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%r(ani)ational Determinants of the *ndustrial $alesman+s &ole 'onflict and Am!i(uitAuthor-s : %r/ille '. al er, #r., 2il!ert A. 'hurchill, #r. and eil . 4ord$ource: #ournal of ar etin(, ol. 39, o. 1 -#an., 19 5 , 77. 32 39

u!lished ! : American ar etin( Association$ta!le &;: htt7:

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This content downloaded from 203.122.52.98 on Tue, 10 Dec 2013 08:32:56 AAll use su!"ect to #$T%& Terms and 'onditions

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Orville C. Walker,Jr., Gilbert A. Churchill, Jr., and Neil M. Ford

OrganizationalDeter inant! o" the#ndu!trial $ale! an%! &oleCon"lict and A biguit '

The right organizational!tructureand !u(ervi!or ' !t'le canhel( !ale! enunder!tandtheir)ob!, but the'don%t reduce the

con"lict! e*(eriencedb' !ale! en.

B * %&TA 'B of the field salesman inthe successful mar etin( of industrial (oods

has lon( !een a77reciated. %nl recentl , howe/er, has attention !een (i/en to the fact that thenature of the field salesman+s "o! can 7roduce some

7er7le@in( 7ro!lems for mar etin( and sales mana(ers, as well as for salesmen themsel/es. $7ecificall , se/eral characteristics of the industrialsalesman+s "o! ma e him 7articularl susce7ti!le torole conflict and role am!i(uit . + &ole conflictoccurs when the salesman faces two or moreincom7ati!le "o! demands from his or(ani)ationalsu7eriors, customers, famil mem!ers, or otherrole 7artners. The salesman e@7eriences role am!i(uit when he is uncertain a!out how he is e@

7ected to 7erform his "o!.The hi(h 7otential for role conflict 7oses a 7ro!

lem for the indi/idual salesman !ecause of thene(ati/e 7s cholo(ical reactions 7eo7le often e@

7erience in conflict situations. A wide /ariet ofem7irical studies ha/e found 7ositi/e relationshi7s

!etween hi(h le/els of 7ercei/ed role conflict andhi(h le/els of "o! related tension and an@iet , on

the one hand, and low le/els of "o! satisfaction, on

1. #ames A. Celasco, The $alesman+s &ole &e/isited, #% & A; %4 A&EBT* , ol. 30 -A7ril 1966 , 77. 6 8F enr %.

ruden, D*nteror(ani)ational 'onflict, ;in a(e and B@chan(e:A $tud of *ndustrial $alesmen, Academy of Management

Journal, ol. 12 -$e7tem!er 1969 , 77. 339 350F %r/ille C.al er, #r., il!ert A. 'hurchill, #r., and eil . 4ord, D&eac

tions to &ole 'onflict: The 'ase of the *ndustrial $alesman,D Journal of Business Administration, ol. 3 -$7rin( 19 2 , 77.35 36.

Journalo" Marketin g , , ol. - /Januar' + 012, 77. -34- .

the other. 2 There is also e/idence that 7rolon(ede@7osure to hi(h le/els of role conflict can ha/e

7h sical conseGuences, such as an increased incidence of coronar disease. 3 $imilarl , when anindi/idual e@7eriences a (reat deal of uncertainta!out how he is e@7ected to 7erform his "o! -roleam!i(uit , he ma e@7erience more mental an@iet and tension and less "o! satisfaction.D

The 7otential for hi(h le/els of 7ercei/ed roleconflict and am!i(uit amon( field salesmen also

7resents some ma"or 7ro!lems for sales and maretin( mana(ers. To the e@tent that conflict and

am!i(uit reduce the "o! satisfaction of salesmen,for e@am7le, the are li el to 7roduce hi(herle/els of turno/er within the sales force and accom

7an in( recruitment and trainin( costs . Theamount of conflict and am!i(uit the salesmane@7eriences ma also affect his "o! 7erformance,althou(h the relationshi7s !etween conflict, am

2. &o!ert ;. Eahn, D. . olfe, &. . Huinn, #. D. $noe ,and &. A. &osenthal, Organizational Stress - ew =or : #ohn

ile 5 $ons, 196I , 77. 55 lF eal ross, . $ . ason, andA. . cBachern, Explorations in Role Analysis - ew =or :

#ohn ile5

$ons, 1958 F and 'harles . reene and D. .%r(an, An B/aluation of 'ausal odels ;in in( &ecei/ed &oleand #o! $atisfaction, Administrati e Science !uarterly, ol. 18- arch 19 3 , 77. 95 103.

