B2B exchange disruptions: an interdisciplinary bibliometric review
Vincent Jeseo, Matthew M. Lastner, Nina KreyPurpose
This study aims to synthesize fragmented literature from the marketing, management, operations and supply chain domains to provide the first multidisciplinary and longitudinal review of relationship disruptions in business-to-business exchanges.
Design/methodology/approach
This study reviews 1,351 peer-reviewed articles published between 1984 and 2025 using bibliometric analysis. Co-citation and co-occurrence analyses are performed to uncover the intellectual landscape, thematic clusters and evolution of these concepts over time. Based on the bibliometric findings, stage-based, cyclical and trajectory-based theories of relationship progression are integrated to create a composite conceptual framework that captures the dynamic, multidirectional nature of business-to-business relationships and serves as a guide for future research.
Findings
Four main themes emerge from the analysis: relationship (re)structuring, opportunism, relationship management and supply chain and risk. While interest in digital complexity and the service ecosystem is growing, citation trends show that foundational governance mechanisms remain important. Findings further support the notion that disruptions are rarely isolated events and are embedded within evolving governance and relational dynamics. Based on the data, a framework is proposed that introduces “relational guardrails,” “relationship accelerators” and “relationship disruptors” as vital components that influence the trajectory of business-to-business exchanges.
Research limitations/implications
This study shifts the lens of business-to-business relationship research from static, stage-based progression to a trajectory-based reasoning. This reorientation opens new conceptual space across marketing, management and supply chain disciplines. By demonstrating that governance and relational mechanisms are functionally interdependent rather than parallel constructs, the framework invites scholars from disparate fields to reexamine foundational assumptions through a more integrative lens. The identification of a governance lag further signals that disciplinary boundaries have allowed technological and relational theory to become disconnected, underscoring the need for cross-domain theoretical dialogue to keep pace with the complexity of modern business-to-business environments.
Practical implications
Insights can be used to enhance business-to-business relationships by tailoring governance strategies, monitoring for early indications of disruption and investing in initiatives that foster trust and serve as relational connectors. Managers can use the framework to help diagnose relational vulnerabilities, strengthen governance guardrails and strategically deploy digital tools to enhance resilience.
Originality/value
This study uses a cross-disciplinary approach to bridge disparate business-to-business disruptions literature. By incorporating bibliometric mapping with theoretical insights, this paper moves beyond a descriptive synthesis to develop a unified, process-oriented framework of relational evolution and disruption. The framework serves as a foundation for future empirical and conceptual investigations in complex, technology-driven business-to-business environments.