The Varying Role of IS Capabilities for Different Approaches to Application Services Outsourcing

Author Information

Saskia Zelt, Institute of Information Management, University of St.Gallen (HSG), SwitzerlandFollow
Jochen Wulf, Institute of Information Management, University of St.Gallen (HSG), SwitzerlandFollow
Falk Uebernickel, Institute of Information Management, University of St.Gallen (HSG), SwitzerlandFollow
Walter Brenner, Institute of Information Management, University of St.Gallen (HSG), SwitzerlandFollow

Presenting Author

Saskia Zelt

Paper Type

Completed Research Paper

Abstract

The literature on IT outsourcing contains several works on IS capabilities required to succeed in outsourcing. This capability perspective does not only take into account the capabilities to manage vendors, but also includes internal relationship-related, managerial as well as technical IT capabilities. Prior research, however, does not differentiate between the employment of IS capabilities in different outsourcing approaches. Such approaches vary not only with respect to the ratio of the IT budget allocated externally, but also with respect to the extent of control transferred to the vendor. In order to analyze the IS capabilities required for different outsourcing approaches, a comparative case study research with eight large enterprises from various industries in Germany and Switzerland has been conducted. The results allow propositions about the variance of required IS capabilities, which imply that organizations need to carefully coordinate their IS capabilities with the outsourcing strategy and capability development initiatives.

Recommended Citation

Zelt, Saskia; Wulf, Jochen; Uebernickel, Falk; and Brenner, Walter, "The Varying Role of IS Capabilities for Different Approaches to Application Services Outsourcing" (2013). AMCIS 2013 Proceedings. 6.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/amcis2013/ICTGlobal/GeneralPresentations/6