Donna Rock, director of purchasing at Triton Labs, stared intently out her office window. It was a crisp Friday afternoon in the middle of February, and Donna knew that she had to make some tough decisions before Monday mornings presentation to Tritons board of directors. The Global Sourcing Task Force, which Donna led, had completed an arduous 6-month review of Tritons global sourcing requirements and practices. At the reviews outset, it was clear that Tritons decentralized sourcing structure was not lean enough to help Triton compete against larger rivals in a consolidating industry. Yet centralizing sourcing represented a radical transition that would be difficult to implement over the objections of Tritons worldwide purchasing managers. Donnas challenge was to present a hybrid plan that would yield both efficiency and autonomy.

1. How would you answer Donnas concerns?

2. Are there alternatives?

3. What steps are needed to prevent culture shock?