3. $. . $ales, D%r(ani)ational &ole as a &is 4actor in'oronar Disease, Administrati e Science !uarterly, ol. 1I-$e7tem!er 1969 , 77. 325 336.

I. Eahn et a*., same reference as footnote 2, 77. 2 95F and#ohn & . &i))o, & . #. ouse, and $. #. ;irt)man, &ole 'onflictand Am!i(uit in 'om7le@ %r(ani)ations,D Administrati eScience !uarterly, ol. 15 -#une 19 0 , 77. 150 163 .

5. 4or a re/iew of e/idence concernin( the relationshi7 !etween satisfaction and turno/er, see 'harles . reene, DThe$atisfaction erformance 'ontro/ers , Business "orizons,

ol. 15 -%cto!er 19 2 , 77. 31 I1.

32

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Organizational Deter inant! o" the #ndu!trial $ale! an%! &ole Con"lict and A biguit' 33

!i(uit , and 7erformance a77ear to !e moderated ! other /aria!les. There is e/idence, thou(h, thatrole conflict and am!i(uit influence the salesman+s 7erce7tions a!out how his !eha/ior will !ee/aluated and rewarded and, su!seGuentl , theinfluence his actual 7erformance . Also, the manner in which a salesman tries to co7e with orresol/e the conflicts and uncertainties associatedwith his "o! can affect !oth his 7erformance and hisfeelin(s of satisfaction . 0

As indicated a!o/e, a num!er of authors ha/econce7tuall descri!ed some of the characteristicsof the salesman+s role that ma e him susce7ti!le tohi(h le/els of conflict and am!i(uit . 4rom a

7ra(matic mana(ement /iew7oint, howe/er, themost rele/ant Guestion is a somewhat narrowerone: Are there an factors that the sales or mar etin( mana(er can control or influence#factors relatin( to or(ani)ation structure or mana(ementst le that influence the. amount of role conflictand am!i(uit e@7erienced ! salesmenJ The na

ture of the salesman+s "o! ma es some conflict andam!i(uit ine/ita!le re(ardless of what mana(ement does. The 7ur7ose of this article, howe/er, isto determine whether some of the conflicts anduncertainties that salesmen e@7erience are due tothe 7olicies and 7ractices of mana(ement and, ifthe are, to identif mana(ement actions thatmi(ht hel7 reduce them to a lower le/el. Therefore,this article /+2 de/elo7s a num!er of h 7othesesconcernin( the effects of se/eral or(ani)ational andmana(erial factors on the salesman+s 7erce7tionsof conflict and am!i(uit , -2 tests the h 7otheseswith data drawn from a lar(e and di/erse sam7le ofindustrial salesmen, and /-2 discusses the im7lications of the findin(s for im7ro/in( sales forcemana(ement.

De"ini t ion o" er !

The role attached to a (i/en social 7osition is theset of acti/ities or desired !eha/iors that are to !e

7erformed, at least a77ro@imatel , ! an 7erson

6. reene and %r(an, same reference as footnote 2.. enr %. ruden and &. . &eese, D*nteror(ani)ational

&ole $et &elations and the erformance and $atisfaction of

*ndustrial $alesmen, Administrati e Science !uarterly, ol. 1-Decem!er 19 2 , 77. 601 609 .

