IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/worbus/v51y2016i4p548-567.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A systems perspective on offshoring strategy and motivational drivers amongst onshore and offshore employees

Author

Listed:
  • Zimmermann, Angelika
  • Ravishankar, M.N.

Abstract

Extant research tends to view firm level offshoring strategies and micro level motivational drivers as self-contained units of analysis. By contrast, this paper draws on an inductive study of two global service firms to demonstrate how the implementation and success of an advanced task offshoring strategy depends on certain systemic interdependencies between (a) the strategy, (b) onshore employees’ motivation to transfer advanced tasks and (c) offshore employees’ motivation to spend effort on their tasks and stay with the firm. We analyse how these three elements interact and produce feedback loops to create an ‘offshoring system’. Extrapolating from our findings, we propose how the offshoring system is likely to develop within the external constraints set by the attainable expertise of offshore employees and by client demands.

Suggested Citation

  • Zimmermann, Angelika & Ravishankar, M.N., 2016. "A systems perspective on offshoring strategy and motivational drivers amongst onshore and offshore employees," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(4), pages 548-567.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:worbus:v:51:y:2016:i:4:p:548-567
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jwb.2016.01.005
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090951616300050
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jwb.2016.01.005?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Stephan Manning & Marcus M Larsen & Pratyush Bharati, 2015. "Global delivery models: The role of talent, speed and time zones in the global outsourcing industry," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 46(7), pages 850-877, September.
    2. Arie Y Lewin & Silvia Massini & Carine Peeters, 2009. "Why are companies offshoring innovation? The emerging global race for talent," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 40(8), pages 1406-1406, October.
    3. Manning, Stephan, 2014. "Mitigate, tolerate or relocate? Offshoring challenges, strategic imperatives and resource constraints," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 49(4), pages 522-535.
    4. Mukherjee, Debmalya & Gaur, Ajai S. & Datta, Avimanyu, 2013. "Creating value through offshore outsourcing: An integrative framework," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 19(4), pages 377-389.
    5. Alexander Schmitt & Johannes Van Biesebroeck, 2013. "Proximity strategies in outsourcing relations: The role of geographical, cultural and relational proximity in the European automotive industry," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 44(5), pages 475-503, June.
    6. Clampit, Jack & Kedia, Ben & Fabian, Frances & Gaffney, Nolan, 2015. "Offshoring satisfaction: The role of partnership credibility and cultural complementarity," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 50(1), pages 79-93.
    7. Kedia, Ben L. & Mukherjee, Debmalya, 2009. "Understanding offshoring: A research framework based on disintegration, location and externalization advantages," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 44(3), pages 250-261, July.
    8. Arie Lewin & Silvia Massini & Carine Peeters, 2008. "Why are companies offshoring innovation ?the emerging global race for talent," Working Papers CEB 08-009, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    9. Yadong Luo & Stephanie Lu Wang & Qinqin Zheng & Vaidyanathan Jayaraman, 2012. "Task attributes and process integration in business process offshoring: A perspective of service providers from India and China," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 43(5), pages 498-524, June.
    10. Kuldeep Kumar & Paul C van Fenema & Mary Ann von Glinow, 2009. "Offshoring and the global distribution of work: Implications for task interdependence theory and practice," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 40(4), pages 642-667, May.
    11. Dossani, Rafiq & Kenney, Martin, 2007. "The Next Wave of Globalization: Relocating Service Provision to India," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 772-791, May.
    12. Jensen, Peter D. Ørberg & Larsen, Marcus M. & Pedersen, Torben, 2013. "The organizational design of offshoring: Taking stock and moving forward," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 19(4), pages 315-323.
    13. Bunyaratavej, Kraiwinee & Hahn, Eugene D. & Doh, Jonathan P., 2007. "International offshoring of services: A parity study," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 13(1), pages 7-21, March.
    14. Ceci, Federica & Prencipe, Andrea, 2013. "Does Distance Hinder Coordination? Identifying and Bridging Boundaries of Offshored Work," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 19(4), pages 324-332.
