The management of B2B interactions and the manifestation of their negative side effects can be influenced by new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, and big data analytics. Additionally, despite numerous advancements in the study of the dark side of B2B connections, there have recently been questions expressed about the stream's under theorization and the fact that the focus has been on the manifestations of the dark side rather than its underlying mechanisms. In order to address these issues, the study looks at how the advent of new technologies has the potential to alter B2B interactions and result in the appearance of negative side effects through mechanisms that have not yet been investigated or understood. Through this procedure, the authors also show how theories like social dominance, organisational inertia, organisational information processing, and role theory—which have been largely ignored in this literature—can offer fresh perspectives when examining the negative aspects of B2B relationships.
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In the past two decades, researchers have paid a lot of attention to the negative aspects of business-to-business (B2B) partnerships, and significant discoveries have been revealed (Zhang, Du, and Zhang 2021); Anderson & Jap (2005); Cheng, Sharma, Shen, & Ng (2021); Fang, Chang, & Peng (2011); Grayson & Ambler (1999). Nevertheless, new technologies are drastically altering how business partners engage and transforming B2B partnerships (Kannan, 2017; Hofacker, Golgeci, Pillai, & Gligor, 2020). Big data analytics, blockchain, and artificial intelligence (AI) in particular are emerging as new technologies that might influence how B2B partnerships are managed and how their negative side effects appear. AI can speed up creative problem-solving and invention within a B2B relationship. Nevertheless, indirectly, the reliance on AI might also restrict opportunities for people to engage, inhibiting collaborative innovation; this could result in staleness in the B2B relationship, which is a notable component of the dark side of B2B interactions (Adams and Hamm, 2015; Anderson and Jap, 2005). Blockchain may also have conflicting effects as well. This system creates a visible, tamper-proof record of every transaction. It reduces the need for additional techniques to build confidence amongst B2B partners. However, in B2B relationships, doing away with the requirement to establish inter-firm trust can have unintended consequences. According to studies, the process of developing trust enables B2B participants to forge close bonds that are advantageous to both parties (Gligor and Holcomb, 2013). The diminishing of relationship ties may allow for negative B2B relationship characteristics like a failure to innovate or produce higher value. Similar to this, big data analytics enables businesses to anticipate the demands and behaviour of their B2B partners and gain a deeper understanding of them (Hallikainen, Savimaki, & Laukkanen, 2020). Nevertheless, it also minimises the necessity for relying on data obtained from B2B partner companies, which could cause companies to ignore their partners. Inadequate management of the B2B connection can lead to relationship quality deterioration and, eventually, negative side effects. In light of the aforementioned examples, it is conceivable that such lauded and laudable developing technologies may unintentionally accelerate the onset of unwanted, adverse impacts inside B2B connections (Hofacker et al., 2020; Kannan, 2017). It's crucial for researchers and practitioners to consider their roles while examining the murky side of B2B connections as these technologies become more widely used. Scholars' capacity to provide thorough models describing the initiation and evolution of dark effects within B2B interactions is likely to be constrained if the transformative impact of these new technologies on B2B relationships is not taken into account. By examining the negative aspects of B2B partnerships in the context of these technologies, we want to fill in some of the gaps and provide some initial insights. By providing a thorough agenda for researchers looking at phenomena at the junction of new technology and the murky side of B2B partnerships, we also provide a platform on which B2B academics can build. In addition, despite a number of developments in the study of the dark side of B2B relationships, there have recently been questions raised regarding the lack of theory in this area and the emphasis on the surface-level behaviours rather than the underlying mechanisms (Chung, Wang, Huang, & Yang, 2016; Fang et al., 2011). This necessitates concentration on dark side theoretical work. We also contend that the advent of new technologies has the ability to alter B2B partnerships and bring about unintended negative consequences through hitherto unrecognised mechanisms. Therefore, greater theorising on the negative aspects of B2B interactions is necessary in light of the transformational changes in B2B partnerships brought about by new technologies, as discussed below. By demonstrating how ideas that have been largely ignored in this literature can offer unique insights when examining the dark side of B2B partnerships, we want to significantly advance this field of study.