Beyond Rationality: Unveiling Collective Emotions in B2B Value Co-Creation – A Systematic Review and Future Research Agenda
(A2026-131697)

AUTHORS

Ramona Mauch, University of Zaragoza; Carolina Herrando, University of Zaragoza; Marc Kuhn, Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University Stuttgart

ABSTRACT

Emotions shape business relationships, yet B2B marketing research centers on individual affect. Collective emotions (CE), emergent affective states arising from social interaction that foster alignment and cooperation, remain underexplored. This gap is crucial in B2B value co-creation, where success depends less on rational mechanisms than on affective coherence. A systematic review across Scopus, Web of Science and PsycINFO identified 37 relevant studies from 6,045 records. Using the TCCM framework, findings reveal fragmented, narrow research, largely borrowed from adjacent disciplines. Three gaps persist: unclear CE evolution across micro-mesomacro levels, reliance on self-reports and limited attention to power asymmetries and digital mediation. We provide a systematic synthesis of CE and propose a research agenda and multilevel process framework linking CE to alliance resilience and innovation.