    15. Henry Mintzberg, 1978. "Patterns in Strategy Formation," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 24(9), pages 934-948, May.
    16. Anca Metiu, 2006. "Owning the Code: Status Closure in Distributed Groups," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 17(4), pages 418-435, August.
    17. repec:bla:jomstd:v:47:y:2010:i:s2:p:1417-1433 is not listed on IDEAS
    18. Luo, Yadong & Wang, Stephanie Lu & Jayaraman, Vaidyanathan & Zheng, Qinqin, 2013. "Governing business process offshoring: Properties, processes, and preferred modes," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 48(3), pages 407-419.
    19. repec:bla:jomstd:v:47:y:2010:i:s2:p:1510-1533 is not listed on IDEAS
    20. Matthew J. Bidwell, 2012. "Politics and Firm Boundaries: How Organizational Structure, Group Interests, and Resources Affect Outsourcing," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 23(6), pages 1622-1642, December.
    21. Jensen, Michael C. & Meckling, William H., 1976. "Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 3(4), pages 305-360, October.
    22. Demirbag, Mehmet & Mellahi, Kamel & Sahadev, Sunil & Elliston, Joel, 2012. "Employee service abandonment in offshore operations: A case study of a US multinational in India," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 47(2), pages 178-185.
    23. Masaaki Kotabe & Michael J. Mol & Sonia Ketkar, 2008. "An evolutionary stage model of outsourcing and competence destruction: A Triad comparison of the consumer electronics industry," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 48(1), pages 65-94, February.
    24. Michael A Sartor & Paul W Beamish, 2014. "Offshoring innovation to emerging markets: Organizational control and informal institutional distance," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 45(9), pages 1072-1095, December.
    25. Gerbl, Martina & McIvor, Ronan & Loane, Sharon & Humphreys, Paul, 2015. "A multi-theory approach to understanding the business process outsourcing decision," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 50(3), pages 505-518.
    26. Matthew Bidwell, 2010. "Problems Deciding: How the Structure of Make-or-Buy Decisions Leads to Transaction Misalignment," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 21(2), pages 362-379, April.
    27. Lampel, Joseph & Bhalla, Ajay, 2011. "Living with offshoring: The impact of offshoring on the evolution of organizational configurations," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 46(3), pages 346-358, July.
    28. Schmeisser, Bjoern, 2013. "A Systematic Review of Literature on Offshoring of Value Chain Activities," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 19(4), pages 390-406.
    29. Arie Lewin & Silvia Massini & Carine Peeters, 2009. "Why are companies offshoring innovation the emerging global race for talent (Journal of International Business Studies (2009) 40 (901-925) DOI:10.1057/jibs.2008.92)," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/205625, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    30. Farok J. Contractor & Vikas Kumar & Sumit K. Kundu & Torben Pedersen, 2010. "Reconceptualizing the Firm in a World of Outsourcing and Offshoring: The Organizational and Geographical Relocation of High‐Value Company Functions," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(8), pages 1417-1433, December.
    31. Mary C. Lacity & Vidya V. Iyer & Prasad S. Rudramuniyaiah, 2008. "Turnover intentions of Indian IS professionals," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 10(2), pages 225-241, April.
    32. Ram Mudambi & Markus Venzin, 2010. "The Strategic Nexus of Offshoring and Outsourcing Decisions," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(8), pages 1510-1533, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Paula Caligiuri & Helen De Cieri & Dana Minbaeva & Alain Verbeke & Angelika Zimmermann, 2020. "International HRM insights for navigating the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications for future research and practice," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 51(5), pages 697-713, July.
    2. Thakur-Wernz, Pooja & Bruyaka, Olga & Contractor, Farok, 2020. "Antecedents and relative performance of sourcing choices for new product development projects," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 90.
    3. Lartey, Theophilus A. & Amankwah-Amoah, Joseph & Danso, Albert & Adomako, Samuel & Khan, Zaheer & Tarba, Shlomo Y., 2021. "Environmental sustainability practices and offshoring activities of multinational corporations across emerging and developed markets," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(5).
    4. Paula Caligiuri & Helen De Cieri & Dana Minbaeva & Alain Verbeke & Angelika Zimmermann, 0. "International HRM insights for navigating the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications for future research and practice," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 0, pages 1-17.
