The Key Role of Interfaces in IT Outsourcing Relationships

Literature Review

The relationship between the outsourcer and the service provider unfolds over several stages in which objectives and outcomes are constantly negotiated: before the contract, over the duration of the contract, and after the end of the contract (for potential renewals and extensions) (Cullen, Seddon, & Willcocks, 2005). This process of continuous negotiation helps partners develop a mutual understanding about the work to be done and how to correct mistakes based on common experiences. We consider IT outsourcing as a project, focusing on the successive phases of transition and adjustment between a client and a service provider that occur before the service can be considered in a “steady-state” (Cullen & Willcocks, 2003; Tiwari, 2010).

Articulating IT outsourcing requirements in that context often requires addressing many issues associated with knowledge sharing, collaboration, and communication problems between partners as they seek to reconcile differences in practices, languages, culture, and worldviews (Levina & Ross, 2003; Levina & Vaast, 2005). Knowledge exchange in outsourcing relationships is facilitated by the creation of interfaces as a bridge between the outsourcer and the provider during the different phases of the outsourcing relationship (Levina & Vaast, 2005).