Abstract
How does a global company deal with inter-organizational boundary spanning activities? If the company is an Indian vendor, and the client a Western multinational company in need of major transformations, the answer to this question challenges prior research. This paper builds on a field study of Indian IT vendor managers who are responsible for developing client relations and coordinating complex global development projects. The authors revise a framework of boundary spanning leadership practices to adapt it to an offshore outsourcing context. The empirical investigation highlights how imbalances of power, exacerbated in the case of an Indian vendor and a European client, need to be taken into account. The paper thus contributes with a more context sensitive understanding of inter-organizational boundary work. Taking the vendor perspective also leads to problematization of common assumptions on boundary spanning activities regarding their reciprocity, desirability and stability and thereby generates new research questions.