6 A7O8T T9: A8T9O&$.

Orville4C. Walker, Jr . i! a!!ociate (ro"e!!or o" arketing in the Graduate $chool o" 7u!ine!! Ad ini!tration, the 8niver!it' o" Minne!ota, Minnea(oli!.Gilbert A. Churchill, Jr. i! (ro"e!!or o" arketing andNeil M. Ford i! a!!ociate (ro"e!!or o" arketing in theGraduate $chool o" 7u!ine!!, the 8niver!it' o" Wi!con!in, Madi!on.

occu7 in( that 7osition. This role is definedthrou(h a 7rocess in/ol/in( three ste7s. 4irst,e@7ectations and demands concernin( what thea77ro7riate role !eha/iors should !e, to(ether with

7ressures for conformit to those demands, arecommunicated to the role occu7ant -the salesman

! mem!ers of his role set. The salesman+s role setconsists of 7eo7le in related 7ositions, !oth withinand outside of his com7an , who de7end on his

7erformance in some fashionF the are rewarded ! it or reGuire it to 7erform their own tas s. 4ore@am7le, the salesman+s immediate su7er/isor,other e@ecuti/es in his firm, 7urchasin( a(ents andother mem!ers of his customers+ or(ani)ations,and his wife and famil are all mem!ers of his rolesetF the will all tr to influence his !eha/ior inaccordance with their own desires and o!"ecti/es.

The second 7art of the role definition 7rocessconcerns the recei/ed role the occu7ant+s 7erce7tions of the role e@7ectations and 7ressures

!ein( sent ! the mem!ers of his role set, and his

resultin( conce7tion of how his role should !e 7erformed. &ole conflict and am!i(uit , as definedin this article, arise at this sta(e in the role definition 7rocess. $ercei ed role conflict e@ists when asalesman !elie/es that the e@7ectations and demands of two or more role set mem!ers are incom

7ati!le. is 7erce7tion that he cannot simultaneousl satisf all mem!ers of his role set createsconflictin( role forces, and 7s cholo(ical conflict,within him. This definition has !een limited to

inter sender conflict !ecause it is li el to !e themost 7er/asi/e and intensel felt conflict e@7erienced ! industrial salesmen , *t should !e reco(ni)ed , howe/er, that some salesmen ma !e affected ! other forms of role conflict not consideredhere. $ercei ed role am%iguity occurs when thesalesman does not feel he has the necessar information to 7erform his role adeGuatel , when heis uncertain a!out what the mem!ers of his role sete@7ect of him.

Cecause the salesman+s 7erce7tions of his role 7ro/ide the !asis for his ultimate 7erformance aswell as for his feelin(s of conflict and am!i(uit ,this article concentrates on the salesman+s recei/ed role. The 7ur7ose is to disco/er or(ani)ational /aria!les that influence the salesman+s perceptions of conflict and am!i(uit in his "o!.

The final ste7 in the role definition 7rocess is thesalesman+s con/ersion of role 7erce7tions into role%e&a ior . owe/er, the lin a(e !etween recei/edrole and role 7erformance is 7ro!a!l not a directone. The relationshi7 is moderated ! situationalfactors and the indi/idual salesman+s 7ersonal and

7s cholo(ical characteristics .

8. Eahn et al., same reference as footnote 2, 77 . 19 21.

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-; Journal o" Marketing, Januar' + 01

9 ' (o the ! e

!

To answer the Guestion of mana(erial or or(ani)ational im7act on a salesman+s 7ercei/ed roleconflict and am!i(uit , the authors de/elo7ed h

7otheses concernin( three or(ani)ational factors:-1 the si)e of the salesman+s role set, -2 thesu7er/isor st le within the or(ani)ation, and -3

the inno/ati/eness reGuired of the salesman. $omeof the h 7otheses 7resented here are !ased onrelationshi7s found ! Eahn et al. in researchconducted with 7eo7le in a /ariet of other occu7ations, !ut the ha/e !een ada7ted to reflect theuniGue character of the field salesman+s "o!.

h e $ a l e ! an% ! &o le

$ et

*t is widel theori)ed that one reason wh thesalesman is susce7ti!le to hi(h le/els of role conflict and am!i(uit is that he occu7ies a !oundar

7osition in his firm and, therefore, has a lar(e and

di/erse role set. e must tr to satisf the e@7ectations of 7eo7le !oth within his own com7an andin man or(ani)ations other than his own, hiscustomers. $ince each customer is concerned a!outo!tainin( his own o!"ecti/es in an e@chan(e transaction, he is often unaware of the 7olicies andconstraints the salesman is o7eratin( under andfreGuentl e@7ects !eha/ior of the salesman thatwould conflict with the com7an +s demands. 4ore@am7le, a customer ma reGuest unusuall li!eralcredit terms or deli/er schedules that would !eunacce7ta!le to the salesman+s com7an . The

7ro!lem is com7ounded ! the fact that mostsalesmen must deal with a lar(e num!er of customer accounts and thus are e@7osed to mandifferent demands. 'onseGuentl , the 7ro!a!ilitthat the will 7ercei/e some of those demands to !eincom7ati!le, or that the will !e uncertain a!outwhat each customer e@7ects of them, is increased.

