Purpose

This study aims to investigate how companies’ understanding of the business network influences the creation of value in business-to-business relationships. The authors do this by analysing dimensions in actors’ “network pictures” and illustrating how value perception and network understanding influence actors’ mutual effort to create value. Approaching relationship value from the point of actors’ cognitive understanding of their business network has so far been largely overlooked in relationship value research.

Design/methodology/approach

This study applies a qualitative case study methodology whereby dyadic data from a well-established business-to-business relationship is collected from 18 company representatives through personal interviews and group interviews supplemented by participant observations and company data.

Findings

The findings contribute with new insight into how companies’ understanding of their surrounding network influence (facilitates or limits) relationship value creation. The authors find that companies continuously reflect on changes in their networks and the related changes in partners’ value perceptions. Through value articulations, companies seek to explicitly express their value perception. Value reflections and value articulations create a dynamic process formed not only by the individual actor but also through their relationship and engagement in their network environment. This requires companies to develop their networking capabilities.

Research limitations/implications

This paper presents findings, insights and contributions limited to a case study of a particular business relationship within an industrial setting. Although the findings and contributions are valid and in line with the criteria for rigorous qualitative research, the authors advocate and call for additional studies that investigate relationships value creation and address the interplay between actors’ network understanding and their actions and behaviour. One way to approach this would be to test the four propositions derived and presented as part of the present study.

Practical implications

The findings imply that management needs to be aware not only of the value created and delivered to a specific partner but also of how the partner’s understanding of the wider network will influence the value delivering and capturing process.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the growing literature on relationship value creation by outlining a dynamic process where relationship partners reflect upon and articulate value. Such activities are influenced by the partners’ network understanding and form the basis of the mutual relationship value creation effort. The findings also contribute to the network pictures literature by emphasizing insights into the formation of value perceptions through actors’ understanding of their surrounding networks.

中文翻译：

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网络理解对商业关系价值创造的影响

目的

本研究旨在调查公司对业务网络的理解如何影响企业对企业关系中价值的创造。作者通过分析行动者“网络图片”的维度并说明价值感知和网络理解如何影响行动者创造价值的共同努力来做到这一点。迄今为止，在关系价值研究中，从参与者对其业务网络的认知理解的角度来探讨关系价值在很大程度上被忽视了。

设计/方法论/途径

本研究采用定性案例研究方法，通过个人访谈和小组访谈，并辅以参与者观察和公司数据，从 18 家公司代表处收集了来自完善的企业对企业关系的二元数据。

发现

这些发现为企业对其周围网络的理解如何影响（促进或限制）关系价值创造提供了新的见解。作者发现，公司不断反思其网络的变化以及合作伙伴价值观念的相关变化。通过价值表达，公司寻求明确表达他们的价值观念。价值反思和价值表达创造了一个动态过程，不仅由个体参与者形成，而且还通过他们在网络环境中的关系和参与形成。这需要企业发展自己的网络能力。

研究局限性/影响

本文介绍的发现、见解和贡献仅限于工业环境中特定业务关系的案例研究。尽管研究结果和贡献是有效的，并且符合严格定性研究的标准，但作者主张并呼吁进行更多研究，调查关系价值创造并解决参与者的网络理解与其行动和行为之间的相互作用。解决这个问题的一种方法是测试作为本研究的一部分得出和提出的四个命题。

实际影响

研究结果表明，管理层不仅需要了解为特定合作伙伴创造和交付的价值，还需要了解合作伙伴对更广泛网络的理解将如何影响价值交付和获取过程。

原创性/价值

这项研究概述了关系伙伴反思和表达价值的动态过程，为日益增长的关系价值创造文献做出了贡献。此类活动受到合作伙伴网络理解的影响，并构成相互关系价值创造努力的基础。研究结果还强调通过参与者对其周围网络的理解来洞察价值观念的形成，从而对网络图片文献做出贡献。