Opportunism, governance structure and relational norms: An interactive perspective

Opportunism in inter-firm partnership has intrigued scholars and managers, and existing research has identified several governance structural dimensions as antecedents of opportunism. However, most have looked at these one by one. This study examines the effects of interactions between the dimensions of bureaucratic structure (formalization and participation) and relational norms (solidarity, role integrity, and mutuality) on opportunism among channel members. The results indicate that the interaction between formalization and solidarity enhances opportunism, while interaction between formalization and role integrity reduces opportunism. On the other hand, while the interaction between participation and solidarity reduces opportunism, participation's interaction with role integrity and mutuality seems to enhance opportunism. The implications of these findings are discussed in detail in the study.