Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Information Systems Outsourcing pp 183–213Cite as

Cultural Intelligence of Offshore IT Suppliers

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

  • 1661 Accesses

Part of the book series: Progress in IS ((PROIS))

Abstract

Today’s IT service suppliers increasingly need to acquire “cultural intelligence”, or the ability to operate in a culturally-diverse environment. Based on an interview-based, qualitative case study of one of the largest IT service suppliers in China, this study explores how the offshore IT service supplier develops cultural intelligence through interaction with a portfolio of clients with diverse cultural backgrounds. Drawing on the dynamic constructivist view of culture, the study adapts the concept of cultural frame to define a set of shared interpretive schemes and practices that enable the supplier to make sense of and respond to clients from different cultures. During repeated client-supplier interaction, supplier employees’ cultural frames are continuously enacted, aligned and realigned, and eventually institutionalized into a set of cultural structures and artifacts. This emergence and embedding process is both facilitated by, and in turn enhances, the supplier’s firm-level cultural intelligence.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   149.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  • Abell, P., Felin, T., & Foss, N. (2008). Building micro-foundations for the routines, capabilities, and performance links. Managerial and Decision Economics, 29(6), 489–502.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Agar, M. (1994). The intercultural frame. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 18(2), 221–237.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Amburgey, T. L., & Singh, J. V. (2005). Organizational evolution. In J. A. C. Baum (Ed.), Companion to organizations (pp. 327–343). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ang, S., & Inkpen, A. C. (2008). Cultural intelligence and offshore outsourcing success: A framework of firm-level intercultural capability. Decision Sciences, 39(3), 337–358.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ang, S., & Van Dyne, L. (Eds.). (2008). Handbook of cultural intelligence: Theory, measurement, and applications. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ang, S., Van Dyne, L., Koh, C., Ng, K. Y., Templer, K. J., Tay-Lee, S. L. C., et al. (2007). Cultural intelligence: Its measurement and effects on cultural judgment and decision making, cultural adaptation and task performance. Management and Organization Review, 3(3), 331–357.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aubert, B. A., Patry, M., & Rivard, S. (2005). A framework for information technology outsourcing risk management. The DATA BASE for Advances in Information Systems, 36(4), 9–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Avison, D. E., & Myers, M. D. (1995). Information systems and anthropology: An anthropological perspective on IT and organizational culture. Information Technology & People, 8(3), 43–56.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Avison, D. E., & Banks, P. (2008). Cross-cultural (mis)communication in IS offshoring: Understanding through conversation analysis. Journal of Information Technology, 23(4), 249–268.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benbasat, I., Goldstein, D. K., & Mead, M. (1987). The case research strategy in studies of information systems. MIS Quarterly, 11(3), 369–386.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benet-Martínez, V., Leu, J., Lee, F., & Morris, M. W. (2002). Negotiating biculturalism: Cultural frame switching in biculturals with oppositional versus compatible cultural identities. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 33(5), 492–516.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benford, R. D., & Snow, D. A. (2000). Framing processes and social movements: An overview and assessment. Annual Review of Sociology, 26(1), 611–639.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bensaou, M., & Anderson, E. (1999). Buyer-supplier relations in industrial markets: When do buyers risk making idiosyncratic investments? Organization Science, 10(4), 460–481.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berger, P. L., & Luckmann, T. (1966). The social construction of reality. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bird, A., & Osland, J. S. (2006). Making sense of intercultural collaboration. International Journal of Management and Organizations, 3(4), 115–132.

