Conjunct roles of client and vendor control in offshore-outsourced project performance

Songyue Zheng (First Author), Liang Wang (Participant Author), Yuan Li (Participant Author), Yi Liu (Participant Author)

    Research output: Contribution to journalJournal

    5 Citations (Web of Science)

    Abstract

    This study explores the conjunct roles of a series of formal and informal control mechanisms exerted, respectively, by client and vendor in offshore-outsourced project performance. Using a sample of 203 offshore projects executed by vendors in China, the results indicate that client process control enhances (or complements) the effect of vendor outcome control, yet impairs (or substitutes) the effect of vendor process control. Conversely, client outcome control enhances (or complements) the effect of vendor process control, yet impairs (or substitutes) the effect of vendor outcome control. Further, for the two informal control mechanisms, the results indicate that client relational control enhances (or complements) the effects of both vendor process and outcome control, whereas vendor clan control only enhances (or complements) the effect of client outcome control on offshore-outsourced project performance. These findings not only contribute new insights for the organisational control and the outsourcing literature, but also provide managerial guidance for client and vendor managers on how to exert and fine-tune their control mechanisms to promote project performance.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)6240-6258
    JournalInternational Journal of Production Research
    Volume56
    Issue number18
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2018

    Corresponding author email

    liuyi76@sjtu.edu.cn

    Keywords

    • control mechanism
    • critical success factors
    • offshore
    • outsourcing
    • project management

    Indexed by

    • ABDC-A
    • SCIE
    • Scopus
    • SCI

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