Efficacy of R&D Work in Offshore Captive Centers: An Empirical Study of Task Characteristics, Coordination Mechanisms, and Performance

Author List: Mani, Deepa; Srikanth, Kannan; Bharadwaj, Anandhi;
Information Systems Research, 2014, Volume 25, Issue 4, Page 846-864.
Seizing the latest technological advances in distributed work, an increasing number of firms have set up offshore captive centers (CCs) in emerging economies to carry out sophisticated R&D work. We analyze survey data from 132 R&D CCs established by foreign multinational companies in India to understand how firms execute distributed innovative work. Specifically, we examine the performance outcomes of projects using different technology-enabled coordination strategies to manage their interdependencies across multiple locations. We find that modularization of work across locations is largely ineffective when the underlying tasks are less routinized, less analyzable, and less familiar to the CC. Coordination based on information sharing across locations is effective when the CC performs tasks that are less familiar to it. A key contribution of our work is the explication of the task contingencies under which coordination based on modularization versus information sharing yield differential performance outcomes.
Keywords: offshoring;captive centers;R&D;coordination;distributed work;modularization;information sharing;performance;knowledge-intensive work
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#149 0.140 offshore offshoring client projects locations organizational vendor extra cultural problems services home sites two-stage arrangements distributed multiple location experience outsourcing
#146 0.115 work people workers environment monitoring performance organizations needs physical useful number personal balance perceptions create computer-based technological technologies investigation achievement
#114 0.109 performance firm measures metrics value relationship firms results objective relationships firm's organizational traffic measure market study improve accounting measuring aggregate
#256 0.098 coordination mechanisms work contingencies boundaries temporal coordinating vertical associated activities different coordinate suggests dispersed coordinated horizontal relative demand spatial hours
#133 0.085 data predictive analytics sharing big using modeling set power inference behavior explanatory related prediction statistical generated substantially novel building million
#10 0.072 strategies strategy based effort paper different findings approach suggest useful choice specific attributes explain effective affect employ particular online control
#116 0.070 research study influence effects literature theoretical use understanding theory using impact behavior insights examine influences mechanisms specifically context perspective findings
#295 0.066 task fit tasks performance cognitive theory using support type comprehension tools tool effects effect matching types theories modification working time
#0 0.065 information types different type sources analysis develop used behavior specific conditions consider improve using alternative understanding data available main target
#4 0.065 characteristics experience systems study prior effective complexity deal reveals influenced companies type analyze having basis conducted determine complex comparative drive