Abstract
Conflict in buyer–supplier relationships is a regular occurrence and, therefore, understanding its emergence, consequences, management, and resolution is a vital area for academics and managers alike. In recent times, studies have given more consideration to whether and how conflict in these relationships leads to (dys-)functional outcomes, but plenty of questions remain unanswered. Based on an analysis of 124 papers, and drawing upon core assumptions that underpin supply chain relationships, we present descriptive and thematic analyses and synthesis to highlight what has been explored to date. Building on these analyses, we position a future research agenda by outlining key research avenues by which to advance our understanding of and insights into conflicts in supply chain relationships. We focus on four key themes: (i) conflict conceptualization; (ii) conflict antecedents; (iii) conflict management and resolution; and (iv) conflict outcomes. For each theme, gaps in prior study are outlined before identifying the opportunities for future research that will serve to address these lacunas in our knowledge and practice. Thus, we articulate fruitful research questions for each of these themes and discuss the significant managerial implications of current and future research.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bai, X., Sheng, S., & Li, J. J. (2016). Contract governance and buyer–supplier conflict: The moderating role of institutions. Journal of Operations Management, 41, 12–24.
Barki, H., & Hartwick, J. (2004). Conceptualizing the construct of interpersonal conflict. International Journal of Conflict Management, 15(3), 216–244.
Bobot, L. (2011). Functional and dysfunctional conflicts in retailer-supplier relationships. International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management, 39(1), 25–50.
Bouazzaoui, M., Wu, H.-J., Roehrich, J. K., Squire, B., & Roath, T. (2020). Justice in inter-organizational relationships: A literature review and future research agenda. Industrial Marketing Management, 87, 128–137.
Cai, J., Cheng, J., Shi, H., & Feng, T. (2020). The impact of organisational conflict on green supplier integration: The moderating role of governance mechanism. International Journal of Logistics Research and Applications, 25(2), 1–18.
Cai, S., Jun, M., & Yang, Z. (2017). The effects of boundary spanners’ personal relationships on interfirm collaboration and conflict: A study of the role of guanxi in China. Journal of Supply Chain Management, 53(3), 19–40.
Caldwell, N., Roehrich, J. K., & George, G. (2017). Social value creation and relational coordination in public-private collaborations. Journal of Management Studies, 54(6), 906–928.
Carton, A. M., & Tewfik, B. A. (2016). Perspective—A new look at conflict management in work groups. Organization Science, 27(5), 1125–1141.
De Dreu, C. K., & Weingart, L. R. (2003). Task versus relationship conflict, team performance, and team member satisfaction: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(4), 741–749.
De Wit, F. R., Greer, L. L., & Jehn, K. A. (2012). The paradox of intragroup conflict: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 97(2), 360–390.
Eshghi, K., & Ray, S. (2021). Conflict and performance in channels: A meta-analysis. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 49(2), 327–349.
Gaski, J. F. (1984). The theory of power and conflict in channels of distribution. Journal of Marketing, 48(3), 9–29.
Gundlach, G. T., & Cadotte, E. R. (1994). Exchange interdependence and interfirm interaction: Research in a simulated channel setting. Journal of Marketing Research, 31(4), 516–532.
Harland, C. M., & Roehrich, J. K. (2022). Systems levels in purchasing and supply chain management (PSCM) research: Exploring established and novel theories to address PSCM problems and challenges. In W. L. Tate, L. M. Ellram, & L. Bals (Eds.), A handbook of theories for purchasing, supply chain and management research (pp. 63–79). Edward Elgar.
Hingley, M. (2001). Relationship management in the supply chain. International Journal of Logistics Management, 12(2), 57–71.
Jehn, K. A. (1995). A multimethod examination of the benefits and detriments of intragroup conflict. Administrative Science Quarterly, 40(2), 256–282.
Jehn, K. A., & Mannix, E. A. (2001). The dynamic nature of conflict: A longitudinal study of intragroup conflict and group performance. Academy of Management Journal, 44(2), 238–251.
Jehn, K. A., Rispens, S., & Thatcher, S. M. (2010). The effects of conflict asymmetry on work group and individual outcomes. Academy of Management Journal, 53(3), 596–616.
Jehn, K., Rispens, S., Jonsen, K., & Greer, L. (2013). Conflict contagion: A temporal perspective on the development of conflict within teams. International Journal of Conflict Management, 24(4), 352–373.
Johnsen, R. E., & Lacoste, S. (2016). An exploration of the ‘dark side’ associations of conflict, power and dependence in customer–supplier relationships. Industrial Marketing Management, 59, 76–95.
Johnson, M., Roehrich, J. K., Chakkol, M., & Davies, A. (2021). Reconciling and reconceptualising servitization research: Drawing on modularity, platforms, ecosystems, risk and governance to develop mid-range theory. International Journal of Operations and Production Management, 41(5), 465–493.
