Article critique Student: Professor: Course title: Date: Article critique Zirpoli, F., & Becker, M. C. (2011). What happens when you outsource too much? MIT Sloan Management Review 52(2) Statement of author’s purpose Zirpoll and Becker (2011) carried out a research to systematically observe the effects of a lean product development approach on an organization’s competencies and knowledge areas, and the degree that execution of design outsourcing affected the sustainability of a company’s outsourcing strategy. The authors selected the context of the automotive industry which is highly complex in terms of companies and technologies involved in the processes of innovation. One specific manufacturer, Alpha, was chosen. Zirpoli and Becker (2011) examined 2 research centres of this company in addition to its first-tier suppliers. The authors observed alterations over a period of ten years, during which they gathered archival data as well as company documents and carried out interviews with staff members.