Interpersonal interaction in business triads : Case studies in corporate travel purchasing

Abstract

This study applies a triadic perspective to business triads of an industrial buyer, its service supplier and intermediary partners. The focus is on the structural, relational and cognitive features of interpersonal interaction. The study also takes into account strategic level interactions and interactions related to daily operations, thus providing insight into long and short-term interactive processes. Dedicated contacts and the social bonds between them provide important channels for both tacit and explicit information within and between the organizations, specifically at the operational level. The study contributes to service purchasing and supply literature by analysing complicated supply networks at the micro-level, and by providing concepts and models for the study of interactions in triadic contexts. Managerial implications relate to the importance of creating trusting relationships within and between the organizations. The longitudinal approach adds to our understanding of ongoing service purchasing processes and the dynamism of business relationships.