Authors: Dierdre Fleming; Jaana Tahtinen; Patrick Lynch
This paper develops a unifying theoretical framework of business to business (B2B) relationship repair, identifying the actions and reactions that form the repair process. Despite considerable research examining the dissolution of B2B relationships, their repair has been insufficiently explored and we have very limited knowledge concerning the entire process. Using an interpretative philosophical position, the study applies a qualitative-methodological approach with data collected from SME managers’ experiences in both repaired and dissolved relationships. Theoretically, the study draws upon the behavioural model of social exchange theory. The findings illustrate the dynamic sub-processes inherent in repairing relationships in trouble, driven by the parties’ actions and reactions and influenced by the state of the relationship pre transgression. Moreover, the study reveals some critical junctures that aid the repair process. The study expands B2B dissolution literature and in particular, the repair literature, as this is one of the first attempts to capture the entire process from the beginning to its outcomes in the SME context.
Journal: ( – )
Web Address:
Publish Year: 2018
Conference: Marseille, France (2018)