Salesperson and Sales Manager Perceptions of Salesperson Job Characteristics and Job Outcomes: A Perceptual Congruence Approach

Abstract

AbstractInconsistencies in perceptions between salespeople and sales managers have the potential for adverse effects on salesperson job-related outcomes. This study investigates the extent to which the direction and absolute size of these differences influence salesperson job-related outcomes. The results indicate salesperson-sales manager perceptions regarding job characteristics differ and that these differences are related to salesperson role ambiguity, job satisfaction, qualitative and quantitative performance and commitment. Managerial and research implications are advanced. Additional informationNotes on contributorsKenneth R. EvansKenneth R. Evans is associate dean and professor of marketing at the University of Missouri-Columbia. His research interests are interpersonal influence, salesperson supervision, business-to-business relationships and service marketing. He has published articles in academic journals including, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, and the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, and several others. He is on the editorial review board or serves as an ad hoc reviewer for Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Industrial Marketing Management among others.John L. SchlacterDwayne D. Gremler is an associate professor of marketing in the College of Business Administration at Bowling Green State University. His current research interests are in services marketing, particularly in issues related to customer loyalty and retention, relationship marketing, service guarantees, self-service technology, and word-of-mouth communication. His work has been published in Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Service Research, International Journal of Service Industry Management, Journal of Professional Services Marketing and several others.Roberta J. SchultzRoberta J. Schultz is an Assistant Professor of Marketing, Graduate Center of Western Michigan University in Grand Rapids. She has former experience in sales and sales management positions, and her research interests are focused on relationship marketing and team selling. She has published research in such journals as Psychology and Marketing, Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing, Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, as well as various national proceedingsDwayne D. GremlerMichael W. Pass (Ph.D., Arizona State University) is an assistant professor of marketing at California State University, San Marcos. He has held Marketing Director and Marketing Manager positions with firms in the foodservice industry. His research focuses on sales management issues with particular emphasis on relationships between manufacturers' representatives and their principals. He has presented papers at professional meeting and completed research with the Manufacturers' Representatives Educational Research Foundation.Michael PassJohn L. Schlacter is professor of marketing in the College of Business at Arizona State University. He teaches and consults in the areas of both marketing and management, including a special emphasis in services. His research and publications have spanned industrial, wholesale/retail and service organizations and trade associations and have appeared in Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, Psychology and Marketing, Industrial Marketing Management, Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Professional Services Marketing, and several others.William G. WolfeWilliam G. Wolfe is currently a visiting associate professor in the College of Business at Oregon State University. His primary research interests are in the areas of personal selling, services marketing, and the assessment of customer orientation. He has published in California Management Review, Journal of Professional Services Marketing, Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management and several others.