Service supply chain integration: the role of interpersonal relationships

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of interpersonal relationships (IPRs) in service supply chain integration (SSCI) in terms of strategic alliance, information integration, and process integration. Design/methodology/approach The research employs an exploratory/investigational approach to multiple case studies and empirically investigates effects of IPRs in SSCI. The data were mainly collected through semi-structured interviews with senior management staff from four service companies and their suppliers or customers in New Zealand. Archival data from the Internet and company documentations were also applied. Findings The authors find that three dimensions of IPRs influence SSCI in different ways. The effect of IPRs on SSCI is indirect: personal affection acts as an initiator, and personal credibility works as a “gate-keeper” and strengthens the confidence of interactive partners, while personal communication, a facilitator, plays a more important role in SSCI than personal affection and credibility. Practical implications The research provides managers in service supply chains the awareness of the importance of IPRs, as well as the characteristics of IPRs, in order to best utilize available resources. Managers should synergize all three dimensions of IPRs’ resources: make efforts to cultivate personal affection to avoid the instinctive isolation modern technology brings; attempt to accumulate positive personal credibility profiles; focus more on the role of personal communication and retain physical contact in SSCI processes. Originality/value This study contributes to SSCI literature by extending from the inter-organizational relationships (IORs) to interpersonal level relationships to explore the inner influence mechanism. Also, it explores the role of IPRs on all three dimensions of SSCI simultaneously rather than individual dimensions independently. Finally, it contributes to resource orchestration theory (ROT) by synthesizing three dimensions of IPRs resources, and IORs resources in order to achieve capabilities of SSCI. The study develops the individual-level research in supply chain integration (SCI) to a further depth.