Exploring Principals’ Perceptions of Market Orientation in Modern Schools

Eleftheria Palla (), Panagiotis Serdaris, Ioannis Antoniadis and Konstantinos Spinthiropoulos
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Eleftheria Palla: Department of Management Science and Technology, University of Western Macedonia, 50150 Kozani, Greece
Panagiotis Serdaris: Department of Management Science and Technology, University of Western Macedonia, 50150 Kozani, Greece
Ioannis Antoniadis: Department of Management Science and Technology, University of Western Macedonia, 50150 Kozani, Greece
Konstantinos Spinthiropoulos: Department of Management Science and Technology, University of Western Macedonia, 50150 Kozani, Greece

Administrative Sciences, 2025, vol. 15, issue 5, 1-21

Abstract: Background/Purpose: In an increasingly competitive educational landscape, the school principal’s role has expanded beyond instructional leadership to include strategic marketing responsibilities. Yet the role of marketing in school leadership remains underexplored. Our objective was to investigate how Greek secondary school principals perceive marketing’s key dimensions (Customer Orientation, Competitor Orientation, and Inter-Functional Coordination) within schools, in comparison to other school staff members. Design/Methodology: A cross-sectional survey design was employed, collecting data using a structured questionnaire adapted from Oplatka and Hemsley-Brown. The sample comprised 350 respondents, including school principals and teaching staff. One-way ANOVA, supplemented by Games–Howell and Kruscall–Wallis tests, was employed to examine group differences across the three dimensions of market orientation. Results : Our findings indicate that principals demonstrate a higher level of Customer Orientation than other staff. However, no significant differences were found in Competitor Orientation or Inter-Functional Coordination across roles. Conclusions/Novelty : The findings suggest that while principals play a key role in aligning school functions and engaging with internal stakeholders, their sensitivity to external competition remains limited. The study highlights the evolving nature of school leadership while showing that marketing strategies in Greek schools are insufficiently implemented, calling for research into how leadership training can enhance market responsiveness.

Keywords: marketing services; educational marketing; educational process; secondary schools; school principals (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L M M0 M1 M10 M11 M12 M14 M15 M16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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