Open AccessPredicting Sales Manager Control: A Comparison Of Control-System And Leadership Approaches
Author(s) -
Susan K. DelVecchio
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of applied business research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.149
H-Index - 22
eISSN - 2157-8834
pISSN - 0892-7626
DOI - 10.19030/jabr.v12i4.5787
Subject(s) - control (management) , quality (philosophy) , field (mathematics) , sales management , marketing , business , sales force , psychology , management , economics , mathematics , philosophy , epistemology , pure mathematics
How much latitude should the field sales manager allow his or her subordinates? Two schools of thought have addressed this question. This study tests proposals from these two approaches. The control-system approach contends the field sales managers behavior should be consistent with other sales organization controls. The findings here do not support these contentions but do provide some support the leadership approach. The sales managers in this study varied their control behaviors depending upon the quality of their working relationship with their subordinate or upon the perceived effort levels of the salesperson.