Title: Relational architecture and relational capability: organisational levers to support strategic supplier relationships

Authors: Gregory M. Magnan; Marc Day; Carola Hillenbrand; Stanley E. Fawcett

Addresses: Albers School of Business and Economics, Seattle University, 901 12th Avenue, Seattle, WA, 98122, USA ' Henley Business School, University of Reading, Greenlands, Henley-on-Thames, RG9 3AU, UK ' Henley Business School, University of Reading, Greenlands, Henley-on-Thames, RG9 3AU, UK ' Goddard School of Business and Economics, Weber State University, Ogden, UT, 84408, USA

Abstract: The resource-based view of strategy suggests that competitiveness in part derives from a firm's ability to collaborate with a subset of its supply network to co-create highly valued products and services. This relational capability relies on a foundational intra and inter-organisational architecture, the manifestation of strategic, people and process decisions facilitating the interface between the firm and its strategic suppliers. Using covariance-based structural equation modelling we examine the relationships between internal and external features of relational architecture and their relationship with relational capability and relational quality. This is undertaken on data collected by mail survey. We find significant relationships between both internal and external relational architecture and relational capability and between relational capability and relational quality. Novel constructs for internal and external elements of relational architecture are specified to demonstrate their positive influence on relational capability and relationship quality.

Keywords: relational architecture; relational capability; relationship quality; strategic suppliers; social network theory; strategic supplier relationships; strategic relationships; resource-based view; RBV; supply chain management; SCM; covariance; structural equation modelling; SEM.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPM.2017.083456

International Journal of Procurement Management, 2017 Vol.10 No.3, pp.267 - 289

Received: 30 Oct 2015
Accepted: 31 Jan 2016
Published online: 31 Mar 2017 *

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