Under “my way or the highway”! The weaker partner's synergy on collaborative performance in humanitarian relief when experiencing power tactics
International Journal of Operations & Production Management
ISSN: 0144-3577
Article publication date: 13 February 2023
Issue publication date: 29 May 2023
Abstract
Purpose
My way or the highway: A stronger partner in humanitarian relief collaboration often seeks control over its weaker partners by leveraging diverse power tactics that may be non-coercive or coercive in nature. In this backdrop, this research accentuates the perspective of weaker partners to understand how a weaker partner drives collaborative synergy under power tactics. Weaker partner in the collaborative dyad resembles the humanitarian organization (HO) who is less capable in terms of access to resources. This partner is further dependent on the stronger HO's directives to participate in the relief work.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on social exchange theory (SET), a collaborative dyad in humanitarian relief work is visualized from the perspectives of power and power disparity. In terms of power, mediated power tactics such as legal, coercive and reward powers are considered. Disparity recognizes the presence of a stronger and a weaker partner. Set also magnifies the insight on conflict and trust that can respectively hamper and improve the synergy between partners. In total, 295 executives representing self-reported weaker HOs are surveyed.
Findings
Legal power, as experienced by the weaker partner, bears a positive impact over collaborative performance to improve collaborative synergy. Coercive power shows a negative impact. Reward power again bears a positive impact. Coercion can complicate collaborative synergy by establishing conflicts. Yet, the trust of weaker partner on stronger HO positively moderates the negative impact of conflict over collaborative performance.
Originality/value
This research invokes the view of power disparity to explain synergy in inter-organizational collaboration from the perspective of weaker partners.
Keywords
Citation
Roy, V., Prakash, C. and Charan, P. (2023), "Under “my way or the highway”! The weaker partner's synergy on collaborative performance in humanitarian relief when experiencing power tactics", International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Vol. 43 No. 7, pp. 1148-1173. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOPM-12-2021-0749
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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