Conflicts or constructive collaboration?- A study investigating the coordination of the sales-marketing interface in a digital context

Abstract

This study investigates how coordination is achieved between the functions sales and marketing in B2B organizations, and how increased digitalization affects the coordination between different functions. The paper uses a qualitative method, and data has been collected by conducting 29 semi-structured interviews with managers and employees from the sales and marketing departments within several B2B organizations operating in various industries. When analyzing the empirical findings, the coordination framework has been used as a theoretical lens. Applying coordination as a theoretical lens for investigating the sales-marketing interface (SMI), contributes with a new perspective on the subject since previous research on the SMI mainly has used the theoretical lens sensemaking for explaining the collaboration and dysfunctions between the two departments. In this study, the importance of closeness between the functions has been identified within the areas cognitive, organizational and relational. Without closeness within one or several areas, a situation of structural insularity easily emerges. Moreover, the degree of structure/flexibility has been identified as a central part of the coordination between the functions sales and marketing. Furthermore, our study has shown that the three categories of closeness/distance (cognitive, organizational and relational) affect each other in a bidirectional and/or circular pattern. In addition to this, there is an interplay between the different categories of closeness/distance and the degree of structure/flexibility. Digitalization of interactions has resulted in a movement towards more structure and less flexibility in meetings, which could both obstruct and enable coordination between different functions. Through applying holistic perspective, our study has contributed to the coordination literature by showing in what ways the structural and relational aspects of coordination are intertwined in practice