Good questions, I’ll address them in order:

1. How do you get started/where to begin
-I think the best way is to first define the tasks and processes you perform on a regular/semi-regular basis; next, use a site like http://www/guru.com or http://www.elance.com and post a small trial project for an outsourcing service provider or freelancer that involves delegating one or more of your tasks to them. Closely evaluate their performance and select/adjust accordingly. It is best to start small, get used to the workflow and then build up to bigger and bigger projects

2. How do you interview across great distances and across cultures?
-Distance elimination: there is a lot of technology available for ‘real time’ collaboration at reasonable cost. You can use free services like skype or you can use conferencing technology like gotomeeting, webex, accuconference and the like. it all depends on what you want your end product to look like.

Culture- as far as interviewing other cultures, I haven’t done a great deal of interviewing, but I have done my share of working. The best way to bridge cultural differences is to leave your pretenses and biases aside, be crystal clear about the end result you are after and be patient. One of the biggest issues that usually has to be overcome when working across cultures is Context - each culture operates under certain common ‘knowns’ that may be unknown to other business cultures, and this effects everything from the interpretation of news to the urgency of workflow.

Thanks for your comment. I hope this helps.

Best,

AJD

What is the best way to get started - where does one begin?
How do you interview across the ocean, timezone and cultures?

Keep up the great work!
Beverly
http://www.globalbusinessperspectives.com