Supply chain relationship competences and their influence on operational performance

Road freight firms are increasingly challenged by pressures to excel in their performance as they operate in globalised supply chains. Today’s complexities and changing business environments are also prompting freight business to develop key relationships competences. This requirement is often demanding given that many of these road freight firms do not often engage in long term oriented relationships which are characterised by the presence of competences such as trust, power and sharing. This study investigated the relationship between relational competences, the combination of resources through sharing and operational cost-effectiveness. The results suggest that developing competences in building trust, balancing power influence sharing competences in the trucking industry. Similarly, these competences were also found to impact on cost effectiveness throughout the supply chain.