Wearing many hats: Supply managersʹ behavioral complexity and its impact on supplier relationships

Applying concepts from the behavioral complexity literature (Ashby, 1952; Denison et al., 1995) we examine if supply managersʹ multiple roles (behavioral repertoire) and the ability to shift among these roles (behavioral differentiation) are related to their interpersonal relationships with account executives of key suppliers. A series of interviews identified four roles that are enacted when managing supplier relationships: negotiator, facilitator, supplierʹs advocate, and educator. Survey data were gathered from 70 matched pairs of supply managers and key suppliersʹ account executives. Results show that a broader behavioral repertoire is positively related to interpersonal relationship quality but behavioral differentiation is negatively related to interpersonal relationship quality.