Pitfalls in Evaluating Market Orientation: An Exploration of Executives' Interpretations

Despite the credibility of the market orientation concept, it is still not being fully realised by practitioners. Many perceive their companies to be orientated to the consumer, but the evidence is contrary and the development of a genuine market orientation remains elusive. This paper identifies eight common reasons why managers misinterpret their companies' market orientation levels and identifies what could be done to rectify the situation. These observations lead to a number of conclusions and implications for both theory and practice.