Using action research to develop a market orientation in an Australian government business enterprise

This article describes an action research study I conducted in an Australian government business enterprise (GBE), with the twin aims of changing the organisational culture towards a market orientation and using this research for a doctoral thesis. GBEs are government-owned or government-controlled entities that produce goods and services on a commercial basis. Corporatisation of GBEs has been embraced by governments wanting to transform mostly state-owned monopolies into more commercial organisations while retaining them in public ownership. However, this move has not always improved their performance. At the time of this study, I was the marketing manager at a regional operating division of a national GBE. By the end of the study — which involved three action research cycles, over four years and 42 participants — I had successfully developed a diagnostic tool for implementing a market orientation and also completed my PhD. This tool will greatly increase the possibility of positively impacting an organisation’s business performance.