Tactics of Lateral Relationship: The Purchasing Agent

On the basis of field interviews and questionnaires from a sample of 142 purchasing agents in different firms, the author finds that the work behavior of the agents is strongly influenced by lateral negotiations. The relationship between the purchasing department and other departments in the organization, particularly engineering and scheduling, cannot be understood in terms of traditional, vertical supervisorsubordinate or line-staff concepts. Instead, the typical work-flow relationship involves much more than the giving of advice or the application of hierarchical authority. The ambitious purchasing agent skillfully uses formal and informal techniques in order to influence the terms of the requisitions that he receives. Thus he introduces a two-way work flow and in this way raises his own status. George Strauss is professor of business administration, University of California, Berkeley.