Promoters in a matrix organization's social network during industrial project sales

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to increase understanding about the key persons (promoters) in project business organizations. By doing this, the managers may enhance the communication flow by connecting the experts and the executives more efficiently. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is an in-depth single case study in which the case represents a typical industrial project sales process. The case is analysed through content analysis and social network analysis that offers a structured and rigorous method of analysing social networks. Findings – The findings indicate that during project sales there may be numerous process promoters with the dual roles of power and process promoter. In addition, this study demonstrated the appearance of process promoters in the project supplier's social network. The findings of the present study contribute to the literature on promoters by focusing especially on process promoters during project sales. Practical implications – The results of the present study suggest that the process promoters need to be identified and supported in order to build an effective cross-functional project sales team in project business. Originality/value – While the extant literature identifies the promoters in organizations, there appears to be a dearth of studies that relate to the early phases of project sales, despite the fact that these phases have a substantial impact on subsequent phases. This study is a rare example to study empirically the promoters in the project business organization's social network.