Control Balancing in Offshore Information Systems Development: Extended Process Model

Control, broadly defined as any attempt to align individual behavior with organizational objectives, is argued to be a vital instrument for motivating and engaging various stakeholders in ISD projects. Yet, our understanding of control balancing and control dynamics for offshore ISD projects with multiple business stakeholder groups is in its infancy. In this case-based, grounded theory research, we set out to explore the IS phenomenon of offshore ISD through the lens of control theory and control-balancing theory. Applying a grounded theory method (GTM) in four offshore ISD projects, this research identified a comprehensive understanding of control balancing in the offshore ISD context. Our key findings include organizational control orientations, which explain why certain control configurations are adopted, and the dynamic aspect of the control-balancing process, capturing the transition from one control configuration to another. Implications for theory and practice are also discussed.