Antecedents and consequences of salesperson burnout

TLDR

Prior research on salesperson burnout is expanded by incorporating a broader set of predictors and testing a conceptual model across multiple companies internationally. The study investigates the antecedents and outcomes of salesperson burnout. The authors predict relationships among burnout, attitudes, and behavior from literature and test them with survey data from 148 Australian field salespeople. Path analysis confirms the model, revealing that intrinsic motivation, role ambiguity, and role conflict predict burnout, which in turn lowers job satisfaction and performance and indirectly reduces organizational commitment and increases turnover intentions, with implications for salesforce management and future research.

Abstract

Investigates the antecedents and outcomes of salesperson burnout. Prior research on burnout in personal selling is extended by including a more complete set of predictors of burnout, and by testing the conceptual model of burnout using a multi‐company sample of field salespeople in an international setting. Relationships among burnout, attitudes, and behavior are predicted based on relevant literature, and are tested using survey results from 148 field salespeople in Australia. Path analysis results show that the proposed conceptual model fits the data well. Intrinsic motivation, role ambiguity, and role conflict are all significant antecedents of burnout. Job satisfaction and salesperson performance are direct outcomes of burnout, and also mediate the indirect influence of burnout on organizational commitment and intention to leave. Implications for salesforce management and future research are discussed.