The Power of Behavioral Antecedents in Predicting Supply Chain Performance of Crop Seed Enterprises

This study examined whether opportunistic behavior, supply chain collaboration, social bonds (supply chain socialization) and human resource practices predict supply chain performance, measured as quality, response time, productivity and financial/cost performance, in crop seed enterprises in Kenya. Guided by social exchange and systems theories, a quantitative survey was conducted of 143 crop seed enterprises registered in Kenya as of 2024. Data were collected from supply chain heads, operations officers or their equivalents in public and private seed companies and analyzed using structural equation modeling, with each driver tested in a separate prediction model. Each hypothesis was partially supported, with one performance dimension significantly related to each driver. Opportunistic behavior significantly lowered quality (b = ?0.40, p = .036). Supply chain collaboration (b = 0.225, p = .040) and human resource practices (b = 0.225, p = .033) were positively associated with productivity, while social bonds were associated with shorter response times (b = ?1.024, p = .034). No driver significantly predicted financial/cost performance at the .05 level. Crop seed enterprises should curb opportunism through clear contracts and quality verification, invest in collaboration and human resource practices to raise productivity, and build partner socialization to improve speed, with support from seed associations like Seed Trade Association of Kenya (STAK) and regulators like Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS). The study contributes to behavioral prediction models of multidimensional supply chain performance in an under-researched agricultural input sector.