A cross-national validation of the Narver and Slater market orientation scale

Although widely used, the Narver and Slater (1990) measure of market orientation has not yet been validated by structural equation modeling (SEM). Results of SEM suggest a nine-item, three-dimensional model of the components or subscales of market orientation: customer, competitor orientation, and interfunctional coordination. Covariances between the three dimensions in the final model, however, suggest that the measures customer, competitor orientation, and interfunctional coordination can be considered as independent. A preliminary invariance test suggests that the three dimensions are robust across varying country groupings and organizational types. Implications for further research into market orientation are discussed.