IT Outsourcing: A Framework for Examining Workforce Challenges

There have been dramatic changes taking place in IT over the past decade. One of the greatest changes has been in the increased outsourcing of technology functions to onshore and offshore vendors. These relationships have moved beyond call center and help desk management contracts to more elaborate tasks such as application development and network design. As a result, IT workers are being impacted by these changes in the nature of how they conduct their work activities. Research to this point has essentially overlooked the effect these changes are having on the IT worker. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to begin examination of how outsourcing can impact the IT worker from both a job perspective and career perspective. A review of relevant literature is provided along with a general framework for considering potential issues that will arise related to the IT worker in outsourcing ventures.