The responses of front‐line employees to market‐oriented culture change

A theme emerging from research into the determinants, content and consequences of market orientation is that developing a market‐oriented culture exerts a profound influence on the organizational culture of a company. Explores and describes the manner and forms of front‐line employees’ responses to market‐oriented culture change initiatives. The paper begins with a brief overview of existing literature discussing the definition and components of a market orientation. Thereafter, extant research into the consequences of developing a market‐oriented culture is reviewed critically. After detailing the research design and methodology adopted in this study, the summary findings of two in‐depth case studies are presented. The findings indicate that front‐line employees respond differentially to market‐oriented culture change programmes. Concludes with a series of implications for both marketing and culture theorists and practitioners.