Trust and commitment in supply chain management: a systematic review of literature

Abstract

PurposeTrust and commitment (T&C) among the supply chain partners in the context of supply chain management (SCM) are of interest for both researchers and practitioners. This paper analyses literature on T&C and identifies gaps for further research.Design/methodology/approachThe current literature review paper provides a comprehensive perspective on the topic using bibliometric analysis followed by a systematic review of literature. In all, 207 relevant articles were extracted from the Scopus database using the relevant key word searches. For the purpose of the systematic review, another 48 relevant papers were identified through an iterative process. Hence, 255 papers published between the years 1990–2019 were analysed for the sake of this study.FindingsA total of 15 definitions of trust, nine definitions of commitment, 13 classifications of trust, 40 antecedents of trust, six classifications of commitments, 39 consequences of trust, 11 antecedents of commitment and 15 consequences of commitment were identified and analysed. Future research directions were presented.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is limited to identifying the antecedents and consequences of T&C. A detailed framework could be developed in future research. The antecedent and consequences for T&C could be discussed in greater detail.Practical implicationsImportant implications for managers emerge from this study for building and implementing T&C, as SCM requires a thorough understanding of relationship-building skills. The discussion on the definitions of T&C, types of trust and the antecedents and consequences provides important insights for practitioners for strategy formulation. Results provide important insights and bring about greater clarity for researchers and practitioners on T&C in SCM.Originality/valueThrough rigorous analysis of the prevailing research, this paper extensively reviews literature on T&C in SCM till 2019. It summarises the current status and proposes future research directions.