THE KEY ACCOUNTIZATION OF THE FIRM - A CASE-STUDY

This article focuses on the adaptation process undergone by a company to manage a particular part of its customers' portfolio: the key accou nts. It is based on an in-depth study of the evolution of a unit dedic ated to the management of key accounts in a company belonging to the t elecom sector. Data was gathered on a total of ten interviews with dif ferent managers of the key accounts unit using face-to-face interviewi ng techniques. After describing their theoretical framework grounded o n the Interaction Model developed by an European research group (the I MP Group) and the networks perspective, the authors first concentrate on the description of the various stages of the process corresponding to different supplier organizational modes. Then the authors propose a categorization of the possible explanatory factors of this process. S everal associated managerial implications are discussed. Particularly, the authors will show that the key accountization process is not uniq uely a result of adaptation to the customers but also a process of ada ptation to changes occurring at the supplier level or at the environme nt level. This process appearing more as a ''muddling through'' proces s than a carefully planned and implemented chain of events. Finally th e authors will show that this process sometimes is also creating compl exity by its very existence. This is raising the question of the desir able degree of organizational differentiation in key account programs.