A new, multi‐item scale for operationalizing Miles and Snow's (1978) strategic typology— defenders, prospectors, analyzers, and reactors—is proposed and field‐tested in this paper. Relatively pure strategic types, identified as those organizations classified similarly using both the newly developed, multi‐item scale and the traditionally employed paragraph approach, are used to analyze the relationship between strategic types, distinctive marketing competencies, and organizational performance. Results of analysis suggest that while the marketing competencies of prospector organizations are superior to those of analyzer, defender, and reactor organizations, all three stable archetypes perform equally well in terms of profitability and outperform reactors. The newly developed strategic types scale performs well and appears to possess significant managerial and research potential. It is theoretically anchored, easily administered, and possesses diagnostic value to both strategists and their organizations.

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Implementation pervades strategic performance. It is a critical link between the formulation of marketing strategies and the achievement of superior organizational performance. Research conducted in this area generally has suffered from a lack of conceptual and empirical grounding. Furthermore, implementation research often ignores the mid-level managers, who are intricately involved in most implementation activities. The authors integrate a broad literature review and a grounded theory-building process to develop a model of important factors that influence the implementation of marketing strategies from a managerial perspective. They test this model in a study of mid-level marketing managers in two different organizations. The results provide insights into the nature of implementation in marketing and suggest future research opportunities.

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