Organizational Dynamics Programs
Master of Science in Organizational Dynamics
Theses
University of Pennsylvania
Year
Team Foundation and Outsourcing
Preparedness
Robert N. Milliken
University of Pennsylvania, rob milliken@hotmail.com
Submitted to the Program of Organizational Dynamics in the Graduate Division of
the School of Arts and Sciences in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of
Masters of Science in Organizational Dynamics at the University of Pennsylvania.
Advisor: Eric van Merkensteijn
This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons@Penn.
http://repository.upenn.edu/od theses msod/6
TEAM FOUNDATION AND OUTSOURCING PREPAREDNESS
by
Robert N. Milliken
Submitted to the Program of Organizational Dynamics in the
Graduate Division of the School of Arts and Sciences in Partial
Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Masters of Science
in Organizational Dynamics at the University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2007
TEAM FOUNDATION AND OUTSOURCING PREPAREDNESS
Approved By:
_________________________________________
Program Director
________________________________________
Thesis Advisor
iii
ABSTRACT
This thesis describes CDR International’s first board sponsored and senior
executive approved and organized effort to leverage the labor arbitrage and
service and performance opportunities existing in the global marketplace. I
describe the initial phases of the formation of the outsourcing team, the
challenges and political obstacles overcome and the decision making phase of
this important organizational project. I argue that key factors for success of this
initiative included a solid foundation of research, best practices, lessons-learned
from comparable organizations, and most important, the formation of standard
tools and methods for identifying and evaluating opportune functions for
consideration. The development