Role of Individual Attachments in the Dissolution of Interorganizational Relationships

In this study, we propose that changes affecting the resource fit between organizations exchanging resources provide an impetus for the dissolution of their relationships, whereas the individual and structural attachments that develop between exchange partners over time counter those pressures for change. The empirical analysis examined the severance of auditor-client relationships using a case-control design. Change in clients' resource needs increased the likelihood of their switching auditors, but attachment of individuals primarily responsible for the exchange relationship decreased the likelihood of switching. Moreover, those attachments attenuated the effect of changes in clients' resource needs on the likelihood of switching auditors. The study suggests that ties between boundary spanners play a major role in the maintenance of interorganizational relationships.