Trust in buyer-seller relationships: the challenge of environmental (green) adaptation

Purpose - The paper aims to describe and develop the constructs of trust and adaptation in supplier-customer relationships when associated with environmental (green) issues. Design/methodology/approach - The study is based on empirical data obtained from the perspective of both supplier and customer companies involved in dyadic exchange relationships, using qualitative methods of data collection and analysis. Findings - The paper uses an environmental context to show that, while having the potential to contribute to trust in dyadic relationships, adaptation can also undermine the trust that already exists between supplier and customer companies. Research limitations/implications - The findings are derived from two instances of successful environmental adaptation, one that resulted in failure and two that were ongoing. Both of the completed projects demonstrated little apparent difficulty, while the ongoing projects featured some conflict and frustration. These differences could be explained by the tendency to rationalise events after they have occurred, eliminating the "messiness" that is inherent in dealing with collaborative efforts that involve some risk and conflicting interests. Future empirical work could perform action research in which efforts to adapt are directly observed and are discussed both during and after attempts to bring about change. Practical implications - The paper provides recommendations of how environmental adaptations can be realised successfully even though changes might challenge the basis of an existing relationship and the trust that might already exist within it. These recommendations might equally be used to guide other forms of adaptation. Originality/value - The paper broadens understanding of trust and adaptation by looking at a management issue that is of growing importance in supplier-customer relationships, namely the environmental impact of business activities.