International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences

search-icon

Antecedents and Outcomes of Salesperson Polychronicity in B2B Industries in Malaysia

Open access
Purpose: An approach for organisations to maintain a competitive advantage is to better understand the roles of present and future salespeople. Polychronicity or multitasking makes us more distractible and prone to errors. However, the ability to multitask is a valuable skill in many industries, as it increases productivity and saves time. This paper proposes that multitasking compromises performance on how salespeople in Malaysia can be influenced by their manager’s ambidextrous leadership, their resistance to change, how it affects the service outcomes of service recovery performance, customer-directed OCB, and manager trust in salesperson.
Design/methodology/approach: Salespersons were chosen randomly from a certain pool of companies Out of 190 salespeople from various sales organisations, 171 accepted the request to participate after being approached through their superiors using google form.
Findings: Result shown that when sales leaders exhibit behaviors associated with openness and encouragement, salespeople tend to demonstrate higher levels of polychronicity, and have positive relationship with services recovery performance and customer-directed OCB and the manager trust in salesperson increase. However, findings show salesperson behaviors react differently when their manager exert control and less interested in the well-being of their subordinates can hinder polychronic behavior also there is no significate relationship between salesperson behaviours and their resistance to change.
Originality/value: This study aims to examine the correlation between a salesperson’s polychronicity in B2B Industries in Malaysia only.
Adhikara, M. F. A., Maslichah, Diana, N., & Basjir, M. (2022). Organizational performance in environmental uncertainty on the Indonesian healthcare industry: A path analysis. Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 11(2), 365. https://doi.org/10.36941/ajis-2022-0058
Agnihotri, R., Dingus, R., Hu, M. Y., & Krush, M. T. (2016). Social media: Influencing customer satisfaction in B2B sales. Industrial Marketing Management, 53, 172–180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2015.09.003
Ahearne, M., Haumann, T., Kraus, F., & Wieseke, J. (2013). It is a matter of congruence: How interpersonal identification between sales managers and salespersons shapes sales success. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 41(6), 625–648. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-013-0333-x
Ahearne, M., Jelinek, R., & Jones, E. (2007). Examining the effect of salesperson service behavior in a competitive context. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 35(4), 603–616. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-006-0013-1
Ahmad, B., Liu, D., Akhtar, N., & Siddiqi, U. I. (2022). Does service-sales ambidexterity matter in business-to-business service recovery? A perspective through Salesforce Control System. Industrial Marketing Management, 102, 351–363. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2022.02.007
Ahmad, B., Liu, D., Asif, M. H., Ashfaq, M., & Irfan, M. (2022). Ambidextrous leadership and service recovery performance under B2B selling context: An Examination Through Service Innovation Capability. SAGE Open, 12(2), 215824402210964. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440221096454
Ahmad, M. J., Ahmad, N. bt., Ahmad, N. bt., & Zakaria, N. (2018a). Service recovery performance: A critical review of literature. Pakistan Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 6(3). https://doi.org/10.52131/pjhss.2018.0603.0054
Ahmad, M. J., Ahmad, N. bt., Ahmad, N. bt., & Zakaria, N. (2018b). Service recovery performance: A critical review of literature. Pakistan Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 6(3). https://doi.org/10.52131/pjhss.2018.0603.0054
Alghamdi, F. (2018). Ambidextrous leadership, ambidextrous employee, and the interaction between ambidextrous leadership and employee innovative performance. Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13731-018-0081-8
Arndt, A., Evans, K., Landry, T. D., Mady, S., & Pongpatipat, C. (2014). The impact of salesperson credibility-building statements on later stages of the sales encounter. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 34(1), 19–32. https://doi.org/10.1080/08853134.2013.870182
Ashill, N. J., Rod, M., & Carruthers, J. (2008). The effect of management commitment to service quality on frontline employees’ job attitudes, turnover intentions, and service recovery performance in a new public management context. Journal of Strategic Marketing, 16(5), 437–462. https://doi.org/10.1080/09652540802480944
Babakus, E., Yavas, U., Karatepe, O. M., & Avci, T. (2003). The effect of management commitment to service quality on employees’ affective and performance outcomes. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 31(3), 272–286. https://doi.org/10.1177/0092070303031003005
