Market orientation and performance: An integration of disparate approaches

A series of five Strategic Management Journal articles has debated several issues concerning the role of market orientation in shaping firm performance. This debate has defined market orientation as a cultural emphasis. Yet, a large body of research in the marketing field views market orientation as an emphasis on certain market information-processing activities. Using data from 217 firms, we test a model that includes both cultural and information-processing elements. The findings suggest that both approaches to market orientation help explain performance, but their effects are mediated by organizational responsiveness. Thus, researchers should not only account for both definitions of market orientation, but they should also investigate market orientation in combination with other important performance antecedents. Copyright (c) 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.