Dimensions and Types of Supervisory Control: Effects on Salesperson Performance and Satisfaction

TLDR

The study builds on Anderson and Oliver (1987) and Jaworski (1988) to extend the conceptual framework of supervisory control. The authors aim to isolate the independent effects of reinforcement control, differentiate activity and capability control, and map the direct and mediated impacts of supervisory control on salesperson performance and satisfaction. They tested a proposed framework using data from 270 salespeople across five industrial product divisions in two Fortune 500 firms. Results indicate that information and reinforcement effects differ, activity and capability controls have distinct impacts, supervisory controls mainly influence performance indirectly but affect satisfaction both directly and indirectly, and managers should align controls with desired outcomes.

Abstract

The authors extend the conceptual work of Anderson and Oliver (1987) and Jaworski (1988) on control in three ways. First, they account for the independent effects of the reinforcement dimension of control, in addition to the information dimension traditionally studied. Second, to reflect the varied behaviors that supervisors attempt to control, they disaggregate behavior control into activity control and capability control. Third, they delineate the direct and mediated effects of control on salespeople. Their proposed framework was tested with data collected from 270 salespeople in five industrial product divisions of two Fortune 500 companies. The findings suggest that managers must carefully match controls-in-use with desired results. Overall, the results show that information and reinforcement effects vary, which suggests the need to distinguish between the information provided and the actual reinforcements administered to salespeople. They also show that activity and capability control have different effects and draw a sharp distinction between two types of behavior control. Finally, the results suggest that supervisory controls primarily have indirect effects on salesperson performance, but both direct and indirect effects on satisfaction