The quality of market-oriented behaviors: Formative index construction

Current measures of market orientation do not systematically capture the quality of market-oriented behaviors [MOBs] (Jaworski BJ, Kohli AK. Market orientation: review, refinement, roadmap. Journal of Market Focused Management 1996;1[2]:119–135). In a bid to address this issue, the authors develop formative indices of the key factors underlying market-oriented behavior quality, and empirically validate the indices using survey data from a sample of 253 marketing managers. Findings suggest that optimal market-oriented behavior involves many distinct activities, such as speed and formalization of information generation, dissemination and response, quantity of information generated, comprehensive information dissemination, and extent of information use, to name a few. For researchers, the findings expand the platform from which to generate fresh understanding of MOBs' antecedents and consequences. The indices also have diagnostic capabilities which can help managers understand how to improve the quality of market orientation within the firm.