    Google Scholar 

  • Birkinshaw, J., Brannen, M. Y., & Tung, R. L. (2011). From a distance and generalizable to up close and grounded: Reclaiming a place for qualitative methods in international business research. Journal of International Business Studies, 42, 573–581.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brannen, M. Y. (2004). When Mickey loses face: Recontextualization, semantic fit, and the semiotics of foreignness. Academy of Management Review, 29(4), 593–616.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brannen, M. Y., & Salk, J. E. (2000). Partnering across borders: Negotiating organizational culture in a German-Japanese joint venture. Human Relations, 53(4), 451–487.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brannen, M. Y., & Thomas, D. C. (2010). Bicultural individuals in organizations: Implications and opportunity. International Journal of Cross Cultural Management, 10(1), 5–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bruner, J. S. (1990). Acts of meaning. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Capar, N., & Kotabe, M. (2003). The relationship between international diversification and performance in service firms. Journal of International Business Studies, 34(4), 345–355.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carmel, E., & Agarwal, R. (2001). Tactical approaches for alleviating distance in global software development. IEEE Software, 18(2), 22–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carmel, E., Gao, G., & Zhang, N. (2008). The maturing Chinese offshore IT services industry: It takes 10 years to sharpen a sword. MIS Quarterly Executive, 7(4), 157–170.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen, Y. R., Leung, K., & Chen, C. C. (2009). Bringing national culture to the table: Making a difference with cross-cultural differences and perspectives. Academy of Management Annals, 3(1), 217–249.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, X., Liu, D., & Portnoy, R. (2012). A multilevel investigation of motivational cultural intelligence, organizational diversity climate, and cultural sales: Evidence from U.S. real estate firms. Journal of Applied Psychology, 97(1), 93–106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Child, J., & Rodrigues, S. B. (2005). The internationalization of Chinese firms: A case for theoretical extension? Management and Organization Review, 1(3), 381–410.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chua, R. Y. J., Morris, M. W., & Ingram, P. (2009). Guanxi vs networking: Distinctive configurations of affect- and cognition-based trust in the networks of Chinese vs American managers. Journal of International Business Studies, 40, 490–508.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • CISIS (China International Software and Information Service Fair). (2011). About CISIS. http://www.cisis.com.cn/News/735/2298/Newsdis2967.aspx.

  • Cramton, C., & Hinds, P. (2007). intercultural interaction in distributed teams: Salience of and adaptations to cultural differences. In Academy of Management Best Paper Proceedings, Philadelphia, PA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Currall, S. C., & Inkpen, A. C. (2002). A multilevel approach to trust in joint ventures. Journal of International Business Studies, 33(3), 479–495.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davis, G. F., McAdam, D., Scott, W. R., & Zald, M. N. (2005). Social movements and organization theory. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Dedrick, J., & Kraemer, K. L. (2006). Is production pulling knowledge work to China? A study of the notebook PC industry. IEEE Computer, 39(7), 36–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dedrick, J., Kraemer, K. L., & Linden, G. (2010). Who profits from innovation in global value chains?: A study of the iPod and notebook PCs. Industrial and Corporate Change, 19(1), 81–116.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dibbern, J., Winkler, J., & Heinzl, A. (2008). Explaining variations in client extra costs between software projects offshored to India. MIS Quarterly, 32(2), 333–366.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dibbern, J., Chin, W. W., & Heinzl, A. (2012). Systemic determinants of the information systems outsourcing decision: A comparative study of German and United States firms. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 13(6), 466–497.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DiMaggio, P. (1997). Culture and cognition. Annual Review of Sociology, 23, 263–287.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Doherty, N. F., & Doig, G. (2003). An analysis of the anticipated cultural impacts of the implementation of data warehouses. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 50(1), 78–88.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Doney, P. M., Cannon, J. P., & Mullen, M. R. (1998). Understanding the influence of national culture on the development of trust. Academy of Management Review, 23(3), 601–620.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Du, W., & Pan, S. L. (2010). Boundary spanning by design: Insights from a vendor perspective. In Proceedings of the 31st International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS), Paper 222.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dyer, J. H., & Chu, W. (2000). The determinants of trust in supplier-automaker relationships in the U.S., Japan, and Korea. Journal of International Business Studies, 31(2), 259–285.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dyer, J. H., & Chu, W. (2011). The determinants of trust in supplier-automaker relationships in the U.S., Japan, and Korea: A retrospective. Journal of International Business Studies, 42, 28–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Earley, P. C., & Ang, S. (2003). Cultural intelligence: Individual interactions across cultures. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eisenhardt, K. M., Furr, N. R., & Bingham, C. B. (2010). Microfoundations of performance: balancing efficiency and flexibility in dynamic environments. Organization Science, 21(6), 1263–1273.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ethiraj, S., Kale, P., Krishnan, M., & Singh, J. (2005). Where do capabilities come from and how do they matter? A study in the software services industry. Strategic Management Journal, 26(1), 25–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fan, J., Huang, J., Morck, R., & Yeung, B. (2009). Vertical integration, institutional determinants and impact: Evidence from China. NBER Working Paper, No. 14650.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fischer, R. (2006). Congruence and functions of personal and cultural values: Do my values reflect my culture’s values? Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 32, 1419–1431.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fiss, P. C., & Hirsch, P. M. (2005). The discourse of globalization: Framing and sensemaking of an emerging concept. American Sociological Review, 70(1), 29–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fligstein, N., & McAdam, D. (2011). Toward a general theory of strategic action fields. Sociological Theory, 29(1), 1–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ford, D. P., Connelly, C. E., & Meister, D. B. (2003). Information systems research and Hofstede’s culture’s consequences: An uneasy and incomplete partnership. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 50(1), 8–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fu, H. J., Chiu, C., Morris, M. W., & Young, J. M. (2007). Spontaneous inferences from cultural cues: Varying responses of cultural insiders and outsiders. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 38(1), 58–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gartner. (2010). Gartner says India still no. 1 destination for offshore services. http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1502714.

