软件外包项目发包方对承接方团队绩效的影响——基于交互记忆系统的行为特征

How do Clients Affect Vendors’Team Performance in Software Outsourcing Project:The View from Transactive Memory Systems Behavior

本文针对软件外包项目团队承接方如何进行有效知识转移以提高团队绩效的问题,引入交互记忆系统(TransactiveMemorySystem,简称TMS)理论,在专长度、可信度和协调度三个行为特征维度框架下,对TMS的协作行为如何影响软件外包项目团队绩效进行了深入分析和探讨。基于对28家软件外包承接企业项目团队的调查访谈以及124个软件外包团队的问卷调查数据,本文运用结构方程模型方法发现,可信度对知识转移和项目成功有显著的积极影响,协调度对知识转移和项目成功有显著的积极影响,专长度则对项目成功有显著的消极影响,数据分析结果表明TMS是一种有效的知识协作机制,研究结论有助于理解软件外包项目团队中知识转移的协作机制,为我国软件外包承接企业在项目开发中积累知识并提高项目成功率提供理论支持与范式参考。

In software outsourcing project teams,effective knowledge transfer between client and vendor is central to the success of many offshore outsourcing contracts,but there are no sufficient theoretical researches on explaining how client affect vendor’s team performance from knowledge transfer’s view,especially in the vendor’s aspect.Recent studies show that the behavior characters of transactive memory system（TMS）—the specialized division of cognitive labor among team members is an important factor affecting virtual team’s performance.Yet little is known of how TMS behavior support for the knowledge management practices in outsourcing team.Further-more,effective knowledge transfer in outsourcing team is difficult to achieve over cultural,geographic and background differences between client and vendor,which can also explain the relationship between client and venders and affect the team performance.In view of how the vendors of software outsourcing project teams transfer knowledge from client effectively to improve team performance,this article introduces the theory of transactive memory system and within the framework of the three dimensions of behavioral charac-teristics： specialization,credibility,and coordination,we analyzed and discussed in-depth how transactive memory system that affecting software outsourcing project team performance.Based on the survey interview to project teams of 28 software outsourcing vendors and survey questionnaire data of 124 software outsourcing project teams,and through structural equation model method,we found credibility has a significant positive impact on knowledge transfer and project success;coordination has a significant positive impact on knowledge transfer and project success;specialization has a significant negative impact on project success.Data analysis results show that transactive memory system is a kind of effective coordination mechanism.Conclusion can help us to understand coordination mechanisms of knowledge transfer in software outsourcing project team and provide theoretical support and paradigm reference for vendors of China to accumulate knowledge and improve the success rate of software proj-ects through the process of software project development.