Inter-organizational governance: a review, conceptualisation and extension

Abstract

Although the concepts of relational and contractual governance in inter-organizational relationships have attracted academic and practitioner interest over the last decades, to date there have been limited comprehensive and systematic efforts to review, analyse and synthesise extant literature. We review and analyse 1,415 publications identified from a wide range of management disciplines and journals from 1990 to 2018. We deploy bibliographic and content analyses to offer a comprehensive literature analyses and synthesis and subsequently develop and position a multidimensional framework of exchange governance. The proposed framework covers existing conceptualisations of exchange governance and its diverse mechanisms, environmental dimensions influencing the use of exchange governance mechanisms and performance implications. We uncover areas that are currently under-studied and draw out fruitful future research avenues.

Dynamic interplay between contractual and relational governance: An empirical study in Australian healthcare outsourcing

“…Although the lack of longitudinal studies as previously identified by Roehrich et al. (2020) is found to be present in this research genre, a rare and promising conceptualization of the dynamic interplay between contractual and relational governance from a longitudinal perspective by Huber et al. (2011) has been largely neglected.…”

“…However, effective application of a mix of contractual and relational governance mechanisms in governing inter‐organizational relationships has been challenged by the equivocal nature of the interplay between contractual and relational governance (Roehrich et al., 2020; Zheng, Roehrich, & Lewis, 2008). The governance challenge is potentially bigger in public contracting contexts which are characterized by enhanced complexity (Vincent‐Jones, 2007).…”

“…Second, we aim to offset the lack of longitudinal study in the field as identified by Roehrich et al. (2020) in their meta‐analysis of 1,415 published papers between 1990 and 2018 on the topics of contractual and relational governance. Furthermore, the trend of backsourcing has been observed in Australian healthcare when by 2009, approximately 30% of the Australian healthcare providers had returned to internal provision an activity/service that they had outsourced (Macinati & Young, 2009).…”

Reconciling and reconceptualising servitization research: drawing on modularity, platforms, ecosystems, risk and governance to develop mid-range theory

“…Theme III adds clarity to understand how platforms for servitization are delivered, and explores the crucial role of ecosystems (Gawer and Cusumano, 2013;Kohtamäki, et al, 2019). Then, themes IV and V synthesise prior research on how the various relationships between firms are governed in ecosystems both to manage risks through governance mechanisms and to coordinate tasks and activities (Roehrich, et al, 2020). These are important, yet underexplored, areas of research for servitization, as firms need to manage risks and coordinate tasks of ecosystem members.…”

How relational contract theory influence management strategies and project outcomes: a systematic literature review

“…One is relational governance which governs relationships using conditions such as trust, open communication, information sharing and cooperation in a way that enhances the working relationship between parties (Ning and Ling 2014). The second is contractual governance, where the formal terms of a contract are the mechanisms that determine how decisions are made (Roehrich et al 2020).…”