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Conference paper AoM 2014_Jan 13th_final.pdf (140.16 kB)

Task allocation strategies and motivational processes in advanced services offshoring

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conference contribution
posted on 2014-09-08, 14:06 authored by Angelika ZimmermannAngelika Zimmermann, M.N. Ravishankar
Global service firms are increasingly moving advanced tasks to popular offshoring destinations such as India. Despite the significant influence of micro-level motivational mechanisms on the implementation and success of such offshoring strategies, empirical research in this area is still in its early stages. In this paper, taking a grounded theory approach, we present qualitative data from a German electronics firm working with IT developers in a Bangalore subsidiary, and the UK division of a large global professional services firm which has offshored its tax reporting work to a captive unit in Bangalore. From a cross-case analysis of these two settings, we develop a grounded model of the complex interdependencies between offshoring strategies and offshore-onshore motivational processes. We identify three interlocking and self-reinforcing circles between (a) task allocation strategies, (b) motivational processes onshore, and (c) motivational processes offshore. These circles function to either inhibit or support the offshoring strategies. We highlight several theoretical and practical contributions with regard to micro-macro level interdependencies in offshoring strategies of global firms.

History

School

  • Business and Economics

Department

  • Business

Published in

Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management (AoM)

Pages

CD Rom - ?

Citation

ZIMMERMANN, A. and RAVISHANKAR, M.N., 2014. Task allocation strategies and motivational processes in advanced services offshoring. Presented at: The Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management (AoM), 1st-5th August 2014, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Publisher

Academy of Management

Version

  • AM (Accepted Manuscript)

Publisher statement

This work is made available according to the conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) licence. Full details of this licence are available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Publication date

2014

Notes

This conference paper is closed access. It was the Winner of the Gustavson School of Business Award for the Best Qualitative Paper in International Business.

Language

  • en

Location

Philadelphia, PA

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