EXPRESS: Exploring Capabilities for Better Market Inclusivity

This research extends the concept of organizational capabilities into the Transformative Consumer Research domain. We argue that the continued advancement toward more just markets demands critical reflection on the conceptual framing of inclusivity and the organizational capabilities required to build market inclusivity. The study advances market sociodiversity as a concept that integrates surface- and deep-level diversity facets to broaden the understanding of inclusivity. Our analysis answers three research questions: 1) What does it mean for organizations to address market sociodiversity? 2) What should the role of marketing be in creating sociodiversity-mindful organizations? and 3) What policy innovations can facilitate an organizational shift towards an inclusive sociodiversity outlook? Adopting a theories-in-use approach, the authors conduct a multi-phased qualitative study using data collected from 35 managers across marketing and other organizational functions. Findings highlight that organizational professionals recognize the need for holistic and sustained engagement with market sociodiversity. They also show that marketing facilitates a reciprocal relationship between internal and market-facing inclusivity capabilities, connecting leadership and employees, and market perspectives. Together, these findings inform a conceptual model of capabilities for market inclusivity with theoretical and policy implications.