مقاله سال ۲۰۱۷

We want to create an environment where our salespeople thrive and feel like we aren’t always looking over their shoulder, but at the same time, we have seen the dark side that comes with free reign of the successful salesperson.

The term sales organization refers to the set of individuals whose primary responsibility is generating profitable sales volume within a firm (Grant & Cravens, 1999). The effectiveness of sales organizations is determined not only by the characteristics (e.g., skills, orientations and motivation) of the salespeople who interface with customers, but also by a multitude of structural factors that directly or indirectly influence salesperson behavior and customer satisfaction, such as compensation and control systems, territory design, and cross-functional process integration (Churchill et al., 1985; Cravens, Ingram, LaForge, & Young, 1993). To remain effective over time, a sales organization must adapt structurally to ensure that it can service the evolving strategic priorities of the firm and ever-changing needs of customers (Piercy, Cravens, & Morgan, 1999).

As sales organizations adapt their structures in pursuit of sustained effectiveness, the implications for salespeople are often substantial. For instance, salespeople are often asked to take on a different job title, report to a different supervisor, work in a different territory, adhere to new processes, or even behave in a different manner, all of which may be a source of stress or opportunity for them (Rafferty & Griffin, 2006). More indirectly, changes within a sales organization may dramatically impact salespersons’ on-the-job welfare by altering their relative level of influence and prominence within a firm, depending on whether their personal characteristics are a good match for the demands of the restructured work environment.