Enhancing the performance of marketing managers : Aligning strategy, structure and evaluation systems

This article examines the relationships among two types of strategy (defender and prospector), two types of evaluation systems (output‐oriented and behavior‐oriented), and one dimension of organizational structure (centralization) and their interactive effects on the job performance of marketing managers. Findings from an empirical study indicate that marketing strategies must be matched with the appropriate types of evaluation systems and structure to affect job performance positively. More specifically, the results suggest that an output‐oriented evaluation system combined with a high level of centralization is associated with higher managerial performance for organizations pursuing a defender strategy, whereas a behavior‐oriented evaluation system combined with a low degree of centralization is associated with higher managerial performance for a prospector strategy. Implications for the successful implementation of marketing strategies are discussed. Finally, study limitations and directions for future research are noted.