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

Abstract

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