Partnering Pitfalls and Success Factors

Over the past several years, there has been a significant shift in the way many organizations approach buyer‐seller relationships. Recent years have seen an increased interest and involvement in buyer‐supplier partnerships, which tend to be longer term, ongoing, and based on a sharing of the risks of relationship outcomes. Most of the research dealing with the partnering phenomenon has focused on buyers’ or suppliers’ perspectives of the relationship. Few research projects have looked at the perceptions of both buyers and suppliers simultaneously. This article, based on a Center for Advanced Purchasing Studies (CAPS) focus study, looks simultaneously at the perceptions of both buyers and suppliers who mutually agree that they are involved in a partnership. It explores the impetus for entering the partnership, as well as the key success factors and factors contributing to failure in previous partnering relationships. It provides useful insights into the similarities and differences in buyers’ and suppliers’ perceptions, and compares the study's findings with those of previous research studies.