The effect of teams on customer knowledge processing, esprit de corps and account performance in international key account management
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine what the role of key account teams is in the management of international key account customers in terms of customer knowledge processing behaviours of the supplier, esprit de corps of employees and supplier's key account performance.
Design/methodology/approach
Survey data from large industrial firms in Finland are used to compare the differences between supplier firms having a team and those not having a team for managing the key account customer.
Findings
The results reveal a higher perceived level of customer‐knowledge acquisition, dissemination and utilisation, and of suppliers' key account performance, in the group representing team‐based key account management compared with the non‐team group.
Originality/value
The article is one of the first studies in which the role of teams in the management of international key account customers is examined based on empirical, quantitative data.
Keywords
Citation
Salojärvi, H. and Saarenketo, S. (2013), "The effect of teams on customer knowledge processing,
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2013, Emerald Group Publishing Limited