scholarly journals An ecosystems analysis of how sales managers develop salespeople

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen M. Peesker ◽  
Lynette J. Ryals ◽  
Gregory A. Rich ◽  
Lenita Davis
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Coding System ◽  
Sales Managers ◽  
Leader Behaviors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Targeted Interventions ◽  
Sales Organizations ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Rich Data

Purpose The purpose of this study is to identify and explain how leadership behaviors of sales managers can enhance the development of salespeople within the context of those interpersonal connections and interactions that is the sales ecosystem. Design/methodology/approach The authors collected and analyzed qualitative data from in-depth interviews with a sample of 36 sales professionals. Over 47 hours of interviews were transcribed and analyzed via NVivo. The statements were labeled as particular leader behaviors using the Miles and Huberman (1994) coding system. Findings The study identifies coaching, customer engaging, collaborating and championing as the four key leader behaviors that are relevant to the sales ecosystem. Specifically, coaching and customer engaging enhance the individual microsystems of salespeople; and collaborating and championing enhance the corresponding mesosystems. Analysis of the interview statements further revealed that trust, confidence, optimism and resilience are four relational elements that tend to coexist with these leader behaviors in the sales ecosystem. Practical implications This study provides a structure for sales organizations to strengthen their sales ecosystem through targeted interventions and training for those that manage salespeople. Past research finds that sales organizations too often neglect this type of managerial training. Originality/value This is the first study to examine sales leadership through the lens of Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) ecological systems theory. Further, the qualitative methodology, which is relatively unique in sales research, provides rich data that is particularly useful for exploring how and why things have happened.

Identifying aggressive versus ethical sales supervision in B2B service recovery: a multilevel perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bilal Ahmad ◽  
Da Liu ◽  
Naeem Akhtar ◽  
Muhammad Imad-ud-Din Akbar
Keyword(s):  
Service Recovery ◽  
Internal Validity ◽  
Sales Managers ◽  
Surface Acting ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Deep Acting ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sales Organizations ◽  
Service Recovery Performance ◽  
Recovery Performance

PurposeThe current research provides a conceptual framework that explains how sales managers' aggression across business-to-business (B2B) sales organizations triggers salespeople's surface acting, deep acting and service recovery performance. It also investigates the moderating role of ethical leadership through sales managers' aggressiveness on service recovery performance.Design/methodology/approachThe authors test the model using multilevel analysis with cross-sectional data of 367 salespeople from different sales organizations.FindingsThe study shows that the aggression of sales managers has an adverse influence on service recovery performance. Additionally, aggressiveness among sales managers is positively connected with surface acting while adversely affecting deep acting. The study’s findings also indicate that ethical sales leadership is positively moderate among sales managers' aggressiveness and service recovery performance.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors collected data from individual salespersons, which is the limitation; however, future studies could collect data using the dyadic approach, such as matching responses from both managers and salespersons. This method could enhance the model's internal validity.Originality/valueSeveral studies have mainly focused on positive supervision styles in the literature on service recovery. At the same time, building a negative supervision model in the B2B service recovery context, which has been persistently ignored, is noteworthy.

The role of compliance for organisational change

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 334-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald Busse ◽  
Ufuk Doganer
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Organisational Change ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Lively Debate ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Depth Interviews

Purpose Fuelled by the latest scandals at Siemens, VW or Walmart, there is a lively debate on the role of compliance and ethics programmes. Unlike large corporations, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) arguably tend to underestimate their significance and lag behind. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to shed light on the process of introducing compliance codes and its effects on employee acceptance and performance. Design/methodology/approach In line with the qualitative methodology, the authors conducted 12 in-depth interviews with German SME employees which the authors evaluated with the qualitative content analysis. Findings As for the major contribution, results indicate the emergence of a lack of understanding, anger, anxiety and operational performance losses – both at the individual and the corporate level – especially when employees feel uninvolved in the initial introduction stadium. Originality/value Practicing managers may benefit from the recommendation to facilitate staff involvement at earlier stages. As for theory advancement, the authors draw on Kotter’s (2007) long surviving “Eight Steps Change Management Model” and find significant support for shifting the spotlight of attention towards the first four phases. The authors discuss the original value of the research, admit limitations and illuminate some promising future research trajectories.

