Extant research on sales–marketing interface has ignored emerging markets as research contexts. This study uses grounded theory methodology and depth-interview data from 37 sales and marketing professionals in Saudi Arabia to explicate how firm contexts that are influenced by Islamic values may shape intra-organizational mechanisms between firm leadership and sales and marketing departments, moderate their roles in marketing strategy activities, and affect interface dynamics. Specifically, appreciation of high power distance and traditional authority allow top leadership to be extensively involved in firm's everyday operations and there is a conspicuous absence of two-way dialog between top leadership and interface personnel. As a result, marketing strategy making authority is rarely transferred to sales and marketing. The context thus creates a chain of command with top leadership holding central authority, marketers preparing action plans and salespeople implementing those plans. Overall, this context brings forth certain hitherto unexplored perspectives on this interface.
Business organizations often rely on customer-facing departments such as sales and marketing to create, communicate, and deliver differentiated value propositions. Given the revenue generation responsibility these departments share in today's hypercompetitive business environment, firms expect the interface between sales and marketing to be optimal so that they can maintain competitive advantage in the marketplace (Guenzi and Troilo, 2007, Krohmer et al., 2002 and Malshe and Sohi, 2009a).
Sales–marketing interface (henceforth interface) literature highlights many critical factors that can either contribute to or hamper the optimal functioning of this interface. Specifically, research highlights the importance of interface integration, cooperation, collaboration, and communication in this regard. Further, scholars suggest that organizational structures, cultures, systems, processes, and people-related elements may impact how this interface functions ( Dewsnap and Jobber, 2000, Dewsnap and Jobber, 2002, Homburg et al., 2008, Le Meunier-FitzHugh and Piercy, 2007 and Rouziès et al., 2005).
As one examines interface literature, one cannot help but notice that most studies on this interface have used samples from the US, European Union, or Australia and New Zealand. The commonality across these research contexts is that they are developed economies that share Western European cultural origin, which shapes their way of life. As a result, current understanding of this interface has remained context-specific. This is consistent with Burgess and Steenkamp (2006, p.337) who note: “…our knowledge of marketing phenomena derives almost exclusively from research conducted in high income, industrialized countries.”
Research in the area of international business highlights how societal culture as well as the characteristics of emerging markets impact organizational mechanisms, organizational members' roles, and their interactions (Abdul-Muhmin, 2005, Huff and Smith, 2008, Kulviwat et al., 2009, Laroche, 2009, Li and Zhou, 2010, Liu et al., 2003, Yavas et al., 1987 and Zhou and Li, 2010). This evidence suggests that studying the interface nuances in different national or cultural contexts may bring forth the hitherto unexplored perspectives on this interface.
Saudi Arabia (henceforth Saudi) is a case in point. Saudi has a unique societal culture shaped by Islamic values, status hierarchy, and notions of high power distance that may affect how intra-organizational entities interact with one another ( Bhuian, 1998). Further, Saudi is an emerging economic powerhouse ( CIA Factbook, 2010). As Burgess and Steenkamp (2006, p.337) note, “Emerging markets present significant departures from the assumptions of theories developed in the Western world that challenge our conventional wisdom” and hence it is “paramount for the future of marketing science and practice that we conduct more research in so-called emerging markets.” Consistently, this paper examines the organizational mechanisms and interface dynamics within Saudi Arabia that not only is an emerging market, but also represents a non-western context influenced by Islamic values. In doing so, this paper aims to expand theoretical boundaries of the interface literature.
The next section contains a brief overview of the interface literature as well as how cultural elements shape business practices in Saudi. Methodology and detailed findings follow this section. The paper concludes with a discussion of theoretical contributions, managerial implications, and study limitations and future research.
