Impact of IT Multisourcing on vendor opportunistic behaviour - A research framework

IT Multisourcing (ITM), the provision of IT services by multiple interdependent vendors to a single client, is widely prevalent now. ITM, in principle, is believed to mitigate both strategic and operational risks of IT outsourcing for client organizations. Yet an in-depth inquiry into the association of ITM with these risks is largely missing in literature. There is limited research which systematically investigates the effects of ITM on different forms of risk. This paper develops a theoretical framework to understand the implications of ITM for the specific risk of vendor opportunistic behaviour, also termed ‘strategic risks’ of outsourcing. The fundamental attributes of ITM are identified and mechanisms through which they influence vendor opportunistic behaviour are explained. The advantages and limitations of the framework are discussed and future research directions are laid out

A \u27Linking Pin\u27 or Beyond? A Decision Rights Perspective of the Guardian Vendor Role in IT Multisourcing

The practical challenges of IT multisourcing (ITM) have prompted the client organizations to adopt the Guardian model, wherein a vendor (the ‘Guardian’) takes over the responsibility of managing the multiple vendors. Literature broadly refers to the Guardian’s role in ITM governance, yet the Guardian role is under-theorized. The practical manifestation of the Guardian’s role, the core activities and influence of the Guardian is a black box. The paper provides a novel conceptualization of the Guardian’s core activities as the exercise of ‘decision rights’ related to contractual and ex-post governance. In-depth exploratory interviews of the key stakeholders of the Guardian model across multiple ITM engagements are carried out to draw from practical knowledge. Preliminary findings reveal the various decision rights and the patterns of their allocation to the Guardian. The study offers potential insights for both theory and practice. The current status and future research plan are discussed