The role of long-term inter-organizational relationships in project business

摘要

This paper addresses the development and benefits of long-term inter-organizational relationships (IORs) through the delivery of complex projects in a business-to-business context. We discuss the processual nature of IOR development and how the potential benefits of IORs may manifest in actual project deliveries. Our review of extant literature suggests that the active development of IORs may result in significant functional and relational benefits for organizations taking part in project deliveries. The development and benefits of long-term IORs are studied through the longitudinal analysis of two empirical cases where a project supplier has managed to enter a new market and build long-term IORs to two of its major customers and several other actors in the milieu within a time span of a decade.