Organizational commitment and market orientation of Nigerian non‐oil exporting companies

Purpose This paper aims to test the relationships between organizational commitment and market orientation within the context of the non‐oil sector of a developing country. Design/methodology/approach Cross‐sectional data was collected from 190 managers of non‐oil exporting companies. Multiple regression analysis was adopted to test the impact of organizational commitment on market orientation. Findings The analysis of the data shows that organizational commitment affects market orientation positively and that top management belief and the organizational reward systems are important in the implementation of market orientation. However, the use of cross‐sectional data limits the measurement of the impact of organization commitment on market orientation over a long period. Practical implications Market orientation can be improved upon through concerted efforts in building organizational commitment. This can be achieved either individually or by combining organizational commitment with reward system and top management belief. Originality/value The paper contributes to the understanding of market orientation antecedents within the non‐oil sector of the Nigerian economy.