  • Garud, R., Kumaraswamy, A., & Sambamurthy, V. (2006). Emergent by design: Performance and transformation at Infosys Technologies. Organization Science, 17(2), 277–286.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gasson, S. (2004). Rigor in grounded theory research: An interpretive perspective on generating theory from qualitative field studies. In M. Whitman & A. Woszczynski (Eds.), The Handbook of Information Systems Research (pp. 79–102). Hershey, PA: Idea Group.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gefen, D., & Carmel, E. (2008). Is the world really flat? A look at offshoring at an online programming marketplace. MIS Quarterly, 32(2), 367–384.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gelfand, M. J., Nishii, L. H., & Raver, J. L. (2006). On the nature and importance of cultural tightness-looseness. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91(6), 1225–1244.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gilbert, D. T. (1991). How mental systems believe. American Psychologist, 46(2), 107–119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giddens, A. (1984). The constitution of society: Outline of the theory of structuration. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goffman, E. (1974). Frame analysis: An essay on the organization of experience. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodall, K. (2002). Managing to learn: From cross-cultural theory to management education practice. In M. Warner & P. Joynt (Eds.), Managing across cultures: Issues and perspectives (2nd ed., pp. 256–268). London: Thomson Learning.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gould, S. J., & Grein, A. F. (2009). Think glocally, act glocally: A culture-centric comment on Leung, Bhagat, Buchan, Erez and Gibson (2005). Journal of International Business Studies, 40, 237–254.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guthrie, D. J. (1998). The declining significance of Guanxi in China’s economic transition. The China Quarterly, 154, 254–282.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guthrie, D. (2005). Organizational learning and productivity: State structure and foreign investment in the rise of the Chinese corporation. Management and Organization Review, 1(2), 165–195.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hahn, E. D., Doh, J. P., & Bunyaratavej, K. (2009). The evolution of risk in information systems offshoring: The impact of home country risk, firm learning, and competitive dynamics. MIS Quarterly, 33(3), 597–616.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harris, S. G. (1994). Organizational culture and individual sensemaking: A schema-based perspective. Organization Science, 5(3), 309–321.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heeks, R., Krishna, S., Nicholson, B., & Sahay, S. (2001). Synching or sinking: Global software outsourcing relationships. IEEE Software, 18(2), 54–60.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herskovitz, M. J. (1955). Cultural anthropology. New York, NY: Knopf.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hinds, P., Liu, L., & Lyon, J. (2011). Putting the global in global work: An intercultural lens on the practice of cross-national collaboration. The Academy of Management Annals, 5(1), 135–188.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hofstede, G. (1980). Culture’s consequences. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hofstede, G. (1991). Cultures and organizations. London, UK: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hong, H. (2010). Bicultural competence and its impact on team effectiveness. International Journal of Cross Cultural Management, 10(1), 93–120.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hong, Y. Y., & Chiu, C. Y. (2001). Toward a paradigm shift: From cross-cultural differences in social cognition to social-cognitive mediation of cultural differences. Social Cognition, 19(3), 181–196.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hong, Y. Y., Morris, M. W., Chiu, C. Y., & Benet-Martinez, V. (2000). Multicultural minds: A dynamic constructivist approach to culture and cognition. American Psychologist, 55, 709–720.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hong, Y. Y., Ip, G., Chiu, C. Y., Morris, M., & Menon, T. (2001). Cultural identity and dynamic construction of the self: Collective duties and individual rights in CHINESE AND American cultures. Social Cognition, 19, 251–268.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • House, R. J., Hanges, P. J., Javidan, M., Dorfman, P. W., & Gupta, V. (Eds.). (2004). Culture, leadership, and organizations. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Howard-Grenville, J., Golden-Biddle, K., Irwin, J., & Mao, J. (2011). Liminality as cultural process for cultural change. Organization Science, 22(2), 522–539.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hunt, L. (1984). Politics, culture, and class in the French revolution. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hymer, S. H. (1976). The international operations of national firms: A study of direct foreign investment. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • IAOP (International Association of Outsourcing Professionals). (2008). The 2008 global outsourcing 100. http://www.iaop.org/content/23/152/1619/.

