ABSTRACT

Viewing markets as socially constructed, and thus consciously reconstructable value-creating systems, opens interesting avenues for managerial practice. Strategic decisions regarding markets are no longer limited to market selection or positioning in an existing space; for in addition, markets themselves can be shaped for higher value creation, growth and profitability. Based on an abductive research process that was founded on a continuous literature review and involved 63 executives from 16 firms in two countries, we identified 12 distinct levers that a focal firm wanting to shape their markets can focus on. These managerial levers are further categorized into four themes (1) reworking the exchange process by which the focal firm connects with customers, (2) reshaping the network that supports the exchange process and customers’ use practices, (3) revising the representations that are used to symbolize the market, and (4) reforming the norms that guide all interactions in the market. The developed framework provides an organized and actionable overview of the elements that can form the content of market-shaping strategies, thus illuminating the “black box” between previously explored antecedents and outcomes of such strategies.

摘要

将市场视为社会构建的，从而有意识地重建价值创造系统，为管理实践开辟了有趣的途径。有关市场的战略决策不再局限于现有空间中的市场选择或定位；因为此外，市场本身可以塑造成更高的价值创造、增长和盈利能力。基于基于连续文献综述的溯因研究过程，涉及来自两个国家 16 家公司的 63 名高管，我们确定了 12 种不同的杠杆，希望塑造其市场的重点公司可以关注这些杠杆。这些管理杠杆进一步分为四个主题 (1) 改造核心公司与客户联系的交换过程，(2) 重塑支持交换过程和客户使用实践的网络，(3) 修改用于象征市场的表示法，以及 (4) 改革指导市场中所有互动的规范。开发的框架对构成市场塑造战略内容的要素进行了有组织且可操作的概述，从而阐明了先前探索的此类战略的前因和结果之间的“黑匣子”。