From coercion to commitment: a process model on forging a committed core in a buyer–supplier partnership

Purpose This study investigates the dynamic process by which an inter-organizational relationship, initially triggered by coercive power, transforms into a committed partnership. It specifically examines how the relationship survives the withdrawal of external incentives. Design/methodology/approach Adopting a process theory perspective, we employed a longitudinal single case study of a buyer-supplier safety initiative, the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH Family), in a state-owned enterprise. Data collected over 28 months, including in-depth interviews, non-participant observation, and archival records, were analyzed using process tracing to identify causal mechanisms. Findings The analysis reveals a three-stage evolutionary model: (1) Power-Driven Compulsory Compliance, (2) Platform-Incubated Learning and Trust-Building, and (3) Crisis-Catalyzed Relational Transformation. Crucially, the study finds that an external crisis acted as a “sorting mechanism,” distinguishing partners who had internalized shared values from those who merely complied, forging a committed core. Originality/value Relative to the IMP tradition and process studies of inter-organizational relationships that emphasize gradual, interaction-driven evolution, this study uncovers a crisis-triggered, non-linear pathway through which a coercion-initiated partnership survives the withdrawal of external incentives by fracturing into a committed core and a more skeptical periphery. Building on but extending prior work on power, crisis, learning, and trust, the study uses process tracing to unpack how coercive power, a deliberately designed inter-organizational learning platform, and an external shock are sequentially coupled into a mechanism that transforms superficial compliance into double-loop learning and value internalization. Furthermore, it advances research on relational value by proposing the Return on Partnership Investment (ROPI) framework, which operationalizes partnership benefits as distinct relational dividends – Resilience, Innovation, and Governance – rather than a single, aggregate performance outcome.