Typology and Success Factors of Collaboration for Sustainable Growth in the IT Service Industry

Changbyung Yoon, Keeeun Lee, Byungun Yoon and Omar Toulan
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Changbyung Yoon: Information Management Team, LG CNS, FKI Tower, 24, Yeoui-daero, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul 07320, Korea
Keeeun Lee: Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering, School of Engineering, Dongguk University-Seoul, 3-26, Pil-dong 3-ga, Chung-gu, Seoul 100-715, Korea
Byungun Yoon: Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering, School of Engineering, Dongguk University-Seoul, 3-26, Pil-dong 3-ga, Chung-gu, Seoul 100-715, Korea
Omar Toulan: Desautels Faculty of Management, McGill University, 1001 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, QC H3A 1G5, Canada

Sustainability, 2017, vol. 9, issue 11, 1-20

Abstract: Recently, innovative changes in information technology (IT) trends, such as cloud computing and deep learning, have led IT companies to focus on collaboration for sustainable growth. This paper investigates collaboration strategies and success factors for IT service companies via a survey-based empirical study of Korean leading IT firms. Four types of collaboration were identified by considering the types of customer relationship and the target market: offshore, joint venture, collaboration with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and partnership with major local firms. Then, based on a Plan-Do-See management activity process, this paper considers success factors in the planning process and collaboration process, and analyzes an impact of these factors on collaboration performance such as financial performance, process innovation, improving competitiveness, and technology acquisition. As a result, the success factors differ according to the types of performance measures as well as the collaboration types. In particular, the characteristics of partners positively influence competitiveness in captive and global markets, while they improve process innovation in open and domestic markets. This study attempts to provide insight for companies in the IT service industry about how collaboration activities could enhance performance, depending on the alliance types.

Keywords: international strategic alliance; IT service industry; collaboration; offshore; success factors; sustainable growth (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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