Data analytics by management accountants

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary Spraakman ◽  
Cristobal Sanchez-Rodriguez ◽  
Carol Anne Tuck-Riggs
Keyword(s):  
Data Analytics ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Management Accounting ◽  
Content Type ◽  
External Data ◽  
South Central ◽  
Management Accountants ◽  
Central Canada ◽  
Financial Data Analysis ◽  
Rich Data

Purpose This paper aims to understand how the tasks of management accountants (MA) are affected by data analytics (DA). Design/methodology/approach A qualitative methodology was deemed most appropriate given the exploratory nature of the research questions (RQ). In total, 10 open-ended interview questions were used to gather the evidence. The case study design was inductive, yielding rich data from 29 respondents representing 20 different organizations. Findings Answers were provided to three interrelated RQs about the use of DA by MA, namely, what are their responsibilities? How does this work support inference, prediction and assurance? And how can they ensure insights from DA can be turned into decisions that add value? The findings also indicate that MA have not taken charge of the data analytic opportunities and at present, their activities remain largely focused on descriptive and financial data analysis rather than more complex activities using external data, operational data and modeling. Research limitations/implications The limitation of this research is that it is based on a relatively small, geographically restricted sample (20 organizations in south-central Canada) as well by interviews that were only 60 min in duration. Practical implications Provides a base for the existing practice of management accounting with DA. Social implications Explains the social relationship between DA and management accounting. Originality/value Documented and explained the extent of actual DA use by MA.

Women and the legitimization of (not) engaging in paid work: logics from Lebanon

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 628-658 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte M. Karam ◽  
Fida Afiouni
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Paid Work ◽  
Analytic Framework ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Career Opportunities ◽  
Contextual Understanding ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Career Research

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how public (i.e. culture, state, paid work) and private (i.e. household) patriarchal structures work to shape a woman’s own legitimacy judgments concerning not engaging in paid work. The authors trace the intersection and interaction of legitimacy logics at both the collective (i.e. validity) and individual (i.e. propriety) levels, thereby gaining a better contextual understanding of each woman’s perception of career opportunities and limitations. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative methodology drawing from 35 semi-structured interviews with Lebanese women. A multilevel analytic framework combining the institutional structures of private and public patriarchy with the micro-processes of institutional logics is used. Findings Legitimization of (not) engaging in paid work is often tied to patriarchal logics that favor private sphere responsibilities for women, particularly related to the relational and instrumental logics of childrearing and husband-oriented responsibilities. Women’s legitimacy judgment formation seems to be based on multilevel cues and on differential instances of evaluative vs passive judgment formation. Some appear to passively assume the legitimacy of the logics; while others more actively question these logics. The findings suggest that active questioning is often overwhelmed by the negative and harsh realities making the woman succumb to passivity and choosing not to engage in paid work. Originality/value This study provides: a better mapping of the individual woman’s daily cognitions concerning the legitimacy of (not) engaging in paid work; and a unique multilevel analytic framework that can serve as a useful example of contextualizing career research.

scholarly journals Impacts of knowledge sharing: a review and directions for future research

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 207-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farhan Ahmad ◽  
Muhaimin Karim
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Review Protocol ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Methodological Aspects

