Flexibility in Marketing & Sales Interfacing Processes
- Author(s)
- Belinda Dewsnap, Milena Micevski, John Cadogan, Selma Kadic-Maglajlic
- Abstract
Preliminary insights in the marketing literature indicate that flexibility is important in marketing and sales processes and interaction. However, to date, marketing and sales management literature lacks an understanding of what flexibility in marketing-sales interfaces looks like, its potential organizational consequences, and potential boundary conditions. Using data from interviews with marketing and sales managers, this study explores the nature, outcomes and facilitators of flexibility at the marketing-sales interface. This study conceptualizes marketing-sales interface flexibility (MSIF) as a process of flexible cross-functional resource exchange and finds that MSIF has positive organizational outcomes (both in terms of performance and relationship quality), that MSIF is essential for firms when dealing with exigencies in turbulent environments, and that the utility of MSIF is conditioned by the speed with which MSIF is implemented. The research contribution is twofold. At a theoretical level, the study defines the construct for the first time, revealing MSIF's conceptual composition for examination, and develops theory regarding MSIF's direct relationships with key business outcomes, as well as likely contingencies that shape its importance. At a practical level, the study's framework offers a tool that managers can use to help build organizational success through enhanced flexibility in their marketing-sales interfaces.
- Organisation(s)
- Department of Marketing and International Business
- External organisation(s)
- Loughborough University, Copenhagen Business School
- Journal
- Industrial Marketing Management
- Volume
- 91
- Pages
- 285-300
- No. of pages
- 16
- ISSN
- 0019-8501
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2020.09.005
- Publication date
- 11-2020
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 502052 Business administration, 502019 Marketing
- Keywords
- ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Marketing
- Portal url
- https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/3bfb43ea-5588-436f-9c10-9aec355d8903