| Creators: |
Zlatanou, Filoumena and Dickert, Stephan and Henneberg, Stephan C. |
| Title: |
Let’s Be Emotional! Experimental Evidence for an Alternative Mediation Logic of Emotions in Business Relationships |
| Item Type: |
Article or issue of a publication series |
| Journal or Series Title: |
Industrial Marketing Management |
| Page Range: |
pp. 246-263 |
| Paper No. / Type of Paper: |
/ Research Article |
| Date: |
January 2026 |
| Divisions: |
Wirtschaftswissenschaften |
| Abstract (ENG): |
This study conceptualizes and provides experimental evidence for the mediating role of emotions in business relationships. Drawing on Relational Norm Theory, we explore how (positive, negative) emotional responses to the (non)fulfillment of relational norms influence trust as a key characteristic of business relationships. We employ a thematic analysis of the literature, augmented by sensitizing interviews with boundary spanners (i.e., organizational representatives that manage interactions in business relationships) from buying and selling firms, to develop a conceptual dual-pathway model, and an experimental design for causal testing. Our results suggest that emotions of positive and negative valence partially mediate the relationship between relational norm fulfillment and trust, in extension to the established mediation models of business relationships in the literature. While positive and negative emotions do not differ in their degree of influencing trust outcomes, relational performance norm (non)fulfillment was found to generate stronger emotional reactions than that of relational interaction norms. Our research contributes to a more nuanced understanding of business relationships by integrating an alternative explanatory mechanism complementing structural and attitudinal mechanisms, operating on the level of boundary spanners within established models. Way markers for novel research avenues are proposed, and practical insights for managers in interorganizational contexts are derived. |
| Forthcoming: |
No |
| Language: |
English |
| Citation: |
Zlatanou, Filoumena and Dickert, Stephan and Henneberg, Stephan C.
(2026)
Let’s Be Emotional! Experimental Evidence for an Alternative Mediation Logic of Emotions in Business Relationships.
Industrial Marketing Management, 132, Paper / Research Article.
pp. 246-263.
ISSN 1873-2062
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