Who creates international marketing agility? Diasporic agility guiding new market entry processes in emerging contexts

Abstract

International marketing agility is a crucial dynamic capability in international business. The purpose of this article is to examine who creates it and how exporters and partners leverage diasporic agility. We employ case study research on two diaspora entrepreneurs acting as ambidextrous strategic channel partners and playing a central role in guiding the exporter to new markets. In both cases, the role of the diaspora entrepreneurs as channel partners was decisive in providing multistage agility for the exporter while employing their specific market drive and understanding as a source of competitive advantage. While the exporters concentrated on their core business, the partners sensed, seized, and reconfigured resources to enable market entry and growth under culturally and politico‐economically demanding conditions. The diasporic understanding of the markets was a unique form of this agility and fundamental for the right strategies and an exporter's international marketing. Diaspora channel partners facilitated entry and lowered the cost of international marketing by providing advanced and more locally legitimate knowledge, fostering ambidexterity. We contribute to the conceptualization of the role of diaspora as an international marketing agility actor.

Bridging the Gap Transnationally—Coupling Migrants' Informal and Formal Business Activities Through Hybrid Business Models

“…In this process, the EEs on both sides play an essential role as containers (Granovetter 1985;Polanyi 1957), in which the TMEs can turn their ideas into action by forming social ties and embedding themselves in the entrepreneurial culture and business market. In turn, the EEs are shaped by the TMEs and can benefit from their transnational connections and the multifocal practices and imported ideas, finances, cultures, and knowledge (David, Schaefer, and Terstriep 2021;Elo and Silva 2022;Szymanski, Valderrey Villar, and Cervantes Zepeda 2021). These findings imply that TMEs, as managers and founders, must carefully assess and orchestrate their ideas, resources, and business operations in contexts that are not limited to one country but connect EEs and business transnationally.…”

“…In the literature, hybrid business models based on entrepreneurs' multifocal practices in diverse settings are still seldom highlighted, similar to hybrid business models and their transformations from informal to formal. The cases suggest policy implications for creating flexible schemes for TME that allow easy testing of ideas in a legitimate manner and foster turning already started operations into formal businesses at the right time (Elo and Silva 2022). Leaving possible gray areas without attention hinders and reduces transnational businesses' employment and sustainable prosperity effects on the respective societies.…”

“…Migrant entrepreneurs thus strategically couple informal with formal in hybrid business structures, highlighting TMEs' bricolage abilities and improvisation rather than strategic planning, abilities which allow them “[t]o deal with the scarcity of resources, recombining them in creative ways to cope with difficulties and unexpected drifts” (Komatsu Cipriani et al 2020, 561). Elo and Silva (2022, 444) introduce the concept of “diasporic agility,” which refers to a particularly agile interplay for new markets with ambidextrous roles among channel partners and multilevel actors in business markets.…”

Ambidextrous organizations in and from emerging markets—Editors' special issue introduction

“…The fifth study is based on the context of International marketing agility in the international business, titled “ Who Creates International Marketing Agility? Diasporic Agility Guiding New Market Entry Processes in Emerging Contexts ” by Elo and e Silva (2022) and aims to learn how exporters and partners leverage diasporic agility with case studies on two diaspora entrepreneurs. These entrepreneurs have a key role to play as channel partners and guide exporters to launch themselves in new markets.…”