Offshoring ERP Implementations: Critical Success Factors in Swiss Perspective

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) applications are changing the way businesses are run. IT Offshoring is changing the way IT Organizations are run. However, both ERP implementations and IT offshoring are fraught with risks. When both ERP implementation and IT offshoring happen together, the risks get even more pronounced. The paper presents the critical susses factors of offshoring ERP implementation which are common in ERP as well as in offshoring case. The study is carried out with the sample interviews conducted in Switzerland. The findings revels that eight factor are critical while considering offshoring ERP implementation, namely customer interaction skills, business process skills, ERP package skills, scalability, language, project management, choice of work to be offshored, personnel split between onsite/offshore are. We used semi-structured open ended interviews with interpretive analysis for identifying the factors

Managing Conflicting Institutional Demands in Outsourced ISD Projects

This study examines the role of differences between parties involved in outsourced information systems (OISD) projects, focusing on 1) the mechanisms vendors use to manage those differences; and 2) the long term impacts of those mechanisms. Using data from a revelatory case study, we anchor our theorizing in institutional theory to develop three main propositions emphasizing 1) the role of instances of conflicting institutional demands in OISD projects; 2) the relevance of the logics driving the enactment of institutionalized practices to explain how vendors respond to those instances; and 3) the ability for those responses to trigger a process of institutional change. Offering a comprehensive explanation of the management of differences in OISD projects, our work has implications for research and practice

Review of the IS Offshoring Literature: The Role of Cross-Cultural Differences and Management Practices

There is a world-wide trend towards global cross-cultural networks of outsourcing relationships that are enabled by the extensive use of information- and communication technology (ICT). While ICT reduces national boundaries of global collaboration, cultural differences between outsourcers and vendor firms in offshore locations pose unique management challenges. This literature review analyzes the role of cultural differences between client and vendor companies and management practices in the information systems (IS) offshore outsourcing context. The analysis of the existing IS literature reveals limitations concerning prior conceptualizations of culture and cultural differences and provides ideas for future research on the effect of cultural differences as well as cultural, relationship, knowledge, and project management techniques. In particular, the existing literature can be grouped into formal and informal mechanisms as well as learning issues. Future research could adopt a more integrated and balanced perspective, taking into account formal and informal mechanisms and analyzing the interplay with learning issues

An investigation into how small companies in London and the South East UK engage in IT offshore outsourcing and the impact of culture on this phenomenon

Small businesses are increasingly engaged in IT offshore outsourcing but are as yet few academic studies into this phenomenon. One of the major stumbling blocks of IT offshore outsourcing is cultural difference. A framework of propositions was empirically tested by means of case study of three small businesses based in London and the southeast of England in order to understand the specific challenges and changes for small companies and micro firms engaging in IT offshore outsourcing. Cultural differences are found to play a large part in the outcome of these projects

Cultural intelligence and leadership style in the education sector

Purpose: Schools in UAE are multicultural in nature. In this context, cultural intelligence (CQ) is a tool, which can increase an individual’s ability to interact with people outside his/her culture. The purpose of this paper is to explore the perceptions of the school leaders regarding the key influences of cultural intelligence on their ability to adapt their leadership style in the Abu Dhabi Education Sector. Design/methodology/approach: An extensive review of the literature was carried out to acknowledge the cultural intelligence and leadership style adaptability concepts. This research has adopted a qualitative method of inquiry. Data for the study have been collected from three focus groups with 14 schools leaders in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Findings: This pilot study reveals that cultural intelligence has some influence on the school leaders’ ability to adapt their leadership style within a diverse work environment. This influence is complex in nature and multiple factors have been identified. Research limitations/implications: The main limitations of this study are associated with the small sample size. Regarding the implications, while this study was conducted in a UAE cultural context, it can be extended to other Gulf countries. Future research should prompt educational leaders, administrators, students, and research academics to further consider the impact of cultural intelligence on leadership style. Practical implications: This study contributes towards cultural intelligence literature. Schools should provide cultural training to managers before appointing them to leadership positions, which helps in understanding the culture which they are going to operate in, and effectively manage their drives, workforce, students, and the community. Originality/value: The paper highlights six core factors that influence the ability of school leaders to adapt their leadership style in culturally diverse environments. These preliminary factors need to be examined further to validate the dimensions of leadership adaptability in various contexts

Cultural Enclaves: the Interplay Between Indian Cultural Values and Western Ways of Working in an Indian IT Organization

The phenomenon of globalisation has been implicated in the increased movement of knowledge work from higher-income, industrialised countries to lower-income, newly industrialising economies. Globalisation has also been associated with opportunities for economic development through the establishment and growth of IT-related industries in developing countries, even if such development exhibits a skewed trajectory (Heeks 1999). This phenomenon is most evident in the increasing use of so-called offshored services in IT and IT-enabled business processes

Measuring cultural intelligence: a new test of the CQ scale

Despite an increasing number of publications on cultural intelligence (CQ), the operationalization and conceptualization of this construct demand further attention. In this replication study among 308 experienced overseas Chinese respondents, a two-dimensional structure seems to better represent the data than the original four-dimensional CQ scale. The results of the analysis identify two new dimensions: internalized cultural knowledge and effective cultural flexibility, both of which exhibit satisfactory levels of reliability and validity. A series of regression analyses also provide assessments of the nomological validity of the new CQ dimensions in relation to their antecedents and consequences

Emergent Cultural Contradictions from Overlapping Cultural Levels in Information Systems Development

Research exploring cultural influence on information system development (ISD) projects tends to focus on a single level of influence (e.g., organizational culture) or cultural incompatibility between one or two cultural levels that are assumed to be discretely separate and static (e.g., national and organizational culture). In contrast, our research conceptualizes culture as dynamic and emergent, with varying levels of overlapping cultures that occur simultaneously in ISD projects (e.g., organizational and occupational culture overlaps). The case study method is used to examine two strategic projects in a single organization in South Africa. The findings describe how the overlap of different cultural levels gives rise to cultural contradictions in ISD projects. Understanding the relevance of the multiple cultures that exist in ISD projects offers further opportunity for refining explanations of cultural contradictions. Cultural contradictions that emerge from cultural overlaps during ISD are conceptualized as five distinct types: Vision Contradictions, Priority Contradictions, Process Contradictions, Role Contradictions, and Technology Contradictions. Despite variation in the context of each project, there is similarity in the nature and effect of emergent cultural contradictions. The paper concludes with suggestions for addressing cultural contradictions in, and influences on, ISD projects