Inter-organizational voice, transparency, and performance: a stakeholder theory perspective on relational mechanisms in airports

This study examines how relational mechanisms among key airport stakeholders, specifically airport operators, airlines, and ground handling firms, shape airport and firm performance. Drawing on stakeholder theory, airports are conceptualized as multi-actor service platforms in which performance emerges from interdependent coordination rather than isolated organizational activities. Prior research has primarily emphasized operational, structural, and technological determinants, with limited attention to the relational micro-foundations of coordination. In particular, the roles of inter-organizational voice and transparency remain underexplored in complex airport settings. Addressing this gap, the study investigates inter-organizational promotive and prohibitive voice behaviors as complementary coordination mechanisms through which inter-organizational actors propose improvements and raise concerns, and examines how transparency conditions their effectiveness. Using qualitative data from in-depth interviews with managerial representatives across the three inter-organizational actor group, the findings show that both forms of voice enhance airport- and firm-level performance by enabling collaborative problem-solving, continuous improvement, and early risk detection. Transparency further strengthens these effects by improving the clarity and usability of shared information, thereby increasing coordination effectiveness. By distinguishing between inter-organizational promotive and prohibitive voice and examining their interaction with transparency, this study advances stakeholder theory and operations management research by identifying relational micro-foundations of coordination in multi-actor systems. The findings show that performance variation in complex service platforms is better explained by how actors communicate and respond to one another than by structural arrangements alone. The study also offers actionable insights for managers seeking to improve coordination and performance through the design of voice and transparency mechanisms. © The Author(s) 2026.