Excellence und Outsourcing. Eine qualitative Untersuchung des Excellence-Begriffs und der Outsourcing-Erfahrungen aus theoretischer und praktischer Perspektive sowie der Wechselwirkungen zwischen Excellence und Outsourcing im Falle des Auslagerns technischer, produktionsnaher Unterstützungsaktivitäten in einem Unternehmen der Prozessindustrie aus Sicht des Outsourcing-Gebers

This dissertation examines the interaction between excellence concepts and outsourcing measures. Therefor the objective is to analyze the diverse theoretical perspectives of the term “excellence” and to align these with practical perceptions within an industrial environment. In parallel, the expectations associated with outsourcing projects are critically examined. A particular focus is placed on the interactions between these two concepts within a company operating in the process industry, analyzed specifically from the perspective of the outsourcing client.
The literature review highlights a heterogeneous understanding of excellence as well as significant challenges inherent in outsourcing; however, an explicit link between these two management instruments has been largely absent from existing research. Consequently, this thesis elaborates on the strategic role of excellence, alongside the critical success factors and expectations of outsourcing.
Building on this theoretical foundation, the empirical section investigates the perception of excellence and practical experiences with the outsourcing of technical, production-related support activities. A central focus lies on the interdependencies between both concepts within these support activities. The study illustrates how maintenance requirements vary throughout the life cycle of asset groups and which excellence criteria support the decision-making process between in-house performance and the utilization of external services in respective phases.
Methodologically, the thesis follows an exploratory, qualitative research design. Data collection was conducted through semi-structured expert interviews from the perspective of the outsourcing client. These were subsequently evaluated using a two-stage qualitative content analysis, which allowed for a systematic categorization of the complex practical insights.
The study identifies practical challenges and multifaceted interactions occurring throughout the outsourcing process. Thus, this dissertation contributes to the scientific debate at the interface of excellence and outsourcing and provides a sound foundation for further investigation. Finally, the research outlook discusses the potential of digitalization and artificial intelligence for maintenance. It formulates both the opportunities for increasing plant availability and the risks regarding data leakage and potential loss of knowledge as future fields of research.