Toward a theory of the boundary-spanning marketing organization and insights from 31 organization theories

Abstract

Now more than ever, marketing is assuming a key boundary-spanning role-a role that has also redefined the composition of the marketing organization. In this paper, the marketing organization's integrative and mutually reinforcing components of marketing activities, customer value-creating processes, networks, and stakeholders are delineated within their boundary-spanning roles as a particular emphasis (labeled MOR theory). Thematic marketing insights from a collection of 31 organization theories are used to advance knowledge on the boundary-spanning marketing organization within four areas-strategic marketing resources, marketing leadership and decision making, network alliances and collaborations, and the domestic and global marketplace.

Market Orientation's Boundary-Spanning Role to Support Innovation in SMEs

“…Literature has considered MO's boundaryspanning role as internal marketing activities integrating with suppliers and/or customers external to the firm (Singh 1998;Stock 2006;Stock and Zacharias 2011). Hult (2011) considers firms' boundary-spanning as integrative and mutually reinforcing internal components of firms' marketing activities, customer valuecreating processes with external networks and stakeholders. For firms, boundary-spanning activity can therefore help define their goal structure, strategy, and implementation plan (Aldrich and Herker 1977;Dollinger 1984;Evan 1966;Jemison 1984).…”

Key account management as a firm capability

“…KAM is a form of boundary-spanning marketing organization (Hult, 2011) and an idiosyncratic management approach that is adopted by firms in order to manage a specific subset of customers in their customer portfolio, i.e. customers who have strategic importance for the long-term performance of the firm.…”

Le concept d’Open Marketing

“…Alors que les organisations hiérarchiques se sont transformées en organisations en réseau, l'organisation marketing évolue également (Webster, 1992). Ses frontières s'ouvrent, conduisant à l'apparition d'organisations marketing « ouvertes » à des réseaux extérieurs (Hult, 2011 ;Day, 2011). Toutefois, ces travaux étudient plus l'ouverture des frontières de l'entreprise que celles du département marketing lui-même, et aucune étude empirique ne porte sur les nouvelles formes d'organisations marketing ouvertes.…”