  • IAOP (International Association of Outsourcing Professionals). (2009). The 2009 global outsourcing 100. http://www.iaop.org/content/23/152/1858/.

  • IAOP (International Association of Outsourcing Professionals). (2010). The 2010 global outsourcing 100. http://www.iaop.org/Content/19/165/3179.

  • IAOP (International Association of Outsourcing Professionals). (2011). The 2011 global outsourcing 100. http://www.iaop.org/content/23/152/2040.

  • IAOP (International Association of Outsourcing Professionals). (2012). The 2012 global outsourcing 100. http://www.iaop.org/content/19/165/3437.

  • Inkpen, A. C., & Beamish, P. W. (1997). Knowledge, bargaining power, and the instability of international joint ventures. Academy of Management Review, 22(1), 177–202.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jarvenpaa, S. L., & Leidner, D. E. (1999). Communication and trust in global virtual teams. Organization Science, 10(6), 791–815.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jarvenpaa, S. L., & Mao, J. Y. (2008). Operational capabilities development in mediated offshore software services models. Journal of Information Technology, 23(1), 3–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johanson, J., & Wiedersheim-Paul, F. (1975). The internationalization of the firm: Four Swedish cases. Journal of Management Studies, 12(3), 305–322.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johanson, J., & Vahlne, J. E. (1977). The internationalization process of the firm: A model of knowledge development and increasing foreign market commitment. Journal of International Business Studies, 8(1), 23–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johanson, J., & Vahlne, J. E. (2009). The uppsala internationalization process model revisited: From liability of foreignness to liability of outsidership. Journal of International Business Studies, 40(9), 1411–1431.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaiser, K., & Hawk, S. (2004). Evolution of offshore software development: From outsourcing to cosourcing. MIS Quarterly Executive, 3(2), 69–81.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kale, P., & Singh, H. (2007). Building firm capabilities through learning: The role of the alliance learning process in alliance capability and firm-level alliances success. Strategic Management Journal, 28(10), 981–1000.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan, S. (2008). Framing contests: Strategy making under uncertainty. Organization Science, 19(5), 729–752.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kappos, A., & Rivard, S. (2008). A three-perspective model of culture, information systems, and their development and use. MIS Quarterly, 32(3), 601–634.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Katsikeas, C. S., Skarmeas, D., & Bello, D. C. (2009). Developing successful trust-based international exchange relationships. Journal of International Business Studies, 40, 132–155.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • King, W. R., & Torkzadeh, G. (2008). Information systems offshoring: Research status and issues. MIS Quarterly, 32(2), 205–225.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klein, H. K., & Myers, M. D. (1999). A set of principles for conducting and evaluating interpretive field studies in information systems. MIS Quarterly, 23(1), 67–94.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Knight, G. (1999). International services marketing: Review of research, 1980–1998. Journal of Services Marketing, 13(4/5), 347–360.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koh, C., Ang, S., & Straub, D. W. (2004). IT outsourcing success: A psychological contract perspective. Information System Research, 15(4), 356–373.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • KPMG. (2009). A new dawn—China’s emerging role in global outsourcing. http://www.kpmg.com/CN/en/IssuesAndInsights/ArticlesPublications/Documents/china-global-outsourcing-O-0904.pdf.