    5. Alina Grecu & Wolfgang Sofka & Marcus M. Larsen & Torben Pedersen, 2022. "Unintended signals: Why companies with a history of offshoring have to pay wage penalties for new hires," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 53(3), pages 534-549, April.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Niccolò Pisani & Joan Enric Ricart, 2016. "Offshoring of Services: A Review of the Literature and Organizing Framework," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 56(3), pages 385-424, June.
    2. Schmeisser, Bjoern, 2013. "A Systematic Review of Literature on Offshoring of Value Chain Activities," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 19(4), pages 390-406.
    3. Mukherjee, Debmalya & Kumar, Satish & Pandey, Nitesh & Lahiri, Somnath, 2023. "Is offshoring dead? A multidisciplinary review and future directions," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 29(3).
    4. Niccolò Pisani & Joan Enric Ricart, 2018. "Offshoring Innovation to Emerging Countries: The Effects of IP Protection and Cultural Differences on Firms’ Decision to Augment Versus Exploit Home-Base-Knowledge," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 58(6), pages 871-909, December.
    5. Jensen, Peter D. Ørberg & Larsen, Marcus M. & Pedersen, Torben, 2013. "The organizational design of offshoring: Taking stock and moving forward," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 19(4), pages 315-323.
    6. Valle, Sandra & García, Francisco & Avella, Lucía, 2015. "Offshoring Intermediate Manufacturing: Boost or Hindrance to Firm Innovation?," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 21(2), pages 117-134.
    7. Lorena D’Agostino, 2015. "The neglected effects of R&D captive offshoring in emerging countries on the creation of knowledge at home," Economia e Politica Industriale: Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, Springer;Associazione Amici di Economia e Politica Industriale, vol. 42(1), pages 61-91, March.
    8. Martinez-Noya, Andrea & Garcia-Canal, Esteban & Guillen, Mauro F., 2012. "International R&D service outsourcing by technology-intensive firms: Whether and where?," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 18-37.
    9. Rodgers, Peter & Khan, Zaheer & Tarba, Shlomo & Nurgabdeshov, Assylbek & Ahammad, Mohammad F., 2019. "Exploring the determinants of location choice decisions of offshored R&D projects," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 472-483.
    10. Baier, Elisabeth & Rammer, Christian & Schubert, Torben, 2015. "The Impact of Captive Innovation Offshoring on the Effectiveness of Organizational Adaptation," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 21(2), pages 150-165.
    11. Asimakopoulos, Grigorios & Revilla, Antonio & Rodríguez, Alicia, 2023. "International R&D sourcing, innovation and firm age: The advantage of ‘born-international sourcers’," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    12. Hung, Tung Min & Contractor, Farok & Lo, Yi-Ju, 2022. "Manage the value and liability of offshoring innovation," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(2).
    13. Julien Gooris & Carine Peeters, 2012. "Home-Host Country Distance and Governance Choices in Service Offshoring," Working Papers ECARES ECARES 2012-007, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    14. Yi-Ju Lo & Tung Hung, 2015. "Structure offshoring and returns on offshoring," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 32(2), pages 443-479, June.
    15. Jensen, Peter D. Ørberg, 2012. "A passage to India: A dual case study of activities, processes and resources in offshore outsourcing of advanced services," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 47(2), pages 311-326.
    16. Torben Schubert & Elisabeth Baier & Christian Rammer, 2018. "Firm capabilities, technological dynamism and the internationalisation of innovation: A behavioural approach," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 49(1), pages 70-95, January.
    17. Schubert, Torben & Baier, Elisabeth & Rammer, Christian, 2016. "Technological capabilities, technological dynamism and innovation offshoring," ZEW Discussion Papers 16-044, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    18. Julien Gooris & Carine Peeters, 2014. "Fragmenting global business processes: A protection for proprietary information," Working Papers 2014-12, CEPII research center.
    19. Mashiho Mihalache & Oli R. Mihalache, 2020. "What is Offshoring Management Capability and How Do Organizations Develop It? A Study of Dutch IT Service Providers," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 60(1), pages 37-67, February.
    20. Wieland, Andreas & Bals, Lydia & Mol, Michael J. & Handfield, Robert B., 2020. "Overcoming blind spots in global sourcing research: Exploiting the cross-sections between supply chain management and international business," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 26(1).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:worbus:v:51:y:2016:i:4:p:548-567. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/620401/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.