PurposeKnowledge sharing contributes to the success of an organization in various ways. This paper aims to summarize the findings from past research on knowledge-sharing outcomes in organizations and to suggest promising directions for future research.Design/methodology/approachThere was a conduction of a systematic literature review that consisted of three main phases: defining a review protocol, conducting the review and reporting the review. The thematic analysis was conducted on 61 studies, based on which a framework for understanding the impacts of knowledge sharing was developed.FindingsPrevious research has investigated knowledge-sharing outcomes at three levels: the individual, team and organization; specific impacts are summarized for each level. The most commonly studied factors affected by knowledge sharing are creativity, learning and performance. Knowledge sharing is also found to have some beyond-convention work-related impacts, such as those on team climate and employees’ life satisfaction. Research on the outcomes of knowledge sharing is dominated by quantitative studies, as we found only one qualitative study in this review. Based on the discussion of the results, promising avenues for further research were identified and a research agenda was proposed. More research on differential, psychological and negative impacts, as well as interactional and methodological aspects of knowledge-sharing, is suggested.Originality/valueTo date, no systematic review has been conducted on the impacts of knowledge-sharing. This paper makes an important contribution to knowledge-sharing research, as it consolidates previous research and identifies a number of useful research topics that can be explored to advance the field, as well as to establish the evidence-based importance of knowledge sharing.

scholarly journals Employee-workplace alignment

Facilities ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 282-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Roskams ◽  
Barry Haynes
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Control ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Aesthetic Quality ◽  
Workplace Environment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Work Effectiveness ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Employee Characteristics ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This paper aims to identify the employee characteristics which are most strongly associated with perceived requirements for different aspects of the workplace environment. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire was completed by 364 employees from a large private-sector organisation. Respondents were surveyed on different work-related, personality and demographic characteristics. They then completed a series of items measuring perceived requirements for four aspects of the workplace environment (workspace segregation, workspace territoriality, individual environmental control and aesthetic quality). Associations between employee characteristics and perceived workplace requirements were explored using multiple regression analyses. Findings Numerous significant associations emerged. For example, the requirement for more segregated workspaces was associated with higher susceptibility to distraction, and the requirement for higher workspace territoriality was associated with less positive perceptions regarding the impact of flexible working on work effectiveness. Originality/value The individual difference factors which moderate satisfaction with the workplace environment have received relatively little attention in past research. The present study addresses this knowledge gap by including a wider range of employee characteristics and comprehensively investigating which of these most strongly predict differences in perceived requirements for the workplace.

The development of self-efficacy and self-leadership within USA accredited sales programs: an exploratory study on sales career preparedness

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Knight ◽  
Karen Peesker ◽  
Claudia C. Mich
Keyword(s):  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Career Readiness ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Education Experience ◽  
Recent Graduates ◽  
Rich Data ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe purpose of this exploratory study is to investigate the impact of sales education on recent graduates' career preparedness and understand how sales programs might prepare students better for successful sales careers. We investigate the known competencies leading to sales success that were, or were not, adequately developed by their university sales programs.Design/methodology/approachThe authors collected and analyzed qualitative data from in-depth interviews with a sample of 20 recent university sales graduates working in a sales career. Over 23 h of interviews were transcribed and analyzed via NVivo. Braun and Clarke’s (2006) framework was applied in this study to code the data.FindingsThe study identifies that while respondents are positive about their overall sales education and feel confident about their knowledge of the sales process, they are not always confident in their ability to deal with ambiguity and the unknown. This study revealed that constructs of self-leadership and career choice self-efficacy deserve further consideration as components of the university sales program curriculum.Research limitations/implicationsAs with all exploratory research, there are limits to generalizability; however, this study revealed that the constructs of goal setting, self-leadership and self-knowledge hold promise for further study as a means to increase sales-related self-efficacy and career readiness.Practical implicationsRespondents were positive about their overall sales education experience but identified a need for more effective sales education in cold calling, prospecting and the inherent level of rejection to be prepared for inside sales positions in which sales graduates increasingly start their careers.Social implicationsLower turnover and better educational preparedness of sales program graduates clearly will accrue socioeconomic benefits.Originality/valueThis is the first study to examine the impact of sales education on recent graduates’ career preparedness and the first study for this journal to focus on sales as an area of professional competency and related sales pedagogy. Further, the qualitative methodology, which is relatively unique in sales research, provides rich data that is particularly useful for exploratory research to help provide a structure for universities to strengthen their sales programs through targeted training to help students enhance self-leadership and career preparedness.

