1. THE ROLE OF CULTURE STRENGTH IN SHAPING SALES FORCE OUTCOMES.
- Author
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Barnes, John W., Jackson, Donald W., Hutt, Michael D., and Kumar, Ajith
- Subjects
SALES personnel ,SOCIOCULTURAL factors ,SALES management ,JOB satisfaction research ,ORGANIZATIONAL commitment ,SALES culture ,RESEARCH methodology ,ORGANIZATIONAL research ,PSYCHOLOGY - Abstract
Although a strong culture has been widely acknowledged as a defining characteristic of successful firms, past research has failed to examine the influence it exerts on the attitudes and behavior of salespeople. In a two-sample study, we measure culture strength and explore its relationship to value congruity and to three sales force outcomes that define the sales management research tradition: role stress, organizational commitment, and job satisfaction. Within the contexts of the sales subculture of a Fortune 500 firm (Study 1) and specialized sales organizations (Study 2), the results reveal a compelling portrait of the forces that shape salesperson-culture fit. Specifically, the results of both studies indicate that a strong culture leads to higher levels of value congruity, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment, and lower levels of role stress. Key implications are highlighted for sales managers and for researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2006
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