Mitigating Vendor Silence in Offshore Outsourcing: An Empirical Investigation.

Author List: Jain, Radhika P.; Simon, Judith C.; Poston, Robin S.;
Journal of Management Information Systems, 2011, Volume 27, Issue 4, Page 261-298.
The tendency to remain silent about project-related issues can contribute to suboptimal project performance or project failure. Prior research in offshore outsourcing suggests that client managers should play a critical role to induce offshore vendors’ employees not only to report project problems in a timely fashion but also to brainstorm and contribute ideas to a project. Also, the extant research on cross-cultural teams has emphasized the importance of cultural adaptation in the smooth functioning of these teams, but the role of cultural adaptation in silence mitigation has been largely underdeveloped in the literature. In this research, we bring these concepts of vendor silence and cultural adaptation in cross-cultural teams together and develop a process framework that illustrates how vendor silence may be mitigated in offshore outsourcing through various silence mitigation mechanisms. We then develop three propositions for organizational action toward mitigating vendor silence, which highlight the mediating role of cultural adaptation.
Keywords: collaboration effectiveness;information technology outsourcing;mum effect;offshore outsourcing;offshore project management;organizational silence;silence mitigation;vendor silence
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#166 0.151 negative positive effect findings results effects blog suggest role blogs posts examined period relationship employees research employee bloggers reveal companies
#47 0.140 outsourcing vendor client sourcing vendors clients relationship firms production mechanisms duration mode outsourced vendor's effort activities in-house managing technology domestic
#87 0.133 team teams virtual members communication distributed performance global role task cognition develop technology involved time individual's affects project geographically individuals
#149 0.120 offshore offshoring client projects locations organizational vendor extra cultural problems services home sites two-stage arrangements distributed multiple location experience outsourcing
#139 0.112 project projects failure software commitment escalation cost factors study problem resources continue prior escalate overruns taken failing troubled sunk fail
#292 0.101 information research literature systems framework review paper theoretical based potential future implications practice discussed current concept propositions findings provided extant
#28 0.064 cultural culture differences cross-cultural states united status national cultures japanese studies japan influence comparison versus china participants country singapore diverse
#230 0.064 adaptation patterns transition new adjustment different critical occur manner changes adapting concept novel temporary accomplish experience period managers transitions frequency