Habitual Path Dependence of Interorganizational Relationships—A Response to Sydow

In “Path Dependence and the Roots of Interorganizational Relationship Challenges,” recently published by PPMG, we suggested the utility of path dependency theory in unpacking the developmental dynamics that may feed into contemporary problems of management and governance. Professor Jörg Sydow was moved to submit commentary on our article; we respond to his thoughtful comments in this essay.

Changes in Relationship Commitment Across the Transition to Parenthood: Pre-pregnancy Happiness as a Protective Resource

The transition to parenthood is both a joyous and a challenging event in a relationship. Studies to date have found mostly negative effects of the birth of the first child on the parental relationship. We propose that partners' pre-pregnancy individual happiness may serve as a buffer against these negative effects. We predicted that parents who are happy prior to pregnancy fare better in terms of relationship commitment after childbirth than unhappy parents. To test our prediction, we used data of a 5-wave longitudinal study among 109 Dutch newlywed couples who had their first child during the study and a comparison group of 55 couples who remained childless. We found that the relationship commitment of fathers with higher pre-pregnancy happiness and fathers with a partner with higher pre-pregnancy happiness increased slightly in the years after childbirth, whereas the relationship commitment of fathers with lower pre-pregnancy happiness and fathers with a partner with lower pre-pregnancy happiness decreased. In addition, the relationship commitment of mothers with a happier partner prior to pregnancy decreased only slightly across the transition to parenthood but showed a steeper decline for mothers with a partner with average or lower pre-pregnancy happiness. In line with the idea that happiness acts as a resource when partners have to deal with relationship challenges, individual happiness predicted changes in relationship commitment for parents, but not for partners who remained childless.

Interdependence analysis of supplier relationship challenges in the South African automotive industry

Purpose The South African automotive industry, which is the most significant sector in the South African economy, needs to function efficiently to compete globally. The purpose of this paper is to report on a study that investigated the challenges faced by the South African automotive component manufacturers and their suppliers and provide a structure and identify the dependencies between these challenges. Design/methodology/approach Interpretive structural modelling (ISM) was adopted to explore the supplier relationship challenges and the dynamics and interlinkages between these challenges. ISM was deemed appropriate, as it is a multi-criterion decision-making technique suited for complex problems and provides an ordered, directional framework. Findings The findings revealed that advanced communication, rapid change in demand and dependence on a single customer are independent problems but have a lesser feedback loop and do not create instability by ripple effect. Interdependencies, on the other hand, create lesser ripples when tackled. Research limitations/implications Findings of this study will be able to guide all the stakeholders: the policymakers and the automotive industry players to target the driving issue which can bring efficiency in the South African automotive supply chain. If the automotive components manufacturers (ACMs) are able to have more than one customer, their reliance on one will decrease and the systems will improve which shall benefit the industry. This methodology can also be used in future for determining the roadmap for complex issues. Originality/value The framework presented in this paper provides decision makers with a realistic picture of their situation by providing insight into the interrelationships, ranking them by importance and aiding in creating a roadmap for addressing identified challenges.

Gender, love, and sex: Using duoethnography to research gender and sexuality minority experiences of transgender relationships

This article uses a duoethnographic approach to explore the intersection of lesbian and queer sexualities and transgender identities in intimate relationships. By comparing experiences of gender and sexual identity negotiation within transgender relationships, the authors document how sexual identity borders are traversed, and how gender is negotiated and interrogated in and through these relationships. We argue that our differential experiences of ‘queer’ as an identity, our relationship challenges and how we express/relate to gender are heavily shaped by feminist politics, and how social interactions are gendered.