The organizational side of outsourcing

Outsourcing is broadly identified as a relevant and multi-faceted strategic choice, but, to date, its actual outcomes are still debated. It is well recognized that the success of outsourcing passes through cultural change, organizational structure and the ability to adapt to an extremely complex coordination. Our aim in this work is to focus on the main organizational issues arising form outsourcing choices, and highlight how managers shall adopt proactive techniques and play a definitive role in a company's life. Thus, we focus on the following research question: how can managers contribute to the sustainability of the competitive advantage by tackling the main organizational issues related to outsourcing? We specifically focus on the two main categories of problems: 1) the paradoxes of outsourcing, namely the time span for the evaluation of outcomes and the effects of a multiplicity of stakeholders, and 2) the management of the ‘liminal’ effects generated by the adoption of outsourcing practices.