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Reversing a relationship spiral
- Source :
- Information Systems Journal, 31(2), 231-267. Wiley-Blackwell
- Publication Year :
- 2021
- Publisher :
- Wiley-Blackwell, 2021.
-
Abstract
- IT outsourcing (ITO) remains a popular business practice, but many buyers and suppliers of IT services are caught in a vicious relationship spiral of low trust, bad collaboration and mediocre performance. This paper describes a novel process understanding of how vicious cycles work and suggests a new method for how they can be reversed into virtuous cycles. Based on the action research and complementary system dynamics simulation, this paper demonstrates how an ineffective ITO relationship between a European Harbour Authority and its main IT supplier ITCo was formed and, later, transformed. The method, involving collaborative redesign of service workflows, applied in this action research triggered the reversal of an otherwise downward relationship spiral. Both the empirical facts from the action research data and the system dynamics simulation data are provided as evidence. We conclude the paper with conceptual and methodological contributions as well as scope for future research.
- Subjects :
- DYNAMICS
Computer Networks and Communications
media_common.quotation_subject
02 engineering and technology
GUIDELINES
combined-method approach
IT outsourcing (ITO)
Outsourcing
PROJECTS
020204 information systems
0502 economics and business
0202 electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering
Information system
relationship dynamics
FAILURE
TECHNOLOGY
Action research
Industrial organization
media_common
INFORMATION-SYSTEMS
Scope (project management)
business.industry
Corporate governance
05 social sciences
SUCCESS
GOVERNANCE
collaborative service design (CSD)
EVOLUTION
System dynamics
MODEL
Workflow
action research
Service (economics)
system dynamics
Business
050203 business & management
Software
Information Systems
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 13501917
- Volume :
- 31
- Issue :
- 2
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Information Systems Journal
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....faadca7b13407c90aa702c0c0c48845f