Paper info

REVISITING THE DARK SIDE OF INTERDEPENDENCE IN BUSINESS-TOBUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS

Gert Human and Pete Naude

The paper was published at the 34th IMP-conference in Marseille, France in 2018.

Interdependence is a key feature of business-to-business networks and relationships – and particularly central to the IMP conceptualisation of such interactions. It is known that many of the constructs assisting researchers in explaining business interdependencies harbour positive and negative dimensions. The negative (dark) side of business-to-business interdependence is the focus of this conceptual paper. We construct a theoretical framework to consider the role of opportunistic behaviour in interdependent business relationships. The framework include elements, consequences and manifestations of opportunistic behaviour and we discuss moderating effects important to business interdependencies. Specific attention is devoted to contextual influences and the role of social capital as a managerial capabilities to mitigate against the negative effects of opportunism. We hope to offer more clarity on the dark side of interdependence in business-to-business relationships and elevate the importance of the collaboration-opportunism paradox.