A new paradigm for customer and supplier relationships

As boundaries between companies blur, the traditional assumptions that have guided relationships between suppliers and customers for much of the past century may need to be recrafted. This article examines these old assumptions and their limitations and suggests a new set of assumptions—a new paradigm—to guide companies towards greater competitiveness in the boundaryless world of the '90s and beyond. The Human Resource function can play a leadership role in the transformation to this new paradigm—using four strategies that are outlined here.