A Tale of Two Partnerships: Socialization in the Development of Buyer-Supplier Relationships‪.‬

INTRODUCTION Companies are increasingly developing collaborative relationships. Dyer and Hatch (2006) have shown the kind of competitive advantage that can be created by looking at the relationships between Toyota and its network of suppliers. Other large companies, such as Microsoft, IBM, Lockheed Martin and Boeing, have, according to their websites, preferred supplier programs to enhance learning in the computer and aerospace industries. Ulaga and Eggert (2006) found that supplier support services and personal interaction between buyers and suppliers are core differentiators in key supplier relationships, and Storey, Emberson and Reade (2005) underline that collaborative relationships require constant nurturing. These studies are part of a rich literature on collaborative buyer-supplier relationships. The part that commitment (e.g., Morgan and Hunt 1994), communication (e.g., Mohr and Spekman 1994), dependency (e.g., Gulati and Sytch 2007), and trust ( e.g., Doney and Cannon 1997) play in such relationships has also received considerable attention in research on interorganizational relationships. The central role of factors like these has also been found in studies focusing on the management and development of buyer-supplier relationships ( e. g., Spina and Zotteri 2000; Zirpoli and Ca-puto 2002; Fynes, Voss and De Burca 2005a, b; Coffin, Lemke and Szwejczewski 2006; Griffith, Harvey and Lusch 2006 ). Cousins and Menguc (2006) and Cousins, Handheld, Lawson and Petersen (2006) introduced the concept of socialization to the buyer-supplier relationship literature. The concept has its roots in the organizational behavior literature where it originally referred to a process by which employees are integrated into the organization for which they work (e. g., Van Maanen and Schein 1979; Feldman 1981). Cousins and colleagues apply the term to the process of interaction and communication between individuals of different organizations in building improved business relationships.