The Wind of Change: A Dynamic Managerial Capabilities Perspective on the Role of Marketing Managers as Strategic Change Agents

Abstract

This article investigates the role of marketing managers as strategic change agents from a dynamic managerial capabilities’ perspective. Nurturing the broader theoretical questioning of marketing’s contribution to corporate strategy, this research uncovers how marketing practitioners’ complex skills and knowledge are combined and deployed while driving strategic change programs. To fill a gap identified in the literature regarding the role of marketing managers in strategic change, their involvement is analyzed according to a twofold perspective by considering the degree of proactivity in both the change in strategy content and the change in strategy processes. Drawing on qualitative data, the empirical investigation suggests a change agency model and uncovers the distinctive roles endorsed by marketing managers. These roles lead to four different postures in strategic change programs (i.e., the pilot, advisor, expert and synergist) and the respective dynamic managerial capabilities that marketing managers rely on in each of the configurations.