ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the importance of the “relationship” construct that has become a central organizing theme for business markets. The reality is that most managers, given the current training and skills, maintain only a limited contact with the customers and suppliers, especially those in nonselling functions of the marketing organization. Executive education programs must be redesigned to address these new challenges as well. Managers need to have a broader understanding of the customers, distributors, vendors, and other parties in the supply chain. The executive education program content has to be relevant to their work even as it trains their minds to think expansively outside the current boundaries. It also needs to blend the strategic and conceptual elements with hands-on tools and techniques carefully and judiciously. The suggestion emanating from the commentary is pitched at the middle-management level. Moreover, our concentration was on organization renewal and change, while the commentary addresses functional effectiveness.
