Demographic homophily, communication and trust in intra-organizational business relationships
Ahlf, H., Horak, S., Klein, A. and Yoon, S. (2019). Demographic homophily,
communication and trust in intra-organizational business relationships. Journal
of Business & Industrial Marketing, Vol. 34 No. 2, pp. 474-487.
DOI: 10.1108/JBIM-03-2018-0093
Link: https://doi.org/10.1108/JBIM-03-2018-0093
Abstract
In this research, we study the effect of demographic homophily, interpersonal
communication, and trust on perceived relationship quality between co-workers
and their commitment to each other in an intra-organizational
business-to-business setting. Using theories on business relationships and
interpersonal communication, we discover that demographic homophily and
communication are necessary prerequisites, whereas trust is the main driver for
perceived relationship quality and commitment in business relationships. Unlike
common thinking,
demographic homophily does not directly increase the perceived relationship
quality. We find a significant direct effect of communication on relationship
commitment, but no effect of commitment on perceived relationship quality. Both
seem to play independent roles but are positively influenced through the
emergence of trust. We analyze a sample of employees from South Korea, a country
where Confucian values are pronounced: thus demographic homophily is appreciated
and hierarchical corporate structures are omnipresent. Our results contribute to
the knowledge and nature of interpersonal bonding and help companies to
establish long-term
business relationships.
Keywords
business relationships, relationship quality, relationship commitment, trust,
demographic homophily, interpersonal communication, South Korea