The role of collaborative interorganizational relationships in supply chain risks: a systematic review using a social capital perspective

Purpose The purpose of this paper is systematically review, synthesize and critically evaluate the current research status on the role of collaborative interorganizational relationships (CIRs) in supply chain risks (SCRs) from a social capital perspective and provide an organizing lens for future scholarship in this area. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts a systematic literature review approach to investigate 126 articles from 27 peer-reviewed journals between 1995 and 2020. Findings This paper investigates supply chain CIRs using a social capital perspective to explain the role of structural, relational and cognitive capital that resides in these relationships in various SCRs (i.e. environmental, supply, manufacturing, demand, information, financial and transportation). The review reveals that the three social capital dimensions uniquely and both positively and negatively affect different SCRs. The findings further suggest that the perceived SCRs can influence the structural and relational capital. Practical implications This study calls for practitioners to consider the cognitive alignment with their supply network partners, their relational investments, as well as the interorganizational processes and systems in managing and alleviating SCRs. Originality/value This review offers a theoretical articulation of how various aspects of CIRs affect SCRs. Specifically, this study extends the existing understanding of the role of social capital in SCRs through offering a synthesis of dominant findings and discourses, and avenues for future research.