  • Krishna, S., Sahay, S., & Walsham, G. (2004). Managing cross-cultural issues in global software outsourcing. Communications of the ACM, 47(4), 62–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lacity, M. C., Khan, S., Yan, A., & Willcocks, L. P. (2010). A review of the IT outsourcing empirical literature and future research directions. Journal of Information Technology, 25, 395–433.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • LaFromboise, T., Coleman, H., & Gerton, J. (1993). Psychological impact of biculturalism: Evidence and theory. Psychological Bulletin, 114, 395–412.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lane, P. J., Salk, J. E., & Lyles, M. A. (2001). Absorptive capacity, learning, and performance in international joint ventures. Strategic Management Journal, 22(12), 1139–1161.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lanzara, G. F., & Patriotta, G. (2007). The institutionalization of knowledge in an automotive factory: Templates, inscriptions, and the problem of durability. Organization Studies, 28(5), 635–660.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lau, I. Y., Chiu, C., & Lee, S. (2001). Communication and shared reality: Implications for the psychological foundations of culture. Social Cognition, 19, 350–371.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lavie, D., & Miller, S. R. (2008). Alliance portfolio internationalization and firm performance. Organization Science, 19(4), 623–646.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leidner, D. E., & Kayworth, T. (2006). A review of culture in information systems research: Toward a theory of information technology culture conflict. MIS Quarterly, 30(2), 357–399.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leonardi, P. M., & Bailey, D. (2008). Transformational technologies and the creation of new work practices: Making implicit knowledge explicit in task-based offshoring. MIS Quarterly, 32(2), 159–176.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leung, K., Bhagat, R. S., Buchan, N. R., Erez, M., & Gibson, C. B. (2005). Culture and international business: recent advances and their implications for future research. Journal of International Business Studies, 36, 357–378.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leung, K., Bhagat, R., Buchan, N. R., Erez, M., & Gibson, C. B. (2011). Beyond national culture and culture-centricism: A reply to Gould and Grein (2009). Journal of International Business Studies, 42, 177–181.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levina, N., & Ross, J. (2003). From the vendor’s perspective: Exploring the value proposition in IT outsourcing. MIS Quarterly, 27(3), 331–364.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levina, N., & Vaast, E. (2005). The emergence of boundary spanning competence in practice: Implications for implementation and use of information systems. MIS Quarterly, 29(2), 335–363.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levina, N., & Su, N. (2008). Global multisourcing strategy: The emergence of a supplier portfolio in services offshoring. Decision Sciences, 39(3), 541–570.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levina, N., & Vaast, E. (2008). Innovating or doing as told? Status differences and overlapping boundaries in offshore collaboration. MIS Quarterly, 32(2), 307–332.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levina, N., Gallivan, M., Su, N., Pan, S. L., Hsu, J., & Mao, J. Y. (2011). Studying China’s IT services industry: Generalizations, particularities, and the competitive outlook. In Proceedings of the 32nd International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS), Paper 6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lounsbury, M., & Glynn, M. A. (2001). Cultural entrepreneurship: Stories, legitimacy, and the acquisition of resources. Strategic Management Journal, 22(6/7), 545–564.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luo, Y., & Shenkar, O. (2011). Toward a perspective of cultural friction in international business. Journal of International Management, 17, 1–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MacDuffie, J. P. (2011). Inter-organizational trust and the dynamics of distrust. Journal of International Business Studies, 42, 35–47.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Madon, S. (1992). Computer-based information systems for development planning: The significance of cultural factors. Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 1(5), 250–257.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Malone, T. W., & Crowston, K. (1994). The interdisciplinary study of coordination. ACM Computing Surveys, 26(1), 87–119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martinsons, M. G., & Hempel, P. S. (1998). Chinese business process re-engineering. International Journal of Information Management, 18(6), 393–407.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McEvily, B., & Marcus, A. (2005). Embedded ties and the acquisition of competitive capabilities. Strategic Management Journal, 26(11), 1033–1055.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McSweeney, B. (2009). Dynamic diversity: Variety and variation within countries. Organization Studies, 30(9), 933–957.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morck, R., Yeung, B., & Zhao, M. (2008). Perspectives on China’s outward foreign direct investment. Journal of International Business Studies, 39, 337–350.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morosini, P., Shane, P., & Singh, H. (1998). National cultural distance and cross-border acquisition performance. Journal of International Business Studies, 29(1), 137–158.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morris, M. W., & Fu, H. (2001). How does culture influence conflict resolution: A dynamic constructivist analysis. Social Cognition, 19(3), 324–349.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Myers, M. D. (2004). Hermeneutics in information systems research. In J. Mingers & L. P. Willcocks (Eds.), Social Theory and Philosophy for Information Systems (pp. 103–128) Chichester, NY: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Myers, M. D., & Tan, F. B. (2002). Beyond models of national culture in information systems research. Journal of Global Information Management, 10(1), 24–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Naughton, B. (1996). Growing out of the plan: Chinese economic reform, 1978–1993. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Newsweek. (2008). Rise of the sea turtles. Newsweek. http://www.newsweek.com/id/151730/page/1.

