Value Co-Creation in Industrial Buyer-Seller Partnerships ... - Doria

how by which the Buyer has been able to strengthen the organization technically.”(Interview: Buyer 12)6.10.2 The importance of personal relationshipsThe importance of good, working personal relationships has been a common subject area inthe interviews, brought up by the interviewees – how much easier it is to do business ifrelationships work.“ I would say that things fall into place only if one has working personal relationships.Nobody would buy anything from anyone who one hates, or buy anything importantfrom someone who one doesn’t trust, someone who one doesn’t know.” (Interview:Seller 1)Personal relationships were seen as a prerequisite for creating monetary value.” It (good personal relationship) is a prerequisite for creating monetary value… aprerequisite it is. I would say that bonds and trusting is much in relation to the valueof what you are buying. Trustworthiness… the higher the value is, the more durablethe bonds have to be. If you go to the market to buy fish, you might buy it fromsomeone who doesn’t look that tidy or who is a bit drunk. In general you don’t… yourcriteria are not that high, as long as it looks like a normal human being that doesn’ thave six arms and four legs. It is related to the risk-taking when you buy, the value ithas for you.” (Interview: Seller 1)6.10.3 The sharing of a common cultural backgroundThe fact that many of the people interacting in the interface between the two companiesshare a common cultural background is also of importance for smoothness ofcommunication and interaction. There will be no lengthy discussion here on culture and itsimpact on interaction, but the impact of sharing a common culture and the difficulties ofintercultural communication has been brought up in previous studies.Six persons out of the 12, who are listed in the figure in Chapter 4 depicting the customerinterface on the Buyer’ s side, share the same nationality, as well as four out of the six listedon the Seller side. It should also be noted that Mr BR9 and Mr SR1&2 share the samecultural background of belonging to a linguistic and cultural minority in their own country132