Relational Dynamics in Information Technology Outsourcing: Towards a Tension Management Perspective

Research on IT outsourcing (ITO) relational dynamics—the developments that take place in an ITO relationship after the client and vendor sign the contract—has called on scholars to explore and uncover new insights for managing ITO relationships in addition to contractual aspects, such as formal control, and relational aspects, such as cultural adjustments. Additionally, the research is diverse with fragmented and inconclusive findings regarding the successful management of ITO relationships. To address these issues, this book capitalizes on four studies. The first study systematically reviews and integrates the literature on ITO relational dynamics, finds that ITO relationships can progress or regress due to relationship tensions, and identifies themes that suggest future research directions. One of the research themes—deepen understanding of how ITO relationships can develop through the management and mismanagement of tensions—has been addressed in three subsequent studies, which revolve around the capacity to manage relationship tensions. Together, the four studies propose a new and multifaceted approach to managing ITO relationships—by managing tensions.