I have been in the Applications Outsourcing Industry for the most part of my career and would like to spend a few minutes on expressing my concerns on the 'Landed Resources' penomenon.

 It is a phenomenon in itself as IT industries today are sending rookies with little or no experience and negligible exposure.

Some of these poor lost souls are thrust into sensitive client facing situations without being equipped with the necessary skills or cultural tact to handle them. 

I have heard of situations where clients have tried their level best trying to 'team up' with these strange extended teams that they are having to work with by offers of buying them beers only to be let down with dismissive refusals because the new member is a tee-totaller vegetarian and takes offence on even being asked!

While most companeis make claims of putting these teams through cultural orientation programs, I have never seen them be practised in a real project situation where the requirement for an additional resource is always 'yesterday'!

Also, the work culture is dramatically different. 

I have heard tales of an Irish client with strict working hours from 9 AM to 5 PM allowing for 2 tea breaks of ten minutes each and a 45 minutes lunch break horrified at how Indians seem to have a complete 'disregard' for time and seem to be not very productive. They would see these new Indian additions to their team stroll in leisurly an hour late for work, have not two but at least 5 coffee breaks and a minumum hour's break for lunch.  When the feedback reached the Indian teams, they were wondering what the fuss was about as the client obviously missed out was the fact that they would continue to be at work till at least 9 PM long after the other Irish employees were home and get the job done anyhow.

 Competitive pressures and a constant imbalance between higher demand and a not-so-qualitative supply are driving India IT companies towards desperate measures all focussed around meeting 'project staffing' deadlines with little concern on the nature and quality of these resources.

Also, all work-life concerns seem to fly out of the window when IT staff is expected to spend 6-12 months estranged from their families in strange lands....

This is like a roller coaster ride and India currently seems to be on its way up and enjoying it due to sheer market dynamics... if we don't get our act together and realise that at the end of the day its that one person who speaks to the client everyday that is responsible for your image, we might see a down-curve approaching sooner than we think.....