Abstract Inter-Organizational Relationships Modeling: Investigating the Effects of Relational Factors on Collaborative Structures Ebrahim Teimoury1, Mehdi Fesharaki2, Afshar Bazyar3 1- Assistant Professor, Industrial Engineering Department, Iran university of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran 2- Associate Professor, Computer Engineering Department, Malekashter University, Tehran, Iran 3- Ph.D. Candidate, Industrial Engineering Department, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran Received: 3 /1/2010 Accept: 24/4/2011 Inter-organizational relationships are studied in three dimensions including relational structural, and outcome. The main objective of this research is to study the relationships between relational factors and their impact on the forming of structures. Therefore, via defining operational variables for power, risk perception, control and trust, as relational variables, the impacts of these variables on collaborative structures were investigated. The relationships between these variables, in the form of some hypotheses and a conceptual model, were examined using a sample including 112 high ranked managers. The results indicated that unbalanced power has a positive effect on relational risk perception. Relational risk perception itself is a positive predictor for safeguard control and a negative predictor for commitment-based trust. On the other hand, safeguard control is a negative predictor for collaborative structure while commitment-based trust is a positive predictor for such kind of structures. Further investigation revealed that commitment-based trust does not have a significant effect on collaborative structure while it has passed a threshold, and safeguard control does not have a negative effect on collaborative structure while it has not passed a threshold.

Abstract Today's organizations face a complex set of needs of their stakeholders. They cannot satisfy those needs in a good manner because of economical rationality or inability to prepare suitable equipments. So inter-organizational relationships have been choosen as a strategy which nowadays attract much attention. In fact, each organization has a set of interorganizational relationships voluntarily or involuntarily with other organizations which many organizational advantages and disadvantages have roots in such a inter-organizational relationships. Therefore, the Present research aimed at developing a simulation based model to study inter-organizational relationships. In this model, inter-organizational relationships are documented with process approach, and then. analyzed based on volume, time, human recourses, mutual dependency network and decision. According to the analysis results, "to-be" process is redesigned. These changes are suitability analyzed with simulation and implemented if they are confirmed. Finally this model has been implemented in Agriculture Industry Bureau of Jihad -Agriculture Ministry.