Microfoundations of Partnerships: Exploring the Role of Employees in Trickle Effects

Ans Kolk, Marlene Vock, Willemijn van Dolen

Journal of Business Ethics · 2016 · Volume 135 · Issue 1

Abstract

The growing body of literature on partnerships has paid most attention to their implications at the macro level, for society, as well as the meso level, for the partnering organisations. While generating many valuable insights, what has remained underexposed is the micro level, i.e. the role of managers and employees in partnerships, and how their actions and interactions can have an effect on the spread and potential effectiveness of collaborative efforts. This article uses a case-study approach to empirically explore the patterns and potential boundary conditions of so-called ‘trickle effects’ of partnerships among individual actors within and outside partnering companies, which have thus far only been proposed conceptually. Based on interviews with employees from three different companies, we found an evidence of trickle-down and trickle-up effects with higher and lower management, as well as trickle-round effects with colleagues, family, friends and customers. The article discusses several partnership characteristics that seem to play a role, and notes implications for research and practice.

Keywords

Partnerships, Corporate social responsibility, Employees, Trickle effects, Micro-level interactions, Diffusion mechanisms

Enable JavaScript for citation tools and additional paper interactions.