Kalra, J., Lewis, M. A., & Roehrich, J. K. (2021). Manifestation of coordination failures in service triads. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, 26(3), 341–358.
Karaba, F., Roehrich, J. K., Conway, S., & Turner, J. (2022). Information sharing in public-private relationships: The role of boundary objects in contracts. Public Management Review, forthcoming. https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2022.2065344
Krafft, M., Goetz, O., Mantrala, M., Sotgiu, F., & Tillmanns, S. (2015). The evolution of marketing channel research domains and methodologies: An integrative review and future directions. Journal of Retailing, 91(4), 569–585.
Lam, P. K., & Chin, K. S. (2004). Project factors influencing conflict intensity and handling styles in collaborative NPD. Creativity and Innovation Management, 13(1), 52–62.
Le Nguyen, H., Larimo, J., & Ali, T. (2016). How do ownership control position and national culture influence conflict resolution strategies in international joint ventures? International Business Review, 25(2), 559–568.
Lee, D. Y. (2001). Power, conflict and satisfaction in IJV supplier—Chinese distributor channels. Journal of Business Research, 52(2), 149–160.
Leonidou, L. C., Aykol, B., Fotiadis, T. A., Christodoulides, P., & Zeriti, A. (2017). Betrayal in international buyer-seller relationships: Its drivers and performance implications. Journal of World Business, 52(1), 28–44.
Leonidou, L. C., Barnes, B. R., & Talias, M. A. (2006). Exporter–importer relationship quality: The inhibiting role of uncertainty, distance, and conflict. Industrial Marketing Management, 35(5), 576–588.
Li, J., & Hambrick, D. C. (2005). Factional groups: A new vantage on demographic faultlines, conflict, and disintegration in work teams. Academy of Management Journal, 48(5), 794–813.
Liu, Y., Huang, Y., Luo, Y., & Zhao, Y. (2012). How does justice matter in achieving buyer–supplier relationship performance? Journal of Operations Management, 30(5), 355–367.
Liu, Y., Luo, Y., Huang, Y., & Yang, Q. (2017). A diagnostic model of private control and collective control in buyer-supplier relationships. Industrial Marketing Management, 63, 116–128.
Lumineau, F., & Oliveira, N. (2018). A pluralistic perspective to overcome major blind spots in research on interorganizational relationships. Academy of Management Annals, 12(1), 440–465.
Lumineau, F., Eckerd, S., & Handley, S. (2015). Inter-organizational conflicts: Research overview, challenges, and opportunities. Journal of Strategic Contracting and Negotiation, 1(1), 42–64.
Luo, Y., Liu, Y., & Xue, J. (2009). Relationship investment and channel performance: An analysis of mediating forces. Journal of Management Studies, 46(7), 1113–1137.
Lusch, R. F. (1976). Channel conflict-its impact on retailer operating performance. Journal of Retailing, 52(2), 3–13.
Ma, L., Zhang, Z., & Kim, J. (2018). Effects of conflict asymmetry on team conflict-performance relationships: A meta-analysis. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2018(1) https://doi.org/10.5465/AMBPP.2018.14699abstract
McCarthy, I. P., Lawrence, T. B., Wixted, B., & Gordon, B. R. (2010). A multidimensional conceptualization of environmental velocity. Academy of Management Review, 35(4), 604–626.
Michel, S., Bowen, D., & Johnston, R. (2009). Why service recovery fails: Tensions among customer, employee, and process perspectives. Journal of Service Management, 20(3), 253–273.
Mikkelsen, E. N., & Clegg, S. (2017). Conceptions of conflict in organizational conflict research: Toward critical reflexivity. Journal of Management Inquiry, 28(2), 166–179.
Mohr, J., & Spekman, R. (1994). Characteristics of partnership success: Partnership attributes, communication behavior, and conflict resolution techniques. Strategic Management Journal, 15(2), 135–152.
Murfield, M. L. U., Esper, T. L., Tate, W. L., & Petersen, K. J. (2016). Supplier role conflict: An investigation of its relational implications and impact on supplier accommodation. Journal of Business Logistics, 37(2), 168–184.
Ndubisi, N. O. (2011). Conflict handling, trust and commitment in outsourcing relationship: A Chinese and Indian study. Industrial Marketing Management, 40(1), 109–117.
O’Neill, T. A., McLarnon, M. J. W., Hoffart, G. C., Woodley, H. J. R., & Allen, N. J. (2015). The structure and function of team conflict state profiles. Journal of Management, 44(2), 811–836.
Olekalns, M., Caza, B. B., & Vogus, T. J. (2020). Gradual drifts, abrupt shocks: From relationship fractures to relational resilience. Academy of Management Annals, 14(1), 1–28.
