Implementing relationship strategy

The domain of interest, while investigating inter-organizational relationsh ips, has been the boundary function of marketing and purchasing. Understand ing the effect of proper cultural orientation of the critical value creatin g functions within the organizational on the successful implementation of r elationship marketing strategy often encounter skepticism within the organi zation from the functional managers. In pursuing a relationship paradigm, t he old ways of adversarial exchanges need to give way to the new way of doi ng business that is built on trust and commitment. The functional departmen ts need to believe in relationships as a way of doing business. This resear ch explores the impact of the internal attitude towards relationship paradi gm on relationship strategy implementation and argue that functional manage rs need to buy into the relationship paradigm in order for relationship str ategy to work. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.