Inter‐organizational communication as a relational competency: Antecedents and performance outcomes in collaborative buyer–supplier relationships

Abstract

Inter-organizational communication has been documented as a critical factor in promoting strategic collaboration among firms. In this paper, we seek to extend the stream of research in supply chain management by systematically investigating the antecedents and performance outcomes of inter-organizational communication. Specifically, inter-organizational communication is proposed as a relational competency that may yield strategic advantages for supply chain partners. Using structural equation modeling, we empirically test a number of hypothesized relationships based on a sample of over 200 United States firms. Our results provide strong support for the notion of inter-organizational communication as a relational competency that enhances buyers' and suppliers' performance. Implications for future research and practice are offered. #

Governance Mechanisms for Green Supply Chain Partnership

“…On the one hand, buyers may leverage the supplier's dedicated assets to lower prices. Yet again, the supplier might "ask the buyer to pay more or risk having to find a new supplier willing to invest" ( [32], p. 89). From the aspect of governance mechanism, asset specificity triggers the development of more detailed and specific contractual clauses, due to both buyer and supplier being forced to protect against opportunistic behavior [14,33].…”

“…With the exception of asset specificity, this study uses multiple item variables to present the latent constructs using a structured questionnaire. The scales of five latent variables are adopted from previous studies: environmental uncertainty [52], environmental performance [3], contractual governance [28], relational governance-problem-solving cooperation [21], and relational governance-information sharing [32]. Face validity is ensured since the multi-attributed variables are defined based on the literature.…”

The Contingency Effect of Relational Competency on the Relationship between Information Technology Competency and Firm Performance

“…Firms are increasingly developing strategic partnerships with their channel partners through IOC to more efficiently and effectively respond to the market needs (Paulraj et al 2008). IOC refers to the degree to which a firm collaborates with its channel partners to share strategic information and knowledge (Kulp et al 2004; Lee et al 2004; Rai et al 2006).…”

“…In the context of IOC, firms adopt a "cooperation logic," which moves away from conventional, arms-length relationships to specific, collaborative interorganizational relationships (Liu et al 2010;Rai et al 2012). As such, drawing on the RV, we conceptualize IOC as a relational competency, which may foster mutual learning and knowledge creation between supply chain partners that is critical for the firm's competitive success (Malhotra et al 2007;Paulraj et al 2008). The new information and knowledge acquired from the IOC with external partners (suppliers and customers) can thus serve as a stimulus for more efficiently and effectively realizing the value of internal capabilities such as IT competency (Narasimhan et al 2010).…”

“…Specifically, by drawing on the RBV, we first distinguish between the three types of IT competencies and examine three distinct logics (i.e., the logic of positioning, leverage, and opportunity; Sambamurthy et al 2003) through which the three different types of IT competencies impact firm performance. Then, we address the moderating role of the IOC from the RV, by investigating the IOC as a manifestation of the relational competency (Paulraj et al 2008), where IOC represents the degree to which a firm strategically shares information with supply chain partners (Rai et al 2006;Rosenzweig 2009). …”