Cecause it is the salesman+s "o! to deal withse/eral customer accounts, there is little the salesmana(er can do a!out this source of conflict andam!i(uit . owe/er, the salesman+s role set alsoe@tends into his own or(ani)ation. The si)e of thisintraor(ani)ational role set also has an effect on theamount of conflict and am!i(uit he 7ercei/es.

4or the 7ur7oses of this stud , a salesman+sintraor(ani)ational role set is o7erationall definedas all the de7artments within his firm that thesalesman !elie/es can influence or affect his dailsellin( acti/ities includin( those that can a77ro/eor re"ect a sale, modif the terms of a sale, or affectthe salesman+s s7ecific acti/ities on the "o! . The(reater the num!er of such role set mem!erswithin the salesman+s or(ani)ation, the (reater the

9. Eahn et al., same reference as footnote 2 .

7ro!a!ilit that the demands the ma e on himwill a77ear incom7ati!le with one another or withhis customers+ e@7ectations. Also, the (reater thenum!er of such mem!ers within his or(ani)ation,the (reater the li elihood that the salesman will notclearl 7ercei/e all of the demands !ein( made ofhim.

The h 7othesi)ed im7act of the si)e of the salesman+s intraor(ani)ational role set on conflict andam!i(uit can !e summari)ed as follows.

1: The (reater the num!er of or(ani)ationde7artments -0 the salesman 7ercei/es asaffectin( his acti/ities:A. The (reater the salesman+s 7ercei/ed

role conflictC. The (reater the salesman+s 7ercei/ed

role am!i(uit

$u(erv i !or '

$ t ' l e

The amount of role conflict e@7erienced ! thesalesman as he recei/es /arious demands from hisman customers is influenced ! the amount offle@i!ilit he has in ada7tin( his !eha/ior to thosedemands . is fle@i!ilit , in turn, is influenced !the wa he is su7er/isedF 7articularl the closenesswith which he is su7er/ised, and the amount ofin7ut he has in determinin( the standards ! whichhis 7erformance will !e e/aluated. hen the salesman is ti(htl constrained ! com7an rules andhis !eha/ior is closel su7er/ised, he will not ha/ethe latitude to ad"ust his !eha/ior to customerdemands and he is more li el to feel that those

demands are im7ossi!le for him to satisf . This is 7articularl true when the salesman has little or no/oice in determinin( the standards ! which his

7erformance is su7er/ised or e/aluated. *n suchcases com7an 7olicies and standards are e/en lessli el to reflect customers+ e@7ectations. 'onseGuentl , the 7otential for conflict !etween com

7an standards and customer demands is increased. Also, the salesman is more li el to /iewcom7an standards as 7lacin( unreasona!le constraints on his !eha/ior when he has no 7art intheir determination.

%n the other hand, the role am!i(uit e@7erienced ! the salesman is li el to !e reduced whenhe is closel su7er/ised. At least the e@7ectations ofhis su7er/isor and other mem!ers of mana(ementwill !e made e@7licit, and an !eha/ior that isinconsistent with those e@7ectations will Guic l !e

!rou(ht to his attention. $imilarl , when the sales man has an in7ut in determinin( the standards !which he is e/aluated, he is more li el to !efamiliar with those standards and his feelin(s ofrole am!i(uit should !e reduced .

A third su7er/isor factor that ma influence the

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Organizational Deter inant! o" the #ndu!trial $ale! an%! &ole Con"lict and A biguit' 35

amount of conflict and am!i(uit a salesman e@ 7eriences is the freGuenc of communication withhis su7er/isor . The more freