Business-to-Business Selling in Transition: A Digital Dynamic Managerial Capability Framework

Abstract

Despite an increased understanding of changing customer behavior and requirements for more digitalized selling opportunities, the use of new advanced technologies (such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotic process automation) in business-to-business (B2B) selling is still in an early stage among Finnish small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Furthermore, the increased complexity of expanding relationships and rapidly evolving technologies to be managed in the ecosystem era challenges many SMEs. In order to assist managers in these enterprises to enact a digital transformation and to survive in the ecosystem era, this article draws analytical insights from various streams of literature (B2B selling and sales management, dynamic managerial capabilities, digital transformation, and ecosystems) and establishes a new understanding of the dynamic capabilities of managers in relation to the digital transformation occurring around B2B-selling processes. The article contributes to the sales management literature by developing (1) a framework of digital dynamic managerial capabilities as a means to address the current digital transformation in B2B selling, and (2) a research agenda for further study in the field of B2B selling. With regard to managerial implications, the article offers insights for managers on how to identify and develop their dynamic capabilities needed for strategic digital transformation.