How to succeed in a dysfunctional environment: Configuring marketing agility components for better performance

Abstract

This study investigates the role of the marketing agility chain in dysfunctional environments. We examine two core components of marketing agility—market sensing and marketing implementation flexibility—and identify configurations that foster superior performance under market uncertainty. Two distinct trajectories of market sensing are explored: customer orientation and innovativeness, both of which enhance the flexible implementation of marketing decisions. Using data from 249 firms in an emerging market, we test the performance effects of the interplay between market sensing and marketing flexibility through structural equation modeling (SEM) and further assess effective configurations using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). To evaluate outcomes, we employ both subjective and objective performance measures. The results confirm the assumed chain of effects in marketing agility, revealing a strong synergy between its components in creating conditions for superior performance, even in dysfunctional environments.