upon it, I'm gonna challenge you to answer this one in 60 seconds or less. What, Bill? Don't do this to me. Here we go. Uh so in terms of supporting leaders and managers, managing distributed teams requires new leadership competencies. What skills should today's people managers develop first in 60 seconds or less? Go.

SPEAKER_03 18:34

60 seconds or less. How we support leaders and managers. Number one, leaders must manage outcomes, not activity. It is about trying to figure out and having common goals. Number two, I think the psychological safety is essential for cross-cultural collaboration. So ensuring you've got an emotional connection is just as important as having the uh KPIs all aligned. And at the end of the day, trust is built through rhythm, visibility, empathy, and digital fluency. So when all is said and done, leading global teams is about intentional clarity, consistent connection.

Asia Compliance Risks And Readiness

SPEAKER_02 19:11

Ingo, I should have said 30 seconds. Very good, sir. Very good. Uh okay, let's talk about compliance and risk management now. What what emerging geopolitical or regulatory risks should global employers, particularly those expanding into Asia, uh, be aware of in 2025 and beyond?

SPEAKER_03 19:29

Yeah, it's uh it's it's a great question. I think risk rises um uh with each the time you move into uh outsourcing environments. I think especially Asia's regulatory environment is tightening, not loosening. And so uh the three kind of areas that we talk to our clients about is privacy policy and protection are non-negotiables. I think it's critically important. Um, you know, regulatory demands across Asia are growing increasingly complex. And especially if you've got distributed teams that require tax and employment structuring, these are all the kind of things you need to look for in a partner to kind of try and figure out. So local expertise safeguards against unexpected legal or compliance risk, in my opinion. And so what we've seen is that the most confident global operators do early compliance mapping before signing their first offshore team. Typically, from an implementation readiness standpoint, that's a key area that we prepare our clients for. Um you can't really skimp on that. Um, it's going to be the driver for the success of your organization.

How To Connect And Closing

SPEAKER_02 20:43

Okay. And just finally, for this particular conversation, but I'm sure I'll be hounding you for more in the future. How can folks connect with you? So is that LinkedIn? Do you want to share your email address? Are you super cool and all over TikTok and Instagram and places? And of course, how can our listeners learn more about a mapta?

SPEAKER_03 21:01

I am on many platforms, uh obviously, but um the best way to connect with a mapta is through our website. We have uh an entire uh strategic layout of what workforce transformation looks like. You can find information there, but more than that, it can help you in the planning of what you're doing. As far as myself is concerned, Ingo Paroth, you can find me on LinkedIn. Uh I also have a profile on the website, that's probably the best to get hold of me. Um we really enjoy, Bill, talking to clients more conceptually about how this might work rather than giving them a hard sell. It's the foundation of our organization. And so uh if you can get in a strategic alignment conversation with a partner that you're looking for, then you're going to be set up for success. And we're very happy to have that conversation to kind of help guide you.

SPEAKER_02 21:54

Perfect. Well, that just leads me to say for this particular conversation, Ingo, thank you very much for being my guest.

SPEAKER_03 22:00

Thank you so much, Bill. It's been a real pleasure speaking with you.

SPEAKER_02 22:03

And listeners, as always, until next time, happy working.

SPEAKER_00 22:10

Thanks for listening to the HR Chat Show if you enjoyed this episode, why not subscribe and listen to some of the hundreds of episodes published by HR Gazette? And remember, for what's new in the world of work, subscribe to the show, follow us on social media, and visit hrgazette.com.