Termination of personal relationship and their effects on knowledge sharing in supply chains

Abstract

The existence of strong personal relationships (friendship, etc.) has been the subject of much research in the supply chain knowledge management literature. Many researchers have argued that such relationships have a positive impact on knowledge sharing across the supply chain. However, it is important to acknowledge that the termination of a personal relationship may well adversely affect the knowledge transfer process between the supply chain member firms. This study addresses the impact of the termination of personal relationships within the supply chain. An exploratory study was employed via semi‐structured interviews with 20 senior managers from 10 different companies based in the United Arab Emirates. The findings reveal five distinct factors that adversely affect knowledge transfer between the managers of buying and supplying firms, once their personal relationships are terminated. These factors further result in inferior knowledge transfer between the partnering firms.