  • Nicholson, B., & Sahay, S. (2001). Some political and cultural implications of the globalisation of software development: Case experience from UK and India. Information and Organisation, 11(1), 25–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Olsson, H. H., Conchúir, E. Ó., Ågerfalk, P. J., & Fitzgerald, B. (2008). Two-stage offshoring: An investigation of the Irish bridge. MIS Quarterly, 32(2), 257–279.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oshri, I., Kotlarsky, J., & Willcocks, L. (2007). Managing dispersed expertise in IT offshore outsourcing: Lessons from Tata Consulting Services. MISQ Executive, 6(2), 53–65.

    Google Scholar 

  • Osland, J. S., & Bird, A. (2000). Beyond sophisticated stereotyping: Cross-cultural sensemaking in context. Academy of Management Executive, 14(1), 1–12.

    Google Scholar 

  • Osland, J. S., Bird, A., & Gundersen, A. (2007). Trigger events in intercultural sensemaking. Philadelphia, PA: Academy of Management Meeting.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oyersman, D., Coon, H. M., & Kemmelmeier, M. (2002). Rethinking individualism and collectivism: Evaluation of theoretical assumptions and meta-analyses. Psychological Bulletin, 128, 3–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pattillo-McCoy, M. (1998). Church culture as a strategy of action in the black community. American Sociological Review, 63(6), 767–784.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative research and evaluation methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peng, M. W. (2003). Institutional transitions and strategic choices. Academy of Management Review, 28(2), 275–296.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perretti, F., Negro, G., & Lomi, A. (2008). E Pluribus Unum: Framing, Matching, and Organizational Form Emergence in U.S. Television Broadcasting, 1940-1960. Organization Science, 19(4), 533–547.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rai, A., Maruping, L. M., & Venkatesh, V. (2009). Offshore information systems project success: The role of social embeddedness and cultural characteristics. MIS Quarterly, 33(3), 617–641.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rao, H. (1994). The social construction of reputation: Certification contests, legitimation, and the survival of organizations in the American automobile industry, 1895–1912. Strategic Management Journal, 15(Winter Special Issue), 29–44.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rao, H. (1998). Caveat emptor: The construction of nonprofit consumer watchdog organizations. American Journal of Sociology, 103(4), 912–961.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rao, H., Monin, P., & Durand, R. (2003). Institutional change in Toque Ville: Nouvelle Cuisine as an identity movement in French gastronomy. American Journal of Sociology, 108(4), 795–843.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Redding, S. G. (1994). Comparative management theory: Jungle, zoo or fossil bed? Organization Studies, 15(3), 323–359.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rindova, V., Dalpiaz, E., & Ravasi, D. (2011). A cultural quest: A study of organizational use of new cultural resources in strategy formation. Organization Science, 22(2), 413–431.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ring, P. S., & van de Ven, A. H. (1994). Developmental processes of cooperative interorganizational relationships. Academy of Management Review, 19(1), 90–118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rottman, J., & Hao, L. (2008). Can China compete with India in the global ITO/BPO market? In M. Lacity & J. Rottman (Eds.), Offshore outsourcing of IT work (pp. 180–208). London, U.K.: Palgrave.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sahay, S., Nicholson, B., & Krishna, S. (2003). Global IT outsourcing: Software development across borders. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Salk, J. E., & Brannen, M. Y. (2000). National culture, networks, and individual influence in a multinational management team. Academy of Management Journal, 43(2), 191–202.