The adoption of market orientation in SMEs: required capabilities and relation to success

The purpose of this paper is to offer an integrated view on the adoption of market orientation in SMEs and what kind of marketing capabilities are necessary for a small firm to act in a market oriented way. It is also discussed how market orientation is related to small firm success. Data were collected through a survey and thematic interviews in three different branches of industry in Eastern Finland. In the analysis mixed methods were applied. The results show that the studied SMEs had adopted different levels of market orientation. They generated market intelligence, but this was not necessarily done systematically or continuously. In addition, the acquired customer and competitor information was not disseminated or responded to actively. Consequently, the studied enterprises need to enhance their capabilities concerning these tasks of market orientation. The key elements of market orientation (e.g. customer orientation and market intelligence) were regarded as important success factors in SMEs. The expertise relating to these key elements did not, however, reach the same level with the importance showing room for improvement with regard to the required capabilities.