Interorganizational Buyer-Seller Relationships: The Impact of Individual Perceptions on Relationship-Oriented Action

Abstract

The past ten years have seen considerable interest in interorganizational relationships, and a number of insightful frameworks have elaborated the components of relationship commitment. However, the execution of managing customer relationships involves the decisions made on a continuing basis by individual members of the selling team (marketing managers, sales representatives, customer service representatives, engineers, etc.). The purpose of this paper is to contribute to better understanding of relationship-oriented action through the development of a framework based largely on two cognitive psychology concepts - self- efficacy and explanatory style. The framework describes the perceptions and decision processes of individuals that may contribute to a range of actions including managing accounts and creating value for customers as well as a determination to terminate a relationship. The model integrates factors that drive decisions made by individuals to sustain interorganizational relationships, and the antecedents of efficacy perception. The latter issue is especially critical since individual perceptions of situation and capabilities drive opportunity recognition.