IS research has considered the outsourcing decision from the perspective of transaction cost economics (TCE) and institutional theory. In this research, we consider how the appropriation of the logic of transaction cost economics is contingent on decision makers' institutional context. The institutional contexts contrasted are professional versus political contexts. In a survey of 214 city governments in the United States, we substantiate the existence of these two institutional contexts, a distinction that has been noted to extend into the private sector as well. Subsequent analyses of the moderating effects of institutional context on the application of the TCE heuristic to the outsourcing decision revealed the following: The institutional context moderated the impacts of "human frailty" conditions--of opportunism and bounded rationality--and of transaction frequency on outsourcing decisions. In professional contexts, opportunism reduced outsourcing and frequency increased outsourcing; in political contexts, bounded rationality fostered outsourcing and frequency dissuaded outsourcing. However, no institutional moderation was noted for the situational conditions of asset specificity and uncertainty. Instead, situational conditions were found to increase the incidence of outsourcing across both contexts. Findings about the contingent effects of human frailty conditions augment our understanding of the outsourcing phenomenon by emphasizing that decision makers' attentiveness to the logic of transaction costs during outsourcing is shaped by their institutional context. Findings with regard to situational conditions suggest a need for future research to consider the role of another contextual factor--resource munificence--in mitigating the effects of situational conditions on responses to transaction costs.
Focus on individual outsourcing decisions in IT research has often yielded contradictory findings and recommendations. To address these contradictions, we investigate a holistic, configurational approach with the prevailing universalistic or contingency perspectives in exploring the effects of IT outsourcing strategies on outsourcing success. Based on residual rights theory, we begin by identifying three dimensions of IT out-sourcing strategies: degree of integration, allocation of control, and performance period. We then develop a model of fit-as-gestalt, drawing from literatures on strategy, governance, interorganizational relationships, and outsourcing. Next, based on data from 311 firms in South Korea, we test universalistic and contingency perspectives in explaining the relationship between IT outsourcing strategies and outsourcing success. We then identify three congruent patterns, or gestalts, of IT outsourcing strategies. We term these strategies independent, arm's-length, and embedded strategies. To establish the predictive validity of these gestalts and the viability of a configurational perspective, we then explore the effects of these congruent gestalts vis-à-vis noncongruent patterns on three dimensions of outsourcing success: strategic competence, cost efficiency, and technology catalysis. We also contrast the effects of each of the three gestalts on each of the three dimensions of outsourcing success. Our findings indicate the superiority of the configurational approach over universalistic and contingency perspectives in explaining outsourcing success.
Research on information sharing has viewed this activity as essential for informing groups on content relevant to a decision. We propose and examine an alternate function of information sharing, i.e., the social construction of meaning. To accomplish this goal, we turn to social construction, social presence, and task closure theories. Drawing from these theories, we hypothesize relationships among the meeting environment, breadth and depth of information shared during a meeting, and decision quality. We explore these relationships in terms of the effects of both the media environment in which the group is situated and the medium that group members choose to utilize for their communication. Our study of 32, 5- and 6-person groups supports our belief that interpretation underlies information sharing and is necessary for favorable decision outcomes. It also supports the proposed negative effect of low social presence media on interpretation in terms of depth of information sharing; a low social presence medium, however, promotes information sharing breadth. Finally, the findings indicate that when in multimedia environments and faced with a relatively complex task, choosing to utilize an electronic medium facilitates closure and, therefore, favorable outcomes.
This article examines the impacts of two types of meeting facilitation that occur in traditional and GSS environments: process and content facilitation. Based on existing facilitation, leadership, and GSS research, and structuration theory, the authors articulate hypotheses regarding the impact of GSS use and each type of meeting facilitation on meeting processes and of meeting processes on outcomes. Meeting processes examined in this study included relationship development, participation, issue-based conflict, interpersonal conflict, and negative socioemotional conflict. Outcomes explored were the groups' satisfaction with the decision made and with their meeting process, and the quality of the groups' decision products. Empirical investigation provides the following findings: Process facilitation had a positive impact on meeting processes. Content facilitation had a negative impact on meeting processes. The interaction between GSS use and both process and content facilitation had no significant effect on meeting processes. Meeting processes had a strong positive impact on satisfaction, but no impact on product quality. Implications for meeting facilitation are discussed and future research directions proposed.
This article proposes a model for examining the impacts of group support systems (GSS) on conflict and conflict management, based on literature on GSS, group conflict, and structuration theory. It reports on a study of the impacts of GSS use on group conflict and conflict management. A total of 25 groups participated in the study. After an initial training session, groups met for four decision-making sessions requiring a consensus decision from each group. Subjects reported their perceptions on group conflict, conflict management strategies used, and the productivity of conflict, using scales developed for this study. Overall, GSS-supported groups perceived lower amounts of issue-based and interpersonal conflict than did control groups. There were no significant differences for reported use of conflict management strategies and perceived productivity of conflict. The authors explore possible reasons for these results and propose future research issues related to conflict and conflict management within a GSS environment.