Rise and Fall of an Information Technology Outsourcing Program: a qualitative Analysis of a Troubled Corporate Initiative

 
 

---

163 
The Moral Careers of Richard and Brenda 
SSP represented a major shift in Icarus’s approach to IT staffing and introduced a 
significant amount of disruption into Icarus’s IT organization. It was also a major probationary 
crucible (Jackall, 2010) for Richard. One executive described Richard’s drive and motivations: 
I think [Richard] loves to be first. [Richard] likes to explore new things. [Richard] likes 
to learn. [Richard] likes to be leading the charge. I think all those characteristics wrap up 
to [Richard] being pretty innovative and how [Richard] thinks about things and what 
[Richard]’s willing to try on and the amount of risk [Richard]’s willing to take. 
(Executive, personal communication, March 21, 2013) 
Richard’s intentions at the beginning of the program were to reassign ninety-three employees to 
other—presumably high differentiating—positions within the organization. Richard also 
expected to begin transitioning work to ComTech by the end of the 2012 and run Supply Chain 
software development at similar or lower costs than pre-SSP shortly thereafter. However, by the 
end of SSP’s early implementation in late 2013, the program was entering its fourth year, it was 
more expensive than planned, had a shrinking pool of supporters, and was generally deemed 
unlikely to succeed. 
Both Richard and Brenda were motivated to achieve big things. So were most of the 
Icarus executives—it was how they had achieved those levels of achievement in Goffman’s 
definition of one’s moral career (1961). Despite this similarity, Richard and Brenda had 
dramatically different styles. Richard dressed in classic business attire—suits in shades of grey, 
navy, and tan, while Brenda’s attire was considered more modern and fashionable. 
Richard was naturally introverted. Although he would not shy away from the opportunity 
to address the crowd at large meetings, he came across as perfunctory and was more effective in 

---

164 
small-group conversations. Brenda’s public communication style came across as more 
engaging—if not slightly academic. She was known for pontificating on topics she was 
passionate about and for attempting to dominate smaller-group conversations with other 
executives. Richard could come across as cold and dry in meetings, whereas Brenda could be 
viewed as flashy and a tad haughty. 
Richard was comfortable operating in the minutiae of his team’s projects—much to their 
frustration. Brenda was a big-picture strategist who excelled at thinking in patterns and 
communicating high strategy to her peers. She knew how all of the components of the IT 
ecosystem fit together, but was unlikely to be as comfortable with Richard’s preferred level of 
detail. 
Both had their followers and their detractors in the organization, and both were rumored 
to have aspirations to someday be the CIO. For his part, Richard likely viewed a successful SSP 
as a significant career achievement. Brenda, on the other hand, had little to gain from SSP’s 
success. She also had little to lose, unlike Richard, should SSP fail.