Process Frameworks in Services Offshoring: Implementation Thoroughness, Task Complexity, and Performance Improvement

Prior research has characterized the adoption of process standards as a multi-stage effort ranging from the initial implementation through institutionalization. However, relationships between these adoption stages have not been examined significantly. In this study the author analyzes performance data from a large service provider that has implemented a process standardization framework for services offshoring. The author evaluates how process standardization influences service delivery performance, and how the effect of standardization differs based on the implementation effort for each new process and the complexity of the task for which the process is implemented. The results indicate that performance on complex tasks increases to a greater extent after standardization than performance on simple tasks. Contrary to expectations, by itself higher implementation effort is not associated with greater performance improvement after standardization occurs. Rather, performance on complex tasks improves to a greater extent following a higher implementation effort than after a lower implementation effort.