ارتباط، قرارداد و موفقیت برون سپاری فناوری اطلاعات : شواهدی از دو مطالعه موردی توصیفی

In spite of the continuous increase in IT outsourcing activities globally, a significant percentage of outsourcing deals are considered either a failure or suffered from serious problems. In China where IT outsourcing practice is still at its initial stage, the situation is more serious. There lacks systematic guidance in terms of how to negotiate decent contracts and how to develop sound relationships. In view of this, an emerging trend of research has explored either the contract or relationship issues in successful IT outsourcing. However, few efforts have been paid to investigate the effects of both relationship and contract on IT outsourcing success with an integrated view. The current research develops a research framework based on the theories in Economics, Management and Marketing fields to investigate the effects of both relationship and contract on IT outsourcing success. To support the propositions, evidence was collected from two descriptive case studies conducted in Hong Kong and Mainland China respectively. The case analysis implies the dimensionalities of relationship and contract. What is more, IT outsourcing success is mainly evaluated from the technological benefits instead of the strategic or economic benefits the client company could gain from an IT outsourcing relationship. A significant contribution of this study to theory is to look into IT outsourcing phenomenon with a balanced view and through an integrated theoretical lens. For practitioners, this research helps clear executives’ doubts about simultaneously employing both relationship and contract as a governance mechanism in managing IT outsourcing deals.

IT outsourcing has witnessed continuous growth since its prominent adoption by Kodak 20 years ago. According to a recent report by Gartner Group [36], the global IT outsourcing market would rise from US$268 billion in 2009 to US$325 billion by 2013 at a compound annual growth rate of around 5%. Asia-Pacific region is one of the growth leaders compared to other regions. In China alone, the IT outsourcing services market has maintained an extremely rapid growth since 2004 (with a 29.7% compound annual growth rate) and will reach to US$3 billion by 2011 [42]. Clearly, IT outsourcing trend is developing worldwide with a remarkable speed and into various forms [11]. Despite its steep growth trend, IT outsourcing is, however, fraught with difficulties and high rates of failure. Computerworld [14] reported that a low percentage of outsourcing relationships was considered successful and at least 50% of outsourcing relationships were terminated early. Recent examples could be found from the unsuccessful relationship between JP Morgan Chase and IBM [25] and Barclays and Accenture [15]. In China where the IT outsourcing situation is considered quite different from those of western countries [59], problems also exist. In China, IT outsourcing decision makers are usually short of experience to select and evaluate service providers and immature in negotiating contracts, managing contracts and maintaining good relationships with the providers. In view of the problems occurred at the implementation stage of IT outsourcing, researchers suggest that the research focus of IT outsourcing should be shifted to two major aspects [53]: the contract - the formal control mechanism of a sound relationship [10] and [31]; and the relationship - the informal control mechanism [5] and [70] in IT outsourcing. That is, how to manage the IT outsourcing process formally and informally to protect the benefits for both parties are key to a successful IT outsourcing project. To further shed light on the relationship and contract issues of IT outsourcing and their impact on IT outsourcing success, the present study takes an investigation at these phenomena through two descriptive case studies. Evidences are found to support the propositions that contract is a foundation of relationship, and both contract and relationship are essential and influential factors in IT outsourcing success.

sing a descriptive case study approach, this research attempts to fill a gap in the literature on IT outsourcing research. It brings theories from Economics, Information Systems, Marketing and Management fields to the IT outsourcing context and investigate the effects of the two seemingly opposite dimensions or governance mechanisms on IT outsourcing success. It is among a few studies to explore the dimensionalities of relationship, contract, and IT outsourcing success and the relationships among them. The proposed framework consisting of the abovementioned constructs was examined through two descriptive case studies. The results show that contract is an important underpinning of relationship, and both relationship and contract dimension have a positive impact on IT outsourcing success. We hope that this study can serve as a stepping stone for further research in this important and interesting area.