Differences Between Collaboration, Cooperation and Coordination in Supply Chains

Abstract

Research attention is increasingly focused on inter-organizational relationships, that reveals in growing studies in management, particularly supply chain management. The terms collaboration, cooperation and coordination are used for qualifying inter-organizational relationships. The form of relationships between supply chain members must also match the task at hand. If the type of relationships does not match performance requirements, then such relationships become dysfunctional. The research reviews existing literature on collaboration, cooperation and coordination in supply chains and to define the differences between them, to formulate definitions of supply chain collaboration, cooperation and coordination.