Interdependence and Trust in Business Relationships Development: the Differences of Lithuanian Professional Services Providers’ and Clients’ Approaches

Abstract

Professional service providers and clients are related by mutual interdependence and have to undertake obligations to nurture trust based relationship. Business relationship as interdependence and trust are dynamic and fluctuate depending on business situations. Theory of interdependence and trust transformation of business relationship transformation analysis are presented in the article. Lithuanian professional services providers’ companies and clients’ empirical study, which aim is to compare these two respondent groups attitude to interdependence and trust, outcome is presented. Professional service providers and clients prevailing attitude in business relationship is interdependence or dependence. According to service providers, in relationship with clients they indicate interdependence and dependence, clients indicate more dependence. Professional service providers’ dependence on clients more often gains market and economical dimensions; clients’ dependence on providers is gaining legal and knowledge dimensions. Both groups respondents’ evaluation is similar, in business relationship engaging and aligning stages maintains cognition-based trust, and differs in assessing trust type in deepening stage: professional service providers in this stage indicate knowledge-based trust; clients indicate not only competence-based but also process trust. Knowledge determines professional service provider and client trust; as interdependence becomes dependence dealing, it should help to accept suitable management decisions and set up measures, enabling effective cooperation setting.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ee.24.2.3573