The supply holobiont

This article is inspired by the biological holobiont/hologenome theory of evolution, which views individual organisms and their associated microorganisms as a unified entity—the holobiont—whose development is driven by symbiosis. Building on this concept, the article explores whether a purchasing organization and its suppliers can also be understood as a holobiont, with symbiosis as a fundamental mechanism. The metaphoric transfer of this theory provides a novel lens for examining interorganizational relationships, emphasizing potentially underexplored aspects. Since the holobiont theory typically explains interaction, co-evolution, and biological resilience, its application to purchasing and supply management may enhance the understanding of interorganizational dynamics and symbiosis. Additionally, this perspective contributes to structuring purchasing and supply management as a supply ecosystem. The conceptual findings gained from this theoretical transfer are further validated through survey findings on the effects of interorganizational symbiosis. The article presents several propositions to refine and expand this theoretical framework. Given that industrial symbiosis is increasingly recognized as a key factor in addressing contemporary supply chain challenges—such as resilience and sustainability—further research in this area is strongly encouraged. • Exploration of the holobiont /hologenome theory and its potential for purchasing and supply management. • Execution of metaphoric transfer methodology to form the unit of analysis of a supply holobiont. • Using survey data to explore how core constructs of a supply holobiont relate to each other. • Findings challenge the view on competition and focuses instead on the explanation of symbiotic behaviour. • The propositions around the supply holobiont better structure and explain organizational symbiosis. • As such, this research opens new perspectives to better explain major challenges of our times, e.g. sustainable or resilient supply systems. • The analysis concludes that theory transfer has further potential, e.g. to explain polysymbiosis of organizations.