Affective commitment in industrial customer‐supplier relations: a psychological contract approach

Purpose – The purpose of this conceptual paper is to develop the construct of affective commitment in business‐to‐business relationships between customers and suppliers, as well as to introduce the psychological contract as a central antecedent to affective commitment. Design/methodology/approach – A review of the literature on psychological contracts and relationship marketing relating to affective relationship commitment was conducted to make a theoretical contribution in a buyer‐supplier relationship context. Findings – By focusing on the individual and incorporating relevant mental processes, theories on affective commitment have been developed. A model and propositions concerning the impact of psychological contracts on affective relationship commitment are suggested, where the psychological contract plays a central role in mediating the effects of several antecedents to affective commitment. Research limitations/implications – By focusing on the individual's role in affective relationship commitment, this paper contrasts with much of the earlier research, which has used the firm as the unit of analysis. For practitioners, using such an approach will provide a more realistic view of the dynamics in the relationship. Originality/value – This study makes two main contributions. First, it develops conceptual clarity of the affective commitment construct by putting a clear focus on the individual. Second, it proposes a model that describes the influence of several antecedents to affective commitment, suggesting a central role of psychological contracts in explaining the presence of affective commitment in business‐to‐business relationships.