Abstract
In today’s rapidly evolving digital and social media dominated world, traditional marketing approaches are becoming obsolete. Companies are trying to alter the workplace into a vibrant one that enhances the talent of the people and to manage complex relationships inside and outside the organization. The following paper illustrates the complexity of relationships that companies have to handle. It is argued that the embeddedness of relationships plays a crucial role, notably in the business-to-business (B2B) relationship and that finding common ground is pivotal. The nature of the research methodology adopted for this study is primarily quantitative. All analyses are based on secondary data obtained through books, articles, and publications. The findings of the research indicate that the B2B relationship is a complex and multi-layered subject. Furthermore, for conflict resolution, taking into consideration the cultural differences in the decision-making process is fundamental. The presented study is exploratory in nature and therefore cannot be generalized for the general public. The findings are important for managers and entrepreneurs who need to be aware of the complexity of the business-to-business context. Although the nature of the study is exploratory, the study is original because it highlights some vital aspects upon which managers can reflect and dwell on.
Highlights
In the face of the rapid pace of change, an organization should mobilize knowledge and technological skills, as well as be able to generate new products, processes and services
Grayson argues that business relationships encourage an instrumental orientation and friendships encourage an intrinsic orientation, while Halpern expresses the idea that exchange between strangers may be characterized more as transactional exchanges, while between friends it may be seen as more relational [15,18]
Relationships are about time and behind every relationship there is a history, which makes it what it is for the present and sets the guidelines for the future, no matter whether the relationship is long or short term [12,5]
Summary
In the face of the rapid pace of change, an organization should mobilize knowledge and technological skills, as well as be able to generate new products, processes and services. Studies state that combining friendship and business in the same relationship can be beneficial, but that it can create conflict. The source of this conflict tends to be incompatible relational expectations. The source of conflict between business relationships and friendships is that the expectations of the former encourage an instrumental orientation whereas those of the latter encourage an exclusively intrinsic orientation [15]. Grayson argues that business relationships encourage an instrumental orientation and friendships encourage an intrinsic orientation, while Halpern expresses the idea that exchange between strangers may be characterized more as transactional exchanges, while between friends it may be seen as more relational [15,18]. The friendship script, illustrated by Halpern, consists of a common interpretation of the voluntary nature of the relationship, of how to sustain the friendship in the future, of how to keep the ‘liking’ associated with the relationship, and how to achieve equality, mutual self-disclosure, and future interactions [19]
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