La confiance a-t-elle toujours un sens dans les relations interorganisationnelles basées sur les enchères électroniques inversées ?

The Internet-driven electronic marketplace (IEMP) has been presented as a way to enhance collaboration between buyers and suppliers while generating significant advantages for both parties. Nevertheless, the introduction of Online Reverse Auctions (ORA) in the negotiation process has been perceived as a mean to decrease interorganizational trust limiting the possibilities of collaboration. From one side, ORA are perceived by suppliers as a clear proof of the buyer’s power and opportunism. From another side, buyers promote the interest of such mechanism supposed to improve transparency in interorganizational relationships. This paper focus on the effects of ORA use in business relationships between one major French retailer and its industrial suppliers. Based on a case study build upon 65 semi structured interviews, we propose the analysis of ORA use in business relationships. We show that it is no longer the technology of ORA itself which is responsible of trust deterioration but the way it is used between the different parties. Our results suggest three factors that would be able to maintain inter-firm trust when using ORA: the management of ORA, the integration of qualitative criteria and the elimination of abuses related to ORA use.