The role of personal relationships in supply chain disruptions: Perspectives from buyers and suppliers of logistics services

Abstract

Orientation: Firms can no longer rely on their own internal capabilities to operate in dynamic business environments but rather depend on buyer–supplier relationships to resolve and survive supply chain disruptions.Research purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the underlying role of personal buyer–supplier relationships in a supply chain disruption context.Motivation for the study: Previous research studies have focussed solely on the role of business relationships in a supply chain disruption context, while neglecting personal relationships.Research design, approach and method: A generic qualitative research strategy was used for this purpose. Eighteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine buyers and nine suppliers of logistics services who were involved in personal relationships during supply chain disruptions.Main findings: The findings of this study indicate the attributes that must be present for a personal relationship to form in a supply chain disruption context, along with the various advantages and disadvantages that are derived from personal relationships in times of supply chain disruption.Practical/managerial implications: For managers, this study identifies various attributes, advantages and disadvantages of personal relationships in supply chain disruptions, therefore equipping managers to extract value from personal relationships in supply chain disruptions.Contribution/value-add: Academically, this study expands the literature by being one of the first empirical studies to conduct research on the role of buyer–supplier personal relationships in the third-party logistics supply chain disruption context.