Baliga, A. J., Chawla, V., Sunder M, V., Ganesh, L. S., & Sivakumaran, B. (2021). Service failure and recovery in B2B markets – a morphological analysis. Journal of Business Research, 131, 763–781. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.09.025
Bartel, A. (2017). Multitasking at work: Do firms get what they pay for? IZA World of Labor. https://doi.org/10.15185/izawol.362
Bowler, W. M., & Brass, D. J. (2006). Relational correlates of interpersonal citizenship behavior: A Social Network perspective. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91(1), 70–82. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.91.1.70
Chicu, D., Pàmies, M. del, Ryan, G., & Cross, C. (2019). Exploring the influence of the human factor on customer satisfaction in Call Centres. BRQ Business Research Quarterly, 22(2), 83–95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brq.2018.08.004
Daskin, M., & Surucu, O. A. (2016). The role of polychronicity and intrinsic motivation as personality traits on frontline employees’ job outcomes. Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration, 8(2), 177–196. https://doi.org/10.1108/apjba-10-2015-0088
DeCarlo, T. E., & Lam, S. K. (2015). Identifying effective hunters and farmers in the Salesforce: A dispositional–situational framework. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 44(4), 415–439. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-015-0425-x
Flaherty, K. E., & Pappas, J. M. (2000). The Role of Trust in Salesperson—Sales Manager Relationships. The Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, 20(4), 271–278. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40471824
Fournier, C., Weeks, W. A., Blocker, C. P., & Chonko, L. B. (2013). Polychronicity and scheduling’s role in reducing role stress and enhancing sales performance. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 33(2), 197–209. https://doi.org/10.2753/pss0885-3134330204
Fu, Q., Cherian, J., Ahmad, N., Scholz, M., Samad, S., & Comite, U. (2022). An inclusive leadership framework to foster employee creativity in the healthcare sector: The role of Psychological Safety and polychronicity. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(8), 4519. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19084519
Giovannetti, M., Cardinali, S., & Sharma, P. (2020). Sales technology and salespeople’s ambidexterity: An ecosystem approach. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 36(4), 615–629. https://doi.org/10.1108/jbim-01-2020-0034
Goergen, M., Mallin, C. A., Mitleton-Kelly, E., Al-Hawamdeh, A., & Chiu, I. H.-Y. (2010). Introduction. Corporate Governance and Complexity Theory. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781849808002.00006
Good, V., Hughes, D. E., & Wang, H. (2021). More than money: Establishing the importance of a sense of purpose for salespeople. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 50(2), 272–295. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-021-00795-x
Guchait, P., Lee, C., Wang, C.-Y., & Abbott, J. L. (2015). Impact of error management practices on service recovery performance and helping behaviors in the hospitality industry: The mediating effects of psychological safety and learning behaviors. Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism, 15(1), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332845.2015.1008395
Guenzi, P., & Habel, J. (2020). Mastering the digital transformation of sales. California Management Review, 62(4), 57–85. https://doi.org/10.1177/0008125620931857
Han, J. W. (2020). A review of antecedents of employee turnover in the hospitality industry on individual, team, and organizational levels. International Hospitality Review, 36(1), 156–173. https://doi.org/10.1108/ihr-09-2020-0050
Hobfoll, S. E., & Ford, J. S. (2007). Conservation of Resources theory. Encyclopaedia of Stress, 562–567. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-012373947-6.00093-3
Ingram, T. N., LaForge, R. W., & Schwenker, C. H. (2007). Salesperson ethical decision making: The impact of sales leadership and Sales Management Control Strategy. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 27(4), 301–315. https://doi.org/10.2753/pss0885-3134270402
Jaramillo, F., Mulki, J. P., Onyema, V., & Rivera Pesquera, M. (2012). Salesperson resistance to change: An empirical investigation of antecedents and outcomes. International Journal of Bank Marketing, 30(7), 548–566. https://doi.org/10.1108/02652321211274318
Jasmand, C., Blazevic, V., & de Ruyter, K. (2012). Generating sales while providing service: A Study of Customer Service Representatives’ ambidextrous behavior. Journal of Marketing, 76(1), 20–37. https://doi.org/10.1509/jm.10.0448
