How does Interpersonal Influence Affect Channel Cooperative Performance? Based on the Perspective of Firms’ Multilevel Social Relationships

Abstract

Abstract: In the channel behavior theory, channel communication strategy has always been an important research topic. This study takes the cooperative relationship between manufacturers and distributors as the research context, discusses the influence of manufacturers’ use of interpersonal influence on channel cooperative performance, and explores the boundary mechanism from the perspective of firms’ multilevel social relationships according to the orderly-diversity pattern theory. We match the questionnaire data with the secondary data, and apply a variety of statistical analysis methods to test the results. The results shows that, manufacturers’ use of interpersonal influence can promote channel cooperative performance; personal relationship and government-firm relationship will strengthen the positive relationship between interpersonal influence and channel cooperative performance, and the role of government-firm relationship is greater than that of personal relationship. Interfirm relationship has no significant effect on the relationship between interpersonal influence and channel cooperative performance. Finally, this study expounds the theoretical contribution, practical enlightenment and future research prospect.

Key words: interpersonal influence, personal relationship, interfirm relationship, government-firm relationship, channel cooperative performance

Feng Chao, He Yong, Chen Hui, Zhuang Guijun. How does Interpersonal Influence Affect Channel Cooperative Performance? Based on the Perspective of Firms’ Multilevel Social Relationships[J]. Management Review, 2025, 37(10): 150-161.

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