Do different marketing practices require different leadership styles? An exploratory study

Abstract

Purpose – The literature discusses the relationship between marketing practice and leadership style and suggests that these are dynamic and linked. Providing empirical data, this paper seeks to investigate this relationship between marketing practices and leadership styles.Design/methodology/approach – A model was developed and tested using a survey methodology based on two well‐validated research instruments, one from the Contemporary Marketing Practices research group and the other the MLQ leadership questionnaire. Data were analyzed using a Partial Least Squares (PLS) approach.Findings – The results showed that a transformational style of leadership is positively associated with interaction and network marketing. Transactional leadership is positively associated with database and network marketing. Passive/avoidant leadership has no effect on any of the marketing practices.Research limitations/implications – The research is unique and exploratory, and was conducted in a UK context. The use of moderator...