The Interaction of Contract, Control, and Relational Norms as Governance Mechanisms in IS Outsourcing Relationships

Book excerpt: Inhaltsangabe:Abstract: The dynamics of the relationship between service recipient and service provider in IS outsourcing relationships recently gained increased attention as relationships are believed to have a considerable influence on IS outsourcing success. This thesis adds to this growing field of interest by developing an IS outsourcing relationship framework in the form of a process model. Three rather disjointed areas of research, namely contractual governance, relational norms, and control, have been set in a common context by interrelating them as the three main governance modes that jointly influence the relationship. One in-depth case study has been conducted in order to provide first empirical evidence and to gain deeper insights into the dynamics of relationship governance. The proposed model could be confirmed in general, revealing the following insights: first, contractual and relational governance modes determine the rules that govern the relationship while control is used to execute and enforce specified rules. All three jointly influence the state of the relationship. Second, relational norms have only been observed at an individual level and not at an organizational one. Third, formal control modes have been used to execute and enforce relational norms. This finding contradicts current control theory. Fourth, while contractual and relational governance are seen as complementary and equally important, relational norms have been left completely unmanaged in the observed organization due to a lack of adequate approaches. These results are discussed in detail to outline opportunities for further research. Inhaltsverzeichnis:Table of Contents: List of Figuresv List of Tablesvi List of Abbreviationsvii List of Keywordsviii Abstractx 1.Introduction1 1.1Motivation and Objectives1 1.2Structure of the Thesis2 2.Theoretical Foundations3 2.1IS Outsourcing3 2.2IS Outsourcing Relationships5 2.2.1IS Outsourcing Relationships as Inter-Organizational Exchanges5 2.2.2Underlying Challenges of IS Outsourcing Relationships12 2.2.3IS Outsourcing Relationship Governance Modes18 2.2.3.1Contractual Governance21 2.2.3.2Relational Governance25 2.3Control29 2.4IS Outsourcing Success38 3.Research Model and Propositions39 3.1Research Approach39 3.2Research Model42 3.2.1Research Questions, Objectives, and Approaches42 3.2.2Towards an IS Outsourcing Relationship Framework43 3.2.3Description of the Research Model47 3.2.4Summary of [...]