Intimacy, Passion, and Commitment in Supply Chain Relationships: Examining the Triangular Theory of Love

Abstract

Purpose - This study empirically analyzes the impact of intimacy, passion, and commitment on information sharing and logistics performance within inter-company relationships in the supply chain.
 Design/Methodology/Approach - We adopted the triangular theory of love and established a research model on the assumption that these elements of human relationships—intimacy, passion, and commitment—lead to information sharing and improved logistics performance. To examine their correlations, a survey was administered among professionals in supply chain-related departments in South Korea. Subsequently, we tested hypotheses through structural equation modeling using SPSS 18.0 and AMOS 18.0.
 Findings - We found that all the components of the triangular theory of love—intimacy, passion, and commitment—significantly positively impacted information sharing. Moreover, we confirmed that information sharing significantly positively impacts logistics performance, which can represent supply chain performance.
 Research Implications - Based on these results, the following conclusions can be drawn: To form new business relationships and measure performance, fundamental human relationships between supply chain participants are crucial, as is the development of tools to quantitatively measure these relationships. For quantitative performance, information sharing based on human relationships is necessary. Therefore, as qualitative relationships and quantitative performance are increasing proportionally, supply chain participants must recognize their importance.