New Publication in the Industrial Marketing Management Journal

Conscientious enterprises: The role of decision makers‘ social identity and the preference to engage in B2B relationships

What is the contribution all about?

Solving global challenges such as the climate crisis requires joint efforts which can be enabled and guided by B2B relationships. B2B literature describes how similarity and proximity create a basis for success in B2B relationships due to organizational compatibility and strategic fit.However, only little is known about decision makers‘ tendencies to form B2B relationships. In an effort to understand the preferences of decision makers, we draw on social identity theory. Our results from a sample of 413 European decision makers demonstrate how the preference for B2B relationships is driven by an individual’s social identity style. Contrary to social identity theory, relationships between “same- or similar others” are not preferred. Rather, differing individual social identity styles, i.e., Missionaries and Darwinians, have the preference to form B2B relationships. Our study delivers a nuanced perspective of the microfoundations in B2B relationships, and how individual social identity styles trigger the preference to engage in B2B relations.

Check this out for more:    Publication IMM