MARKETING AMBIDEXTERITY, TEMPORAL ORIENTATION AND ALIGNMENT BETWEEN ATTITUDES AND ACTIONS: EVIDENCE FROM CROATIAN MARKETING MANAGERS

This study examines how marketing ambidexterity, defined as a professional and value-based orientation of marketing managers, is manifested in practice through the interaction of individual characteristics and organisational context. It explores managers’ orientations towards marketing exploration and exploitation, their temporal focus, and the alignment between their thinking and actions under strong pressure for short-term results. Data were collected through 15 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with marketing managers from various industries and analysed using thematic content analysis. The findings show that most participants support an ambidextrous approach at the level of professional beliefs, but its implementation is often constrained by organisational factors, particularly short-term orientation, reward and control systems, and resource limitations. The gap between thinking and acting is interpreted as a result of misalignment between the individual and the organisation.