Contractual and relational governance are important mechanisms for controlling and coordinating inter-organisational relationships (IORs). While prior studies have explored control in detail, the role of coordination has received limited attention. Coordination is a necessity to organise tasks and activities between firms effectively, but its use in IORs, especially when those relationships are disrupted, has received limited attention. Thus, this study explores how buyers use contractual and relational governance mechanisms to coordinate supplier-induced disruptions. This study builds on 35 in-depth, face-to-face interviews in the context of the European energy sector. The study demonstrated that supply managers have a portfolio of complementary governance mechanisms for coordination available during supplier-induced disruptions. However, supply managers use specific contractual and/or relational coordination activities to match specific coordination requirements. Prior literature on governance mechanisms has started to draw out the importance of their coordination function but has largely overlooked the simultaneous application of contractual and relational coordination. Further, the impact of situational factors, such as disruptions in IORs, on coordination requirements has been sparsely explored. This study adds to the governance mechanisms literature by highlighting the importance and dynamic nature of coordinating IORs.
