Description
Outsourcing has been an area of academic interest for almost 25 years. This research strand has produced output of highly theoretical but also of practical value by combining rigor and relevance. As for all practically relevant research areas, it is important to align future research agendas and efforts with practitioners’ current and expected future priorities. In order to provide insights on the challenges which practitioners in large corporations face, we surveyed sourcing managers from Germany’s 500 largest corporations and the 50 largest financial services firms. We interviewed a panel of experts to identify high priority topics and added topics from contemporary outsourcing research. Based on this list we conducted two Delphi studies in 2012 and 2015 and asked senior managers to prioritize the topics. Our results indicate that findings from academia do not always get through to practice. The most pressing topics have all been addressed by previous research.
Recommended Citation
Gewald, Heiko; Schaefer, Leonie; and Weeger, Andy, "Top Trends and Topics for Outsourcing Managers -A Longitudinal Study-" (2017). AMCIS 2017 Proceedings. 26.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/amcis2017/StrategicIT/Presentations/26
Top Trends and Topics for Outsourcing Managers -A Longitudinal Study-
Outsourcing has been an area of academic interest for almost 25 years. This research strand has produced output of highly theoretical but also of practical value by combining rigor and relevance. As for all practically relevant research areas, it is important to align future research agendas and efforts with practitioners’ current and expected future priorities. In order to provide insights on the challenges which practitioners in large corporations face, we surveyed sourcing managers from Germany’s 500 largest corporations and the 50 largest financial services firms. We interviewed a panel of experts to identify high priority topics and added topics from contemporary outsourcing research. Based on this list we conducted two Delphi studies in 2012 and 2015 and asked senior managers to prioritize the topics. Our results indicate that findings from academia do not always get through to practice. The most pressing topics have all been addressed by previous research.