Marketing in business networks: the creation of a book

What prompted you to write the book? How did the four of you end up working together?

Tibor Mandják: ‘I had been thinking for a long time that it would be good to compile a book on business relationship management in Hungarian. However, I needed the diverse practical, business and higher education experience that my colleagues and I had accumulated over the years to make the final decision. Last autumn, I asked my colleagues if they would like to join me as co-authors, as the topic is too complex for one person to tackle alone. I met Gergő two years earlier at doctoral school and brought Zoli on board around the same time because of his humanities degree. Once the synopsis was complete, it became clear that Mari's expertise would be useful in two areas, so a few weeks later, I asked her to join us.

Gergő Pázsi: I think I can speak for everyone when I say that we were impressed by how much energy, enthusiasm and experience Tibor threw into the project, to the point where it would have been difficult to say no. Perhaps we all considered saying no at some point, but Tibor's energy and knowledge were so compelling that, from that moment on, we were all in and there was no stopping us.

Zoltán Baróthy: Tibor has always been characterised by the endless optimism we see today, and it has rubbed off on us, too. At first, the task seemed daunting, but with hindsight, it's clear that Tibor recognised everyone's strengths and knew how to contribute to them.

Mária Magyar: You could say that Tibor's personality guaranteed good teamwork, and I think we're already looking forward to working on another project together.

How did you divide up the tasks and parts to be written? Were there any disagreements, either professional or regarding the work process?

M.: T.: We actually had a clear idea about the division of labour right from the start. Everyone wrote their own part, which we then discussed in detail. Finally, Zoli made the texts 'fit for human consumption', which led to some great conversations! I started with the theoretical basis, then Gergő wrote all four chapters in no time. Zoli then went through every single page and ironed out all the linguistic problems. There were several occasions when I actually understood what I had written! Of course, we had our disagreements. For example, we spent at least two hours arguing about the meaning of the oak tree metaphor on two separate occasions, which we owe to Maria.

P. G.: I would add that, although we discussed many details, there was strong consensus about how we viewed business relationships. And the things we debated or brainstormed about were basically just minor details, because the general direction was clear from the start.

B. Z.: We had to stick to a tight schedule in order to read and discuss everything together. However, since we set a fixed time for our weekly meetings, we always knew when we had to be ready, which made it easier to fit the work into our schedules. I think our working method clearly demonstrates the point we make in the book that 2 + 2 does not always equal four, but more, because when we combine our knowledge, the result is much greater than the sum of our individual parts.

M.M: The most exciting part of the work for me was when Zoli and I started to pick apart my text. He went through every unclear sentence and pointed out the problems. I learnt a lot from him about how to make difficult terminology understandable in writing, it's completely different from explaining the material verbally in class! Zoli is very modest, but he was undoubtedly a huge driving force for our team!

B. Z.: I learned a lot from you about understanding scientific theories and complex relationships. I remember having great conversations with Gergő about practical cases from his business experience when we were deciding which ones to include in the book. It was a mutual learning experience.

Maria, what was it like being the only woman working with three men? What do this book and the research itself mean to you?

M.M : If I may say so, the guys treated me like a queen throughout the writing process. They even adjusted our meetings to fit in with my two young children's story time (laughs). It has also always been important to me that there is good professional chemistry, so when I work with men, we see each other as equal partners. When Tibor asked me to work on the book, I was certain that he would bring together people with whom this would be possible.  I also had just finished my doctoral thesis, and its topic overlapped significantly with the topic Tibor wanted me to write about for the book. I was delighted that my thesis could be published as a book based on my own research.

I would also add that motherhood was a huge advantage for our collaboration as it forced me to organise my tasks better, making me much more goal-oriented. This often helped me to make decisions when we went off topic during our regular discussions, and helped me to steer us back on track and finish the day's task.

But why is it important to talk about business networks today? What do university students or professionals need to know?

M. T.: I think the concept of business networks and relationships has two important yet simple messages. Firstly, you can't do it alone. If you don't have a partner, you don't have a business: we are all mutually dependent on each other. The market economy is built on business, so strange as it may seem, what we are talking about in this book is probably one of the fundamental principles of a functioning market economy. The book's central idea is that business is essentially an interactive process of mutual value creation. We then explore how this complexity can manifest itself in management or leadership. This is also what the oak tree metaphor is about.

P.G.: I can confirm what Tibor said: we need to be aware that we are not alone in business. Based on my experience, however, this attitude is still lacking in many companies. Yet, just as in our private lives, we need to take our business relationships seriously.

B. Z.: This is another reason why I consider our work a mission: overall, we are creating a textbook for future professionals, company managers, and employees. The sooner they become familiar with this approach through contemporary, practical examples, the sooner it will become ingrained in their mindset.

How do you see the future of this field? What trends can we expect in the coming years?

M.: T.: I am confident that more and more people will realise the importance of being mindful in business relationships, and that this can give us a significant advantage as managers and leaders. From a scientific point of view, I think it will continue to evolve as a research direction. While I fear this way of thinking will never completely replace mainstream marketing, I have seen encouraging signs around the world that more and more people are interested in relationship marketing, as discussed in our book, in both the economic and political spheres.

B. Z.: Not long ago, I heard a philosopher say that what we are currently experiencing in the two areas mentioned by Tibor can be described as symptoms of a crisis. Crises are painful, but they also bring renewal. I too hope that we will eventually reach a consensus on the importance of relationships.

M.: M.: I would like to conclude with two key concepts: mutual dependence and value creation. Our aim is to make these two concepts second nature to as many managers and corporate decision-makers as possible.

The full book is available at mersz.hu.

Photos: Bence Végh, Bence Farkas