The Impact of Market Orientation on Knowledge Management: An Empirical Investigation in China

The relationship between market orientation (MO) and marketing performance or financial performance has been identified in prior research. However, little attention has been paid to the impact of MO on other constructs such as knowledge-related capabilities. The current paper aims to explore the linkage between two strategies, MO and knowledge management (KM). By examining the components of these two constructs, the study seeks to identify key components of MO that are key predictors for KM. Correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis were undertaken on data from a survey of firms in China. The empirical findings show that both customer and competitor orientations, together with inter-functional coordination, are important drivers of a firm's different dimensions of KM capabilities. The implications of the findings and the limitations as well as future research directions are also discussed.