Strategy, market orientation and performance: the political context

Abstract

This paper investigates the fit between the strategic posture of a political party and its political market orientation, and analyses the impact of this fit on party performance. For this purpose, a configuration theory logic is applied to the context of the political market; in particular, we develop strategic profiles (i.e. strategic postures and political market orientation) of four Belgian political parties represented in the Flemish Parliament. By comparing the strategic profiles derived from a questionnaire administered to 3148 party members , we and then relate this misfit to party performance. Results indicate that there is a strong, negative relationship between the misalignment of actual and perceived strategic profiles on the one hand, and performance on the other. H sture of a party. Thus, our findingsshow that it is not so much the strategic posture itself which will determine superior performance, but it is the strategic posture that the party aligns with implementing a particular political market orientation that is the most important factor.