Interactions between Marketing and Quality at the SBU Level: Influences and Outcomes

Abstract

The management of quality and development of effective cross-functional cooperation have assumed a new strate gic importance over the past decade. However, many com panies have reported that quality strategies have failed to deliver anticipated performance benefits and that ineffec tive interfunctional relationships may be to blame. This study explores marketing-quality interfunctional relation ships as a potential source of quality strategy implemen tation failure at the strategic business unit (SBU) level. This study focuses on interdepartmental connectedness, communication and conflict between marketing and qual ity, and the antecedents and consequences of these dimen sions of interfunctional interaction. Using data from a pooled response mail survey, the results suggest that mar keting-quality interactions are associated with senior management quality leadership, strategic quality plan ning process, and control system characteristics. Inter-functional interactions between marketing and quality are found to be only weakly related to relative quality, market performance, and financial performance outcomes.

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