Résumé
Research on inter-organizational relationships (IORs), such as alliances, buyer-supplier relationships, and cross-sector partnerships, has grown significantly over the last fifty years. Recently, authors have realized that more clarity is needed to define these important concepts. Scholars also stress the potential of cross-sector collaborations in generating the knowledge and solutions to the sustainability challenges of our era. This study follows the call to further investigate and to advance theory development on IORs in the specific context of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). We propose to explore the process in which small firms interact with their peers on CSR, with special attention to the types of goals as part of that interactive process. Exploring these characteristics is essential for fully grasping how SME IORs unfold.Our research contributes to the existing literature on IORs by exploring the characteristics of SME interactions on CSR. First, we analyze types of goals that SMEs wish to achieve through interactions with their peers. Those goals can be individual, collective or both. Second, we have observed some IOR facilitating mechanisms that we explore via following lenses: formation and governance, trust, informal relationships, interactions and space. Third, we propose an overview of the three dimensions of IORs (coordination, cooperation and collaboration) based on the degree of involvement of the SME owner-managers. Our study shows that the goals of cross-sector partnership members vary by their level of involvement. Members with limited interaction focus on visibility and brand image, participating mainly in coordination activities. In contrast, those deeply engaged prioritize sharing and learning about CSR through regular face-to-face interactions, cooperation and collaboration. Our study reveals that SME IORs are shaped by the informal nature of their interactions, marked by flexibility, proximity, openness, trust and strong value alignment.