This paper reviews the literature on relational dynamics in information technology outsourcing (ITO) relationships, a type of interorganizational relationship (IOR) between client and vendor firms that can vary considerably in complexity. While relational dynamics are understood to reflect changes in an IOR ex-post contract which can substantially influence relationship performance and development, prior IOR research is limited in its conceptualization. The extensive ITO literature offers fertile ground for exploring this limitation but has advanced different conceptualizations and is fragmented in empirical findings, which warrants a systematic assessment. We conduct an integrative review of 127 peer-reviewed empirical studies to enhance our understanding of the constituents of relational dynamics. The findings reveal that relational dynamics involve the occurrence and management of tensions within and across four relationship development stages (transactional, strategic, transformational, and termination). For each stage and between stages, we identify the main tension, the firms’ strategies to manage the tension, and the outcomes. Based on these findings, we develop an integrative framework that offers a comprehensive and multifaceted conceptualization of relational dynamics, revealing that as ITO arrangements progress (or regress), partner firms are confronted with structural and transitional tensions inherent in relationship stability and instability. Based on this framework, we offer future directions for developing a more comprehensive understanding of relational dynamics in ITO and, more broadly, IORs.

中文翻译：

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信息技术外包中的关系动态：综合回顾与未来研究方向

本文回顾了信息技术外包 (ITO) 关系中关系动态的文献，信息技术外包关系是客户和供应商公司之间的一种组织间关系 (IOR)，其复杂性差异很大。虽然关系动态被理解为反映 IOR 事后合同的变化，这可以极大地影响关系的绩效和发展，但先前的 IOR 研究在概念化方面受到限制。大量的 ITO 文献为探索这一局限性提供了肥沃的基础，但提出了不同的概念，并且实证结果支离破碎，需要进行系统的评估。我们对 127 项同行评审的实证研究进行了综合评审，以增强我们对关系动态的组成部分的理解。研究结果表明，关系动态涉及四个关系发展阶段（交易、战略、转型和终止）内部和之间紧张局势的发生和管理。对于每个阶段以及阶段之间，我们确定了主要的紧张局势、企业管理紧张局势的策略以及结果。基于这些发现，我们开发了一个综合框架，提供了关系动态的全面和多方面的概念化，揭示了随着ITO安排的进展（或倒退），合作伙伴公司面临着关系稳定和不稳定所固有的结构性和过渡性紧张。基于这个框架，我们为更全面地理解 ITO 以及更广泛的 IOR 中的关系动态提供了未来的方向。