The role played by relational turbulence in managing agency problems among value chain partners in the sharing economy: a review of the antecedents, benefits, risks, and boundary conditions

The purpose of this paper is to present a detailed theoretical review based on the “relational turbulence model,” revealing current research gaps and demonstrating its applicability to the management of agency problems among value chain partners by using antecedents, benefits, risks, and boundary conditions. “Relational turbulence theory” proposes a communication perspective on interpersonal relationships that explains how relationship transitions polarize emotions and cognitive assessments, disrupting partner communication in the sharing economy. Relational turbulence theory has recently gained traction in value chain literature in relation to the management of agency problems between partners within the sharing economy context; however, there is a surprising lack of agreement on the antecedents, benefits, risks, and boundary conditions of such relationships. To address this gap, we reviewed 52 peer-reviewed publications published between 2011 and 2021. Furthermore, this paper reveals the current research gaps and future research topics by recommending the application of relational turbulence theory with respect to antecedents, benefits, risks, and boundary conditions in the management of agency problems among value chain partners.