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sarker, S., & Sarker, S. (2009). Exploring agility in distributed information systems development teams: An interpretive study in an offshoring context. Information Systems Research, 20(3), 440–461.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schoorman, F. D., Mayer, R. C., & Davis, J. H. (2007). An integrative model of organizational trust: Past, present, and future. Academy of Management Review, 32(2), 344–354.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schreiner, M., Kale, P., & Corsten, D. (2009). What really is alliance management capability and how does it impact alliance outcomes and success? Strategic Management Journal, 30(13), 1395–1419.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sia, C. L., Lim, K. H., Leung, K., Lee, M. K. O., Huang, W. W., & Benbasat, I. (2009). Web strategies to promote internet shopping: Is cultural-customization needed? MIS Quarterly, 33(3), 491–512.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simonin, B. L. (1999). Ambiguity and the process of knowledge transfer in strategic alliances. Strategic Management Journal, 20(7), 595–623.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Snow, D. A., Rochford, E. B., Worden, S. K., Jr., & Benford, R. D. (1986). Frame alignment processes, micromobilization, and movement participation. American Sociological Review, 51(4), 464–481.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Soh, C., Kien, S. S., & Tay-Yap, J. (2000). Enterprise resource planning: Cultural fits and misfits: is ERP a universal solution? Communications of the ACM, 43(4), 47–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Srite, M., & Karahanna, E. (2006). The influence of national culture on the acceptance of information technologies: An empirical study. MIS Quarterly, 30(3), 679–704.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Starbuck, W. H., & Milliken, F. J. (1988). Executives’ personal filters: What they notice and how they make sense. In D. C. Hambrick (Ed.), The executive effect: Concepts and methods for studying top managers (p. 51). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steensma, H. K., Tihanyi, L., Lyles, M. A., & Dhanaraj, C. (2005). The evolving value of foreign partnerships in transitioning economies. Academy of Management Journal, 48(2), 213–235.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Straub, D., Loch, K., Evaristo, R., Karahanna, E., & Srite, M. (2002). Toward a theory-based measurement of culture. Journal of Global Information Management, 10(1), 13–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Strauss, A. L., & Corbin, J. M. (1997). Grounded theory in practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stolte, J. F., & Fender, S. (2007). Framing social values: An experimental study of culture and cognition. Social Psychology Quarterly, 70(1), 59–69.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Strang, D., & Meyer, J. W. (1993). Institutional conditions for diffusion. Theory and Society, 22, 487–511.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swidler, A. (1986). Culture in action: Symbols and strategies. American Sociological Review, 51(2), 273–286.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taras, V., Kirkman, B. L., & Steel, P. (2010). Examining the impact of culture’s consequences: A three-decade, multilevel, meta-analytic review of Hofstede’s cultural value dimensions. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95(3), 405–439.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tiwana, A., & Bush, A. A. (2007). A comparison of transaction cost, agency, and knowledge-based predictors of IT outsourcing decisions: A U.S.-Japan cross-cultural field study. Journal of Management Information Systems, 24(1), 259–300.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tiwana, A., Bush, A. A., Tsuji, H., Yoshida, K., & Sakurai, A. (2008). Myths and paradoxes in Japanese IT offshoring. Communications of the ACM, 51(10), 141–145.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Triandis, H. C. (1994). Culture and social behavior. New York, NY: McGraw-Hills.

