Mediating effects of individual market orientation on the link between learning orientation and job performance

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine whether individual market orientation facilitates the development of learning orientation before influencing business-to-business (B2B) salespeople’s performance within the banking industry. Design/methodology/approach Data were gathered from 539 B2B salespeople from 18 licenced local and foreign financial institutions in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, by means of a structured survey. The individual market orientation (I-MARKOR) scale was used to measure their market-oriented behaviour specifically in terms of information acquisition, information dissemination and coordination of strategic response. The data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis via structural equation modelling to examine the hypothesized relationships. Findings Information Dissemination and Coordination of Strategic Response are reported to impose significant intervention effects on the relationship between learning orientation and job performance. Salespeople who embrace positive learning values are in a favourable position to disseminate and respond to new market information. Subsequently, these behaviours helped them to achieve higher levels of job performance. Practical implications By assessing and profiling the market-oriented behaviour of their salespeople, firms will be able to focus on the right competencies training and market-focussed performance appraisal. Originality/value This paper contributes to the enrichment of the existing literature on individual market orientation and learning orientation by proposing a model that was empirically tested to be a valid and reliable predictor of job performance.