Market orientation: reflections on field-based, discovery-oriented research

For years, market orientation remained an appealing concept that was, in practice, less favored than other approaches to management. A surge of research on market orientation helped clarify the concept and provide needed logical structure, creating a foundation for the further research and for adoption in practice. Among the most influential papers in that surge is Kohli and Jaworski (Journal of Marketing, 54, 1–18, 1990). In this paper, we comment on Jaworski and Kohli’s essay, exploring the process for field-based, discovery-oriented research, drawing comparisons with experimental, analytical or empirical approaches. We explore how one formulates and poses questions differently, the process of choosing collaborators, differences in the data collection, analysis, and differences in crafting papers. Illustrating these differences with Kohli and Jaworksi (Journal of Marketing, 54, 1–18, 1990), we explore more recent advances in market orientation and propose directions for future work.