Offshoring, exit and voice: Implications for organizational theory and practice

Abstract

Purpose - This paper seeks to explore the impact of corporate offshoring moves on the economic and psychological contracts between firms and their employees. Design/methodology/approach - The paper draws upon literature from diverse social sciences to explore the phenomena of social contracts and offshoring. Especially deploying the exit-voice theory of Alfred Hirschman, it is argued here that offshoring decreases the regenerative power promised both by exit and voice in helping organizations recover from decline. Findings - Organizational systems and processes designed to deal with the "post-offshoring worker" only serve to accentuate the sense of alienation felt by workers at the way they ..