Sway and obey: power bases, compliance and satisfaction in B2B relationships

Purpose This study aims to examine how coercive, legitimate, expert, referent and reward power shape compliance, satisfaction and collaboration in innovation-intensive semiconductor B2B dyads. The authors map bilateral power-pairings and develop a dyadic power-pairing viability (DPPV) framework explaining which pairings persist without sustained satisfaction loss and why others do not. Design/methodology/approach This study used qualitative multiple-case study of 22 Dutch customer–supplier dyads. The authors code each side’s use of the five power bases, derive pairings, link them to outcomes and use cross-case pattern matching and negative-case analysis to elaborate DPPV and derive testable propositions. Findings Only 9/25 theoretical pairings appear; the dominant configuration is Customer-Legitimate, Supplier-Expert. Coercive buys short-term compliance but depresses satisfaction. Expert and referent underpin durable collaboration when aligned to partner needs. Legitimate coordinates under clear roles. Reward works when value and fairness are credible. Viability is shaped by IP risk, time-to-market pressure and capability asymmetries. Research limitations/implications Single sector, The Netherlands; qualitative design limits generalizability. Future work should test DPPV quantitatively/longitudinally, probe boundary conditions across sectors/cultures and model dynamic switching between pairings under shocks. Practical implications This study avoids prolonged coercive use, aligns expert/referent to the locus of capability, uses legitimate with explicit roles/decision rights, applies reward with transparent value sharing, combines bases across the dyad (e. g. Customer-Legitimate, Supplier-Expert) and mitigates IP exposure, speed pressures and asymmetries. Originality/value This study introduces a dyadic, configuration-level view of power (DPPV) that explains observed vs absent power-pairings, links them to compliance-satisfaction trade-offs and tailors power use to semiconductor contexts, extending power-base theory to high-tech B2B governance.