Control mechanisms across a buyer–supplier relationship quality matrix

Abstract

This study develops a buyer–supplier RQ matrix and explores changes in the use of selected control mechanisms, including coercive power, non-coercive power, contracts, and relational norms, across this matrix. The results indicate, under four distinct contexts of RQ, that coercive power execution is relatively low and has no significant differences in different quadrants of the matrix; that contract execution is relatively high and likewise has no significant differences; and that execution of non-coercive power and relational norms increases as the level of RQ improves. These findings reveal the important roles of contracts, the limited roles of coercive power, and the changing roles of non-coercive power and relational norms, as displayed in four distinct contexts of RQ. They make new contributions to the buyer–supplier relationship management literature and provide insightful theoretical guidance for buyer–supplier relationship managerial practice.