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This study addresses tension and its consequent hurdles to the collaborative nature of value co-creation. Substantial research has focused on the benefits of value co-creation but much less so on its dark side. While some tension is inevitable, escalated tension can harm anticipated value and business relationships. The overlaps and disparities of formal and informal communication networks of two large construction projects are examined along with the tensions arising. To increase the breadth and depth of the empirical investigation, the presented network case study draws on survey data analyzed with Social Network Analysis as well as 45 in-depth managerial interviews. Structural, emotional and behavioural tensions are identified.The study suggests that tension triggered by one or a few actors can destabilize the network by creating unsustainable communication structures. Social Balance Theory is applied to study how unsustainable communication structures seek balance at a network level. We identify network patterns that can signal the presence of tension and structural imbalance in value cocreation, categorize several types of tension, and provide managerial implications.

Fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) can help both qualitative and quantitative researchers to address causal complexity, which is the interaction between different conditions leading to the studied outcome. fsQCA is both a data analysis method and a research approach that helps investigate how alternative solutions (different configurations of conditions) make up the outcome, and considers the asymmetrical nature of social phenomena. An important challenge that researchers face when they apply fsQCA to interview data is often the lack of distinct and operationalizable anchor points for calibration. This study offers the Membership Evaluation Template (MET) to support the decision making about assigning fuzzy set values to conditions and therefore improves the transparency of the process. This paper aims to highlight why and how fsQCA can be carried out to obtain a more in-depth understanding of complex problems using interview data, to identify some core method issues involved in this analytical process, and to develop a conceptual and empirical framework that helps in managing some methodological issues, with special regard to the calibration process. For illustration of the method we scrutinize ways in which the customer can achieve attractiveness in the eyes of the supplier. Our study explores configurations leading to the Relational Attractiveness of the Customer (RAC) based on 28 in-depth interviews with senior managers on the supplier side and reflects on the analytical process of using fsQCA in this context. In the interest of methodological reflections and brevity, it is assumed that the reader is familiar with the principles of fsQCA.

The aim of the study was to assess the effect of an amine fluoride/stannous fluoride toothpaste and mouthwash on dental plaque and gingivitis, plaque F^–– accumulation, F^–– content and acid solubility of dental enamel. Participants in the 12-week double-blind study were 92 schoolchildren, with a mean age of 12.4 years, randomly distributed to four groups: (1) AmF/SnF₂ toothpaste, (2) placebo toothpaste, (3) AmF/SnF₂ toothpaste plus AmF/SnF₂ mouthwash, (4) placebo toothpaste plus AmF/SnF₂ mouthwash. Analyzing the results, the mean values of dental plaque (Silness-Löe index) and of the sulcus bleeding index decreased statistically significantly in all groups except the placebo toothpaste users. Plaque F^–– and enamel F^–– content increased considerably only in the two groups using the AmF/SnF₂ toothpaste. A decrease in acid solubility was significant only in the group of both test toothpaste and test mouthwash users. Thus the clinical efficacy of the tested AmF/SnF₂ toothpaste might be increased by the combined use of mouthrinsings containing the same substances.

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