In marketing, compared with other organizational dimensions
such as leadership, culture, structure, and processes, relatively
scant attention has been devoted to the effect of strategy on firm
performance, especially in the global context. Rapid globalization
of markets, along with ever-increasing dynamic demands
on the marketing organization, necessitates a new examination.
This article reports on a study that examines the role of strategy
and other organizational forces on the performance of globally
focused marketing organizations headquartered in Norway,
Sweden, and the United States. The general findings indicate
that (1) the constructs of leadership, strategy, and culture precede
the globally focused marketing organization’s structure;
(2) strategy precedes structure; and (3) organizational structure
and processes influence marketing and financial performance.
Many relationships appear to be consistent across countries,
and some are uniquely tied to the home-country markets.