Standardization Frameworks in Services Offshoring: The Relationship between Process Implementation Thoroughness, Task Complexity, and Performance Improvement

Prior research has characterized the adoption of technical and process standards as a multi-stage effort ranging from the initial implementation through institutionalization. However, the relationships between these adoption stages have not been examined significantly. In this study I analyze performance data from a large service provider that has implemented a process standardization framework for services off shoring. I evaluate the extent to which process standardization influences service delivery performance, and how the effect of standardization differs based on the implementation duration of each new process and the complexity of the task for which the process is implemented. The results indicate that longer implementation durations are associated with greater performance improvement. Performance on complex tasks also increases to a greater extent after standardization than performance on simple tasks. Contrary to expectations, performance on complex tasks improves to a greater extent following shorter implementation durations than after longer durations.