What we do

The Outsourcing Unit was founded at the LSE to research global issues surrounding outsourcing at the international, governmental and corporate levels. The findings are disseminated through education, advice and publications.

The Outsourcing Unit has 3 aims: the first is to undertake independent research on the trends, the lessons and the practical implications of outsourcing practices. Secondly, through this work, the Unit aims to provide a benchmark of what works and what does not, and so raise the standard of management knowledge in this field. Thirdly, by being retained by individual governments, organizations and corporations, the Unit provides a specialist means of influencing policy, management and practice to help make outsourcing less risky and demonstrably more cost-effective.
There are 5 key drivers of effective outsourcing. These are

  • managing risk;
  • leveraging core capabilities;
  • delivering effective sourcing strategies;
  • streamlining cost and performance;
  • developing the innovation agenda.

Each of these areas is under research and Reports and White Papers are published throughout the year. See Publications

Key aspects of the research are presented in short videos. See Videos - 3 more videos now available

For further information or an initial discussion, please contact Professor Leslie Willcocks at l.p.willcocks@lse.ac.uk