Relationships with Other Departments
Relationships
with Other Departments
Under the marketing concept, all departments need to “think
customer” and work together to satisfy customer needs and expectations. Yet
departments define company problems and goals from their viewpoint, so
conflicts of interest and communications problems are unavoidable. The
marketing vice president, or the CMO, must usually work through persuasion rather
than through authority to (1) coordinate the company’s internal marketing
activities and (2) coordinate marketing with finance, operations, and other
company functions to serve the customer.21 To help marketing and other
functions jointly determine what is in the company’s best interests, firms can
provide joint seminars, joint committees and liaison employees, employee
exchange programs, and analytical methods to determine the most profitable
course of action.Many companies now focus on key processes rather than
departments, because departmental organization can be a barrier to smooth
performance. They appoint process leaders, who manage cross-disciplinary teams
that include marketing and sales people. Marketers thus may have a solid-line
responsibility to their teams and a dotted-line responsibility to the marketing
department.
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