Informal interorganizational business relationships, satisfaction, and firm performance: Case of Arab Maghreb countries

IF 2 Q3 MANAGEMENT

International Journal of Cross Cultural Management Pub Date : 2023-07-28 DOI:10.1177/14705958231191053

Saïd Toumi, Zhang Su

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Understanding how informal relationships such as Wasta operate in different cultures is necessary for multinationals to thrive. However, studies on the effect of such networks on multinationals' activities in Arab countries remain limited. The aim of this study is to examine the effect of informal inter-organizational business relationships on the satisfaction and performance of firms in Arab Maghreb countries. This research is based on a self-administered survey with 534 procurement managers from Morocco (n = 220), Algeria (n = 148) and Tunisia (n = 166). We used structural equations to test our hypotheses. The results showed that Wasta has almost the same effect on interorganizational relationship in the three Maghreb countries. Specifically, Mojamala (affection) does not influence the satisfaction of the B2B relationship within the three counties under study, while Hamola (reciprocity) and Somah (trust) positively influence this relationship. The analysis showed that the negative side of Somah has a negative influence on satisfaction only in Algeria. The results also showed that satisfaction positively influences the performance of Maghrebian B2B partners. These results show that the phenomenon of Wasta is rooted in the cultures of the Maghreb countries and underscore the need to conduct further studies to understand it and to raise awareness among multinationals that plan to do business with the local partners or those who are planning to relocate. Implications for IB, theory and policy are discussed together with the study’s limitations and suggestions for future research. Through this study, we contribute to the development of research on cross-culture management by showing the effect of Wasta as a cultural phenomenon on business relations in the Maghreb countries. Our research is the first to investigate the effect of the informal interorganizational relationship on the satisfaction and performance of B2B partners.

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非正式组织间业务关系、满意度与企业绩效:以阿拉伯马格里布国家为例

了解像Wasta这样的非正式关系在不同文化中是如何运作的，对于跨国公司的蓬勃发展是必要的。然而，关于此类网络对跨国公司在阿拉伯国家活动的影响的研究仍然有限。本研究的目的是检验非正式组织间商业关系对阿拉伯马格里布国家企业满意度和绩效的影响。这项研究基于对来自摩洛哥（n=220）、阿尔及利亚（n=148）和突尼斯（n=166）的534名采购经理的自我管理调查。我们用结构方程来检验我们的假设。结果表明，Wasta对马格里布三国组织间关系的影响几乎相同。具体而言，Mojamala（情感）不会影响所研究的三个县内B2B关系的满意度，而Hamola（互惠）和Somah（信任）对这种关系有积极影响。分析表明，只有在阿尔及利亚，Somah的负面影响才会对满意度产生负面影响。结果还表明，满意度对马格里布B2B合作伙伴的绩效有积极影响。这些结果表明，瓦斯塔现象植根于马格里布国家的文化，并强调需要进行进一步的研究来了解它，并提高计划与当地合作伙伴或计划搬迁的跨国公司的认识。讨论了对IB、理论和政策的启示，以及本研究的局限性和对未来研究的建议。通过这项研究，我们展示了瓦斯塔作为一种文化现象对马格里布国家商业关系的影响，从而为跨文化管理研究的发展做出了贡献。我们的研究首次调查了非正式组织间关系对B2B合作伙伴满意度和绩效的影响。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

International Journal of Cross Cultural Management MANAGEMENT-

CiteScore

3.50

自引率

12.50%

发文量

期刊介绍： The International Journal of Cross Cultural Management is an international peer reviewed journal that publishes the highest quality original research in cross cultural aspects of management, work and organization. The International Journal of Cross Cultural Management (IJCCM) aims to provide a specialized academic medium and main reference for the encouragement and dissemination of research on cross cultural aspects of management, work and organization. This includes both original qualitative and quantitative empirical work as well as theoretical and conceptual work which adds to the understanding of management across cultures.