Impact of job formalization and administrative controls on attitudes of industrial salespersons

Article Abstract:

Sales Managers formalize the jobs of salespersons to direct, influence, and shape behaviors and ensure that there is little behavioral variability. Formalization's imperative for coordination, however, conflicts with salespersons' desire for autonomy. As a result, formalization causes salespersons to experience negative attitudes such as higher role stress and lower organizational commitment. This study examines whether administrative control mechanisms, such as output-based or process-based controls, help reduce the deleterious impact of formalization on salespersons' attitudes. The study finds that output-based controls help reduce the negative impact of formalization on role ambiguity and organizational commitment, but not on role conflict. The process-based controls do not help reduce the negative impact of formalization on any of the three attitudes examined in this study. Although output-based controls are criticized for imposing short-term performance pressure on salespersons, the results of this study justify their use over process-based controls, especially in a highly formalized job environment. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Sales Management, Job Description & Qualifications, Beliefs, opinions and attitudes, Job descriptions, Job qualifications

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Consequences of marketing controls among sales and nonsales marketing personnel

Article Abstract:

Controls are an inevitable part of every organization. However, controls can produce undesirable work attitudes and behavioral outcomes among employees. This study examines the relationships between controls and these undesirable consequences for industrial sales personnel and contrasts it with that for nonsales marketing personnel. The study is based on a self-administered questionnaire filled by 150 sales personnel and 150 nonsales personnel drawn randomly from a recent listing of American Marketing Association members. The findings point to several important differences among sales and nonsales personnel. Understanding these differences should enable managers to assess better marketing personnel and to design control systems that can better channel their efforts to toward achieving marketing goals. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Marketing management, Business-to-business market, Business to business market

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Influence of managerial behaviors and job autonomy on job satisfaction of industrial salespersons: a cross-cultural study

Article Abstract:

The present study examines the effects of managerial behaviors (i.e., initiation of structure and consideration) and job autonomy on industrial salespersons' job satisfaction. The study also investigates the generalizability of our theoretical model developed for U.S. salespersons to salespersons in Australia and India. In general, the study findings suggest perceived job autonomy is an important antecedent to job satisfaction among salespersons from all three countries. Surprisingly, little differences were observed in the impact of managerial initiation of structure and consideration on job satisfaction among the sales personnel from three countries. Implications of the importance of managerial behaviors and job autonomy are developed for research and practice. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Psychological aspects, Job satisfaction, Sales managers, Manufacturers' agents, Manufacturers' representatives

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