Outsourcing Book Publishing Services to India Investigating the Service Relation

This study explores the socio-cultural aspects of client–vendor engagement when outsourcing book publishing services from the United Kingdom to India. It focuses specifically on the academic and higher education publishing segment. Drawing on interviews with senior managers from four UK-based book publishers, and senior managers and personnel from five Indian publishing services firms, the study investigates: (1) whether both parties have a shared understanding of the complexity of work being outsourced and the supplier’s capabilities; (2) whether their perceptions affect the level of trust governing the service relation; and (3) whether publishers’ willingness to trust and their perception of the outsourced functions are partly determined by prejudices about or cultural incompatibilities with the supplier or offshore destination. Publishers and suppliers were found to have considerably different perspectives about the nature of work outsourced. Suppliers’ often exaggerated belief in their capabilities could lead them to expect unrealistic levels of trust from publishers. Finally, it was found that both trust and perceptions of job complexity are indeed affected by some publishers’ prejudices about India or Indian workers. The study concludes that perceptions of knowledge work, trust and cultural in/compatibility are firmly interlinked, and must be considered in conjunction when assessing outsourcing arrangements.