International HRD and offshore outsourcing: a conceptual review and research agenda

Offshore outsourcing is an increasing trend in the global business environment and has important consequences for human resource development (HRD) practices such as organization development, knowledge transfer, organizational culture, and training and development. However, the links between international HRD (IHRD) and offshore outsourcing have yet to be explored in the HRD literature. This article argues that robust IHRD research into offshore outsourcing contexts is required that challenges the dominant “headquarters perspective” taken in existing accounts of the global trend to offshore outsourcing. To provide the basis for a research agenda, the article undertakes a conceptual review of the IHRD and offshore outsourcing literatures. It develops a conceptual framework that identifies connections between these fields as a basis for an IHRD research agenda to examine the HRD effects and contributions to offshore outsourcing arrangements for individuals and teams working in “provider” and “client” organizations and to investigate the consequences for HRD in both “home” and “destination” countries.