The discussion provides an overview of the spectrum of diverse personal rewards and costs from exchange and how they combine to influence individual boundary spanning decision makers. This way it also informs the literature on buyer/supplier relationship management, where a main concern has been how companies influ- ence the decisions and behaviors of their exchange partners. The cy- clical model emphasizes the reinforcing nature of attraction, where reciprocal and increasingly rewarding acts develop the relationship to increasing closeness levels, in process taking on more and more positive relational features propelling the relational potential even further and allowing the parties to realize the full potential of the ex- change. Finally, a series of propositions have been formulated to guide future research efforts into interpersonal attraction in buyer–supplier re- lationships. As noted in the introduction, the growing body of research on attraction in buyer–supplier relationships has been concerned pri- marily with interorganizational phenomena. The aim has been to devel- op insights into the processes by which companies gain improved access to resources (mainly suppliers') in order to improve value creation, for instance through improved innovation, and eventually competitive ad- vantage. The argumentation in this article shows that this ability is not only anchored at the organizational level. The interorganizational re- search must therefore be complemented by inter-personal research, be- cause the ability to attract resources from customers and suppliers is a composite of both levels. Moreover, efforts at one level are dependent on efforts at the other.
From a managerial perspective, many companies still find the creation and maintenance of close relationships difficult. The inclusion of attrac- tion into the vocabulary used to describe buyer–supplier relationships could help managers understand why attempts at generating close at- tachments to customers and suppliers are sometimes unsuccessful and what it takes to generate more beneficial exchanges. In addition to gener- ating a strong tie between the company and its supplier or customer, at- traction also has an important function as an influence mechanism, as it generates identification, and simultaneously develops the relationship. Moreover, as an attitude it closes the loop from cognition to behavior by the influenced other party. By continuously offering favorable stimuli and managing the attraction process, boundary spanners can shape the decisions and behaviors of customers and suppliers to maximize benefits from exchange. If boundary spanning managers can liberate themselves from market logic, transactional practices, and power wielding, they may be capable of becoming attractive trading partners and develop their relationships to key customers and suppliers into the close range. This paper has attempted to offer some assistance in this managerial change process.