Mahmoud Darrat

An Investigation into the Effects of Work–Family Conflict and Job Satisfaction on Salesperson Deviance

The linkages between and effects of work–family conflict and salesperson deviance behaviors have not received adequate attention in the marketing literature. This is surprising given the profound academic and practical implications that could be derived from further research in the area. Research suggests that an alarming 40 percent of sales reps admit to engaging in workplace deviance and 66 percent did not feel that deviant conduct would result in significant punishment. This study examines work–family conflict as a primary antecedent of salesperson deviance. Salespeople experiencing increased divergence between work and family roles will likely react by violating organizational norms that will inevitably affect key organizational outcomes.

On The Dysfunctional Consequences of Salesperson Exhaustion

Salespeople are particularly susceptible to stress given the nature of their roles. This research examines emotional exhaustion as a facilitator of dysfunctional sales behaviors and accentuates the importance of leadership processes in mitigating stress. Results indicate that leader member exchange is sequentially related to emotional exhaustion, salesperson deviance (organizational, frontline), and turnover intentions. Managerial implications are discussed along with suggestions for enhancing salesperson-manager relationships and mitigating salesperson deviance.

Toward an Understanding of Causality Between Advertising and Sales: New Evidence from a Multivariate Cointegrated System

This article explores the nature of causality between advertising and sales for two mature brands in different industries (carbonated soft drinks and smokeless tobacco) using more than three decades of time series data. The empirical results suggest that advertising and sales for both brands move in tandem over the long term, but only when controlling for economic climate. The results further imply that for Brand CSD (carbonated soft drinks), advertising and sales appear causally unrelated in the short run, while significant one-way causality exists from sales to advertising in the long run. This suggests that advertising investments over the long term are dependent on sales revenues, opposite to what is commonly perceived. A similar advertising policy may be in place over the short term for Brand T (tobacco). The analysis extends prior research by revisiting the “advertising or sales” assessment using current data from mature industries. We contend that advertising expenditures are subject to change based on sales volume in slow-growth industries.

Individual Characteristics Influencing B2B Salesperson Deviance: An Abstract

The research reported in this presentation describes a psychographic scale intended to assess negatively deviant B2B salesperson behaviors, each one indicating some aspect of salesperson shirking. A deviant salesperson would perform shirking behaviors that are uncharacteristic of peer behavior and that violate established workplace rules, policies, or codes. A study employing a sample of 200 B2B salespeople provides data for scale validation and to examine potential individual difference characteristics that lead to salesperson shirking. A two-step SEM approach provides a test of the proposed measurement theory, using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and the subsequent causal model. The CFA model provides reasonably good fit. The shirking scale displays good construct validity with the caveat that the AVE falls below 50 % although the construct reliability estimate is 0.82. Results from the causal model between constructs assess antecedents to shirking. Employees’ risk-taking reports relate negatively to shirking, while self-efficacy relates positively. In contrast, no significant relationship between salesperson and organization fit displays an insignificant relationship with shirking. Implications for management and future research are discussed.

Toward an Understanding of Salesperson Deviance: A Structured Abstract

Markenting employees, and in particular professional salespeople, typically experience greater job autonomy than do many other employees. A free market characterized by competitivenss and varying consumer demands requires that salespeople and service providers adapt and change across many situations.

The Interplay of Emotion Regulation and Sales Experience in Salesperson Conflicts: Evidence from an Emerging Economy

ABSTRACT It is human nature that personal interactions are often charged with emotions and laden with conflicts. Workplace encounters are not immune from this reality. Despite this, few studies have examined ways to reduce interpersonal conflict in the workplace. This study examines the interpersonal impact of emotion regulation on salesperson relationships with stakeholders. Using structural equation modeling, results of the analysis showed that salespersons regulation of emotions was negatively related to interpersonal conflict with co-workers as well as with customers; and positively impacted customer-oriented sales behaviors. The results also support the moderating role of selling experience in the relationship between emotion regulation and interpersonal conflict with customers. That is, the negative relationship between regulation and conflict with customers is stronger for salespeople with lower sales experience. These findings put forward important managerial implications with regard to the recruitment and training of sales professionals.

A Closer Look at the Effects of LMX and Emotional Exhaustion: Are Drained Salespeople More Deviant?

There has been an emerging research interest in salesperson deviance, or anti-normative behaviors that are opportunistically directed at the organization and/or its constituents (Jelinek and Ahearne 2010; Darrat et al. 2010; Jelinek and Ahearne 2006). Extant literature has generally conceptualized deviance as unconventional behaviors that breach organizational protocols with an implicitly and/or explicitly opportunistic motive (Robinson and Bennett 1995). For example, overworked salespeople may react to ‘unfair’ work schedules by shirking their job responsibilities, running personal errands on company time, or venting out work-related frustrations to customers. The outcomes of such behaviors negatively impact employee productivity and customer loyalty (Dunlop and Lee 2004). Therefore, it may be preferable from the organization’s standpoint for exhausted salespeople to leave rather than to remain in a deviant capacity. However, some salespeople may be forced by circumstance to remain in jobs at the expense of their own emotional well-being. In such cases, are exhausted stayers more likely to break organizational norms? If so, what impact does LMX have, if any, on their exhaustion and subsequent behaviors? The purpose of this research is to address these questions by examining the linkages between LMX and emotional exhaustion and the ensuing impact on salesperson deviance. Based on the results, the manuscript proposes practical courses of action for sales managers with regard to developing meaningful exchange relationships with salespeople as well as recommendations for reducing stress and promoting conformance within the sales force.