We examine the extent to which suppliers assimilate to their customers' inventory leanness levels. Drawing on institutional theory, we hypothesize that there is a positive relationship between major customer and supplier inventory leanness and that this effect is moderated by compliant, reflexive, and normative isomorphic forces. Specifically, we contend that interdependence, uncertainty, and the age of the customer−supplier relationship strengthen the supplier's imitative behaviors and, thus, the assimilation to its major customer's inventory leanness. The hypotheses are tested empirically using a large panel data set of dyadic customer–supplier observations obtained from a variety of archival databases. The econometric analyses provide strong and robust evidence of interorganizational imitation in the domain of inventory management and, thus, document the role key customers play in shaping supplier firms' inventories. We discuss implications of our research for the further development and broadening of the academic inventory literature as well as managerial practice.

我们检查供应商在多大程度上吸收了客户的库存精益水平。根据制度理论，我们假设主要客户和供应商的库存精益度之间存在正相关关系，并且这种影响可以通过顺应性，反身性和规范性同构力来缓和。具体来说，我们认为相互依存，不确定性以及客户与供应商之间关系的持续时间会增强供应商的模仿行为，从而增强其主要客户的库存精益度。使用从各种档案数据库中获得的二元客户-供应商观察值的大型面板数据集，对假设进行了经验检验。计量经济学分析为库存管理领域的组织间模仿提供了有力且有力的证据，从而证明了关键客户在塑造供应商公司的库存中所起的作用。我们讨论了我们的研究对于进一步发展和扩大学术库存文献以及管理实践的意义。