Market orientation and entrepreneurial orientation in a learning organization

In this globe of brutal competition, market orientation and
entrepreneurial orientation as two types of market-based learning
constitute positional advantage to an organization, because this
corporate cultural competitiveness is unique, rare, valuable, and
inimitable. This dissertation focuses on the change management of
market orientation and entrepreneurial orientation in a business
unit with approximately 150 employees of a multinational company.
It is structured in an evolving way with an overarching theoretical
foundation from organizational culture and learning in organization
connecting three studies. The first study investigates “what” are
the factors (market orientation and entrepreneurial orientation)
and how they lead to subjective business performance. The finding
of the study reveals that in this business unit, market-oriented
and entrepreneurial-oriented values significantly contribute to
their respective behaviors. However, only the behavioral construct
of interfunctional coordination from market orientation and
behavioral construct of innovativeness from entrepreneurial
orientation predict the significant impacts on the subjective
business performance. Nevertheless, when taking all behavioral
dimensions into account at the same time, subjective business
performance is perceived to a very high degree. The second study
presents “how” market orientation and entrepreneurial orientation
can be changed at individual, group and organizational levels
through implementing change interventions in the business unit.
Quantitative results by comparing pre- and posttests exhibit no
significant changes in organization-wide perception of market
orientation and entrepreneurial orientation. However, significant
differences have been observed among some groups in both tests. The
final study aims to investigate change readiness of the business
unit comprising of cognitive and affective components through
interviews. Qualitative results from a multilevel approach show
that the change readiness at individual level is higher than group
level´s, and group level´s is higher than organizational level´s.
It gives evidence that change initiatives start to bring out
behavioral results and actions as well. Therefore, this
dissertation offers comprehensive understanding on how an
organization conceives, implements and initiates further activities
over a period of time.