Abstract:

Purpose. The goal of this paper is to present the results of literature study on interfirm relationship development and to propose the revised model of relationship life-cycle for project-based organizations. The framework helps to understand the relationship dynamics in organizations based on temporary and discontinuous cooperation.  Design/Methodology/Approach. The method that have been used in the study is the systematic literature review. Findings. The review of the literature shows a variety of relationship life-cycle models with many similarities and differences among them. Studied models seems to be insufficient to examine relationship development in project-based organizations, and the revised model with two loops and six phases was developed and presented.  Research implications and directions. The paper develops a framework for examining relationship development in project-oriented organizations. The future research concern testing the model, identifying changes in the intensity of relationship features in particular phases, and searching for the ways how to increase the effectiveness of cooperation in the short-term perspective.   Originality/Value/Contribution. The findings contribute to relationship development literature exposing the new research perspective. The study focuses on project-based organizations and short-term project partnering in contrary to previous studies which focused only on long-term perspective and strategic cooperation.