Scoping the market orientation literature from 2009 to 2013: a review of the concept and the discussions found across a range of academic disciplines

Abstract

A wide-ranging debate about the concept of market orientation continues to generate interest amongst academics across a number of disciplines around the world. The definitions and differing approaches found in the literature reveal that although many are complementary, there continue to be contradictions between the various perspectives. Nevertheless, the concept generates lively debate whether taken from a behavioural or a cultural perspective, with many authors addressing the two, as they discuss the implications of market orientation upon organizational performance. After evaluating the contributions of various authors using a range of approaches, this paper presents a model which illustrates the convergence of ideas as a multi-dimensional construct of market orientation, each of which has different implications for customer-orientated or performance-orientated organizations.

Keywords::

• market orientation
• organizational culture
• organizational behaviour
• implementation
• organizational performance

Acknowledgements

The authors appreciate the support and guidance of the reviewers.