Disability disclosure: categorical and cultural difficulties HETL Scotland 2017

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 182-193
Author(s):  
Armineh Soorenian
Keyword(s):  
Social Model ◽  
Coding System ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Model Of Disability ◽  
Inclusive Practice ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Models Of Disability ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Disability Categories ◽  
The Individual

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze a group of disabled students’ views and feelings on disclosing the nature of their impairments by applying via Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS, 2016), using a numerical coding system. The adequacy of “disability” categories on both university and UCAS forms, and related sensitive issues will be central to this paper. Design/methodology/approach Thus, the author will visit the debates surrounding the two contrasting models of “disability”, namely, the individual medical and the social model of “disability”. The associated advantages and disadvantages that are ensued will be examined. Findings This paper will conclude by offering inclusive solutions to disclosure, which are sensitive to both impairment and cultural-related issues and encourage disclosure from students with a wide range of impairments. The benefits of all-encompassing inclusive practice and the resulting wider implications for the student population at large will, therefore, be highlighted. Originality/value There is an acute shortage of similar kinds of research conducted on disabled international students’ experiences of disclosure, which make the current work timely and original.

scholarly journals No manager is an island: culture in sensemaking of business networking

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 638-650 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Ivanova-Gongne ◽  
Lasse Torkkeli
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Cultural Background ◽  
Business Culture ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Business Networking ◽  
European Business ◽  
Western European ◽  
The Individual

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the role of culture in managerial sensemaking and conceptualization of business networking.Design/methodology/approachThe authors apply qualitative methodology through the sensemaking approach on three Finnish and three Russian managers in mutual buyer–supplier business relationship dyads.FindingsThe results imply that the cultural background of the manager determines his perception of the level at which business networking occurs. Finnish managers conceptualize business networking as an organizational strategy, whereas their Russian counterparts conceptualize the phenomenon squarely at the individual level.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors suggest that the underlying cause of the differences in the conceptualization of networking may be that Finnish business networking relies more on concepts derived from Western European business culture, whereas Russian networking relies more on the traditional culture. Consequently, they suggest that the concept of business networking in extant research may suffer from ethnocentricity. Limitations of the study include the limited extent of generalizations from its qualitative nature.Practical implicationsThe results imply that business network relationships should be managed differently in different cultures, and that depending on the cultural background of the business partner, managing both the organizational and the individual levels of business networking is needed.Originality/valueThe study contributes to limited literature on culture and the role of individuals in managerial conceptualization of business networking. This is one of the rare studies to illustrate differences through individual sensemaking on both sides of the relationship dyad and account for both Western European and Russian market environments.

Panel report: the dark side of the digitization of the individual

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 274-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ofir Turel ◽  
Christian Matt ◽  
Manuel Trenz ◽  
Christy M.K. Cheung ◽  
John D’Arcy* ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Dark Side ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Alphabetical Order ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Individual ◽  
New Phenomena

Purpose Digital technologies have diffused into many personal life domains. This has created many new phenomena that require systematic theorizing, testing and understanding. Such phenomena have been studied under the Digitization of the Individual (DOTI) umbrella and have been discussed in the DOTI pre-International Conference on Information Systems workshop for the last three years (from 2015 to 2017). While prior years have focused on a variety of issues, this year (2018) we decided to put special emphasis on negative effects of the DOTI, i.e., “the dark side” of the DOTI. Design/methodology/approach This manuscript reports on a panel of three experts (in alphabetical order: John D’Arcy, Hamed Qahri-Saremi and Monideepa Tarafdar) who presented their past research in this domain, as well as their outlook for future research and methodologies in research on the DOTI. Findings The authors introduce the topic, chronicle the responses of the panelists to the questions the authors posed, and summarize and discuss their response, such that readers can develop a good idea regarding next steps in research on the dark side of the DOTI. Originality/value The authors introduce the topic of the dark sides of DOTI and point readers to promising research directions and methodologies for further exploring this relatively uncharted field of research.

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