The role of relationship management in learning from supply chain partners: an empirical analysis of sectoral, regional and size effects

Abstract

Company capabilities such as agility, interoperability, flexibility, responsiveness, adaptability and cooperation are essential not only for the success of individual companies, but also for the efficiency and resilience of the entire supply chain. Developing such capabilities enables companies to respond more quickly to external and internal challenges while maintaining their competitiveness. At the supply chain level, these capabilities are particularly important as they ensure rapid adaptation to disruptions while minimising risks and maximising efficiency. Developing knowledge can be a key driver of competitiveness and in a supply chain management context the process of knowledge accumulation often includes informal channels and professional experience. Relationship management abilities are essential in maintaining successful cooperation within the supply chain and can also contribute to knowledge transfer across supply chain partners. The aim of this paper is to build a theoretical framework in which it can be examined whether more advanced relationship management abilities result in better knowledge transfer within the supply chain. The further aim of the study is to examine human aspects in supply chain management (SCM), emphasizing their significance and supplementing the existing literature. In our paper, knowledge transfer is associated with learning from supply chain partners. To test how the quality of relationships between supply chain partners influences the degree of mutual learning and cooperation, survey data with responses from 335 Hungarian medium sized and large firms are analysed. Empirical results reveal that relationship management abilities and learning from supply chain partners are positively associated, and the strength of this association also depends on the level of knowledge transfer: at relatively low or high knowledge transfer levels the positive effect of relationship management abilities on learning from supply chain partners was found weaker. These results provide several managerial implications and also highlight the importance of continuous efforts to improve business relationships within the supply chain.