Karatepe, O. M. (2013). High?performance work practices, work social support and their effects on job embeddedness and turnover intentions. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 25(6), 903–921. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijchm-06-2012-0097
Kassotaki, O., Paroutis, S., & Morrell, K. (2019). Ambidexterity penetration across multiple organizational levels in an aerospace and defense organization. Long Range Planning, 52(3), 366–385. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lrp.2018.06.002
Koponen, J., Julkunen, S., & Asai, A. (2019). Sales communication competence in international B2B solution selling. Industrial Marketing Management, 82, 238–252. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2019.01.009
Lawrence B. Chonko, Eli Jones, James A. Roberts & Alan J. Dubinsky (2002) The Role of Environmental Turbulence, Readiness for Change, and Salesperson Learning in the Success of Sales Force Change, Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 22:4, 227-245, DOI: 10.1080/08853134.2002.10754311
Luoh, H.-F., Tsaur, S.-H., & Tang, Y.-Y. (2014). Empowering employees: Job Standardization and innovative behavior. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 26(7), 1100–1117. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijchm-03-2013-0153
Lussier, B., Philp, M., Hartmann, N. N., & Wieland, H. (2021). Social Anxiety and salesperson performance: The roles of Mindful Acceptance and perceived sales manager support. Journal of Business Research, 124, 112–125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.11.042
Marchewka, M., Nesterak, J., So?tysik, M., Szymla, W., & Wojnarowska, M. (2020). Multitasking effects on individual performance: an experimental eye-tracking study. EUROPEAN RESEARCH STUDIES JOURNAL, XXIII (Issue 1), 107–116. https://doi.org/10.35808/ersj/1539
Marvasti, N. B., Huhtala, J.-P., Yousefi, Z. R., Vaniala, I., Upreti, B., Malo, P., Kaski, S., & Tikkanen, H. (2021). Is this company a lead customer? estimating stages of B2B buying journey. Industrial Marketing Management, 97, 126–133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2021.06.003
Mullins, R., & Agnihotri, R. (2022). Digital selling: Organizational and managerial influences for Frontline Readiness and effectiveness. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 50(4), 800–821. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-021-00836-5
Mullins, R., Agnihotri, R., & Hall, Z. (2019). The ambidextrous sales force: Aligning salesperson polychronicity and selling contexts for sales-service behaviors and customer value. Journal of Service Research, 23(1), 33–52. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670519883344
Oflaç, B. S., Sullivan, U. Y., & Kaya Aslan, Z. (2021). Examining the impact of Locus and justice perception on B2B service recovery. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 36(8), 1403–1414. https://doi.org/10.1108/jbim-11-2019-0467
Rapp, A., Baker, T. L., Hartmann, N. N., & Ahearne, M. (2019). The intersection of service and sales: The increased importance of ambidexterity. Journal of Service Research, 23(1), 8–12. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670519892333
Rosing, K., Frese, M., & Bausch, A. (2011). Explaining the heterogeneity of the leadership-innovation relationship: Ambidextrous leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 22(5), 956–974. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2011.07.014
Salkind. (2000). Statistics for people who (think they) hate statistics. Choice Reviews Online, 38(02). https://doi.org/10.5860/choice.38-0999
Tett, R. P., & Burnett, D. D. (2003). A personality trait-based interactionist model of Job Performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(3), 500–517. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.3.500 Tremblay, M. (2023). Is authenticity needed in service-sales ambidexterity? examination of employees and customers’ responses. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/08853134.2023.2284638
Vizcaíno, V. F., Martin, S. L., Cardenas, J. J., & Cardenas, M. (2021). Employees’ attitudes toward corporate social responsibility programs: The influence of corporate frugality and polychronicity organizational capabilities. Journal of Business Research, 124, 538–546. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.11.016
Yang, M., Luu, T. T., & Hoang, G. (2023). Can ethical climate and ethical self-efficacy channel ethical leadership into service performance? A multilevel investigation. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 114, 103548. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2023.103548
Zacher, H., & Rosing, K. (2015). Ambidextrous leadership and Team Innovation. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 36(1), 54–68. https://doi.org/10.1108/lodj-11-2012-0141
(Ahmad et al., 2024)
Ahmad, H., K, P. S., D, A. A., & A, H. (2024). Antecedents and Outcomes of Salesperson Polychronicity in B2B Industries in Malaysia. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 14(6), 1125–1140.