Does implementation of a JIT‐with‐customers strategy change an organization's structure?

Manufacturers have begun to develop and implement strategies that focus on strengthening the operations/marketing interface with customers. Claycomb et al. originally identified and described one such strategy, just‐in‐time (JIT)‐with‐customers, and assessed its impact on organizational structure. Generally, this study seeks to replicate their original work with two primary differences: marketing, rather than logistics executives, are surveyed and structural equation modeling, rather than regression analysis, is used to analyze the data.

Data collected from 180 marketing executives are analyzed using a structural equation modeling approach to assess the impact of JIT‐with‐customers on the organizational structure dimensions of integration, performance control, specialization and decentralization.

Results of this study indicate that JIT‐with‐customers impacts integration, performance control and specialization but is not related to decentralization.

The findings generally support the proposition that adoption of a JIT‐with‐customers strategy will result in changes in organizational structure.

Manufacturing managers working to strengthen relationships with customers through a JIT‐with‐customers approach should prepare for organizational change in terms of increased integration, performance control, and specialization.

JIT strategies focusing on the operations/marketing interface are being implemented within the manufacturing sector. This study assesses the impact of one such strategy, JIT‐with‐customers, for only the second time. The results verify the earlier work of Claycomb et al. and expand the operations/marketing interface literature.