Building an Holistic Representation of a Dyadic Business-to-Business Relationship

Network pictures are perceived as providing a picture of a company’s position within a network and as providing managers with a framework for strategic decision making. This exploratory paper set out to investigate the application of network pictures of individuals from two companies involved in a business relationship. More specifically between companies and between individuals, it examines the boundaries of the network pictures, the lines of communication, the perceived relationship atmosphere and the impact of environmental factors. Within the companies the individuals were found to have different network pictures which reflect their managerial level and function. We suggest that the boundaries of the individuals’ network pictures, their frequency of communication and perceptions of the relationship atmosphere systematically vary with their managerial level. Systematic variation occurred between the companies with regard to the perceived lines of communication and the relationship atmosphere.