Version 1.0, October 2026. 98 constructs in 18 families across 7 eras, with 18 imported theories below. Selecting a cell reveals its family, era, block, tier, and anchor works, each anchoring reference linking to the publisher’s page. Explore the 18 Family Deep Dives for granular sub-tables, or visit Resources to use the four interactive analytical tools.
Each cell: number, influence pips, block code, then symbol, construct, and anchor works
open frontier position
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Detached series · Theories imported from adjacent fields, each set near the families it feeds
Series
T
Imported Theories
48IP
Ct
Commitment-Trust
Family
11. Relationships and Customer Equity (IV · Customer and Brand Assets)
Era
Period 4: Orientation and Relationships, 1990s
Block
IP · Implementation, process
Tier
Landmark
Cell card
Description
The commitment-trust theory holds that relationship commitment and trust are the key mediating variables through which termination costs, relationship benefits, shared values, communication, and opportunistic behavior produce cooperation and other relational outcomes.
Managerial Implications
Relationship commitment and trust are what make partners cooperate, stay, and resist attractive alternatives. Both are built by shared values, communication, and low opportunism, and eroded by surprises and self-serving behavior. Managers should invest in transparency and consistency with key customers and partners, because trust converts into lower monitoring costs and higher tolerance of mistakes, and takes far longer to rebuild than to lose.
How to read. Down a column follows one research stream through time. Across a row shows what the field studied in an era. Color marks the strategy domain, after Morgan et al. (2019). Pips give an influence tier. Numbers run by era, then family. Placements, anchors, and tiers are editorial judgments, and anchors are entry points rather than a complete record of any stream. Anyone who uses or adapts this table is responsible for verifying its contents against the original works.