Phillips, W., Roehrich, J. K., & Kapletia, D. (2022a). Responding to information asymmetry in crisis situations: Innovation in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Public Management Review, forthcoming. https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2021.1960737
Phillips, W., Roehrich, J. K., Kapletia, D., & Alexander, E. (2022b). Global value chain reconfiguration and COVID-19: Investigating the case for more resilient redistributed models of production. California Management Review, 64(2), 71–96.
Pulles, N. J., & Loohuis, R. P. (2020). Managing buyer-supplier conflicts: The effect of buyer openness and directness on a supplier's willingness to adapt. Journal of Supply Chain Management, 56(4), 65–81.
Rees, L., Rothman, N. B., Lehavy, R., & Sanchez-Burks, J. (2013). The ambivalent mind can be a wise mind: Emotional ambivalence increases judgment accuracy. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 49(3), 360–367.
Ren, H. (2008). Surface and deep level faultlines and network ties in multicultural teams. [Doctoral dissertation, The Pennsylvania State University]. Penn State University Libraries. https://etda.libraries.psu.edu/files/final_submissions/2347
Ren, H., Gray, B., & Kim, K. (2009). Performance of international joint ventures: What factors really make a difference and how? Journal of Management, 35(3), 805–832.
Roehrich, J. K., & Kivleniece, I. (2022). Creating and distributing sustainable value through public-private collaborative projects. In G. George, M. R. Hass, H. Joshi, A. McGahan, & P. Tracey (Eds.), Handbook on the business of sustainability: The organization, implementation, and practice of sustainable growth (pp. 473–499). Edward Elgar.
Roehrich, J. K., Lewis, M. A., & George, G. (2014). Are public-private partnerships a healthy option? A systematic literature review. Social Science & Medicine, 113, 110–119.
Roehrich, J. K., Selviaridis, K., Kalra, J., van der Valk, W., & Fang, F. (2020). Inter-organisational governance: A review, conceptualisation and extension. Production Planning and Control, 31(6), 453–469.
Roehrich, J. K., Tyler, B. B., Kalra, J., & Squire, B. (2021). The decision process of contracting in supply chain management. In T. Choi, J. Li, D. Rogers, J. Rungtusanatham, T. Schoenherr, & S. Wagner (Eds.), Handbook of supply chain management (pp. 562–586). Oxford University Press.
Rousseau, D. M. (1985). Issues of level in organizational research: Multi-level and cross-level perspectives. Research in Organizational Behavior, 7(1), 1–37.
Samaha, S. A., Palmatier, R. W., & Dant, R. P. (2011). Poisoning relationships: Perceived unfairness in channels of distribution. Journal of Marketing, 75(3), 99–117.
Schul, P. L., & Babakus, E. (1988). An examination of the interfirm power-conflict relationship. Journal of Retailing, 64(4), 381–404.
Shahzad, K., Ali, T., Kohtamäki, M., & Takala, J. (2020). Enabling roles of relationship governance mechanisms in the choice of inter-firm conflict resolution strategies. Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing, 35(6), 957–969.
Sinha, R., Janardhanan, N. S., Greer, L. L., Conlon, D. E., & Edwards, J. R. (2016). Skewed task conflicts in teams: What happens when a few members see more conflict than the rest? Journal of Applied Psychology, 101(7), 1045–1055.
Skarmeas, D. (2006). The role of functional conflict in international buyer–seller relationships: Implications for industrial exporters. Industrial Marketing Management, 35(5), 567–575.
Strutton, D., Pelton, L. E., & Lumpkin, J. R. (1993). The influence of psychological climate on conflict resolution strategies in franchise relationships. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 21(3), 207–215.
Tangpong, C., Hung, K.-T., & Ro, Y. K. (2010). The interaction effect of relational norms and agent cooperativeness on opportunism in buyer–supplier relationships. Journal of Operations Management, 28(5), 398–414.
Weiss, H. M., & Adler, S. (1984). Personality and organizational behavior. Research in Organizational Behavior, 6, 1–50.
You, J., Chen, Y., Hua, Y., & Wang, W. (2019). The efficacy of contractual governance on task and relationship conflict in inter-organisational transactions. International Journal of Conflict Management, 30(1), 65–86.
Zhang, Z., & Zhang, M. (2013). Guanxi, communication, power, and conflict in industrial buyer-seller relationships: Mitigations against the cultural background of harmony in China. Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing, 20(2), 99–117.
Zhu, Q., & Sarkis, J. (2007). The moderating effects of institutional pressures on emergent green supply chain practices and performance. International Journal of Production Research, 45(18–19), 4333–4355.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Bouazzaoui, M., Squire, B., Lewis, M.A., Roehrich, J.K. (2022). Conflict in Supply Chain Relationships: A Review, Conceptualization, and Future Research Agenda. In: Sarkis, J. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Supply Chain Management. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-89822-9_99-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-89822-9_99-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-89822-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-89822-9
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Business and ManagementReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences