1. The case mentions the dependence of BP’s IT organization on external contractors. Why would this be an issue? When is it a good idea for IT departments to hire contractors, and when is it not? Discuss some scenarios.
2. The culture of the IT organization is mentioned as an important issue. How do you think it changed throughout the period covered here? What did it look like when Deasy came on board? What does it look like now?
3. How did BP get to the situation mentioned at the beginning of the transformation process? Does it appear to be the result of a conscious decision? Use examples from the case to illustrate your answer.

A few years ago, the CEO of one of the world’s largest corporations laid some very tough love on his 500 top managers. Despite having annual revenue of about $300 billion, BP had become, said CEO Tony Hayward, “a serial underperformer” that had “promised a lot but not delivered very much.” At that March 2008 meeting,