    Google Scholar 

  • Triandis, H. C., Vassiliou, V., Vassiliou, G., Tanaka, Y., & Shanmugam, A. V. (1972). The analysis of subjective culture. New York, NY: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tsoukas, H., & Vladimirou, E. (2001). What is organizational knowledge? Journal of Management Studies, 38(6), 973–993.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tung, R. L. (2008). The cross-cultural research imperative: The need to balance cross-national and intra-national diversity. Journal of International Business Studies, 39, 41–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tung, R. L., & Verbeke, A. (2010). Beyond Hofstede and GLOBE: Improving the quality of cross-cultural research. Journal of International Business Studies, 41, 1259–1274.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vaast, E., & Levina, N. (2006). Multiple faces of codification: Organizational redesign in an IT organization. Organization Science, 17(2), 190–201.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vlaar, P. W. L., Van Fenema, P. C., & Tiwari, V. (2008). Cocreating understanding and value in distributed work: How members of onsite and offshore vendor teams give, make, demand, and break sense. MIS Quarterly, 32(2), 227–255.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walsham, G. (2002). Cross-cultural software production and use: A structurational analysis. MIS Quarterly, 26(4), 359–380.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wan, C., Chiu, C. Y., Tam, K. P., Lee, S. L., Lau, I. Y.-M., & Peng, S. Q. (2007). Perceived cultural importance and actual self-importance of values in cultural identification. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92, 337–354.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wedeen, L. (2002). Conceptualizing culture: Possibilities for political science. The American Political Science Review, 96(4), 713–728.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weick, K. E. (1999). Sensemaking as an organizational dimension of global change. In D. L. Cooperrider & J. E. Dutton (Eds.), Organizational dimensions of global change (pp. 39–56). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weick, K. E., Sutcliffe, K. M., & Obstfeld, D. (2005). Organizing and the process of sensemaking. Organization Science, 16(4), 409–421.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wiener, M., Vogel, B., & Amberg, M. (2010). Information systems offshoring—A literature review and analysis. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 27(1), 455–492.Article 25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yang, M. M. (1994). Gifts, favors and banquets: The art of social relationships in China. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yin, R. K. (2003). Case study research: Design and methods (3rd ed.). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zaheer, S. (1995). Overcoming the liability of foreignness. Academy of Management Journal, 38(2), 341–363.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zaheer, A., & Kamal, D. F. (2011). Creating trust in piranha-infested waters: The confluence of buyer, supplier and host country contexts. Journal of International Business Studies, 42, 48–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zaheer, A., McEvily, B., & Perrone, V. (1998). Does trust matter? Exploring the effects of interorganizational and interpersonal trust on performance. Organization Science, 9(2), 141–159.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, M., Sarker, S., & Sarker, S. (2008). Unpacking the effect of IT capability on the performance of export-focused SMEs: A report from China. Information Systems Journal, 18(4), 357–380.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zou, X., Tam, K., Morris, M. W., Lee, S., Lau, I. Y., & Chiu, C. (2009). Culture as common sense: Perceived consensus versus personal beliefs as mechanisms of cultural influence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 97(4), 579–597.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ivey Business School, Western University, London, Canada

    Ning Su

Authors
  1. Ning Su
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ning Su .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Ourso College of Business, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA

    Rudy Hirschheim

  2. School of Business, University Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany

    Armin Heinzl

  3. Institute for Information Systems, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland

    Jens Dibbern

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Su, N. (2020). Cultural Intelligence of Offshore IT Suppliers. In: Hirschheim, R., Heinzl, A., Dibbern, J. (eds) Information Systems Outsourcing. Progress in IS. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45819-5_8

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation