Relationship Alignment between Small Firms An Information Exchange Perspective on Dyads

This thesis is about conceptualizing relationship alignment in small firm relationships from an information exchange perspective. The thesis has a theoretical focus but is also informed by three case studies. The thesis is based on five papers dealing with information exchange with different focus: inter-organizational information systems, information exchange patterns, social information exchange, coordination of information, concepts for relationship alignment. The context in which information exchange is examined is small firm relationships. While there are research of information technology in such context on strategic issues of IT alignment, there is still a great need to find out how the small firm relationship can be aligned from the perspective of ‘working together’ with an information focus rather than technology focus. The thesis examine and criticize three sets of theoretical bodies; Social exchange theory, relational theory, and information systems theory in order to understand how relationship alignment may be articulated in a differentiated style. The main conclusion drawn from this work is that relationship alignment between small firms could be expressed by a relationship alignment conceptualization that consists of three different aspects of information exchange. The three aspects of the concept are: presence which is the social dimension of exchanging information, formality which has a transaction focus, and mediation, an information technology concept for information exchange.