A Customer-oriented Manager for B2B Services

1Customer Orientation

1.1. Outlines and challenges of customer orientation

Customer orientation is an old hand in the young management literature. The concept appeared a little more than 30 years ago¹ and has been attracting the attention of researchers, consultants and managers ever since.

1.1.1. Customer orientation framework

1.1.1.1. Customer and market orientation

The notion of market orientation was first proposed in the academic literature, whereas a more managerial literature would later more easily refer to the term customer orientation. Market orientation has historically been defined on the basis of three pillars: customer focus, broad involvement of different departments in the company and profitability (Kohli and Jaworski 1990, p. 3).

Here the preferred term “customer orientation” seems to be more anchored in reality and pragmatic. While the invisible hand of the market does not need to be tightened, on the other hand, many customers will judge one by one’s handshake! Nevertheless, a full and true customer orientation must also integrate competitive issues and more broadly a set of stakeholders that will be presented throughout the book.

1.1.1.2. Customer orientation between cultural and behavioral approaches

The literature on customer orientation has been built around two approaches that are more complementary than truly opposed: the cultural approach and the behavioral approach. The cultural approach speaks of a state of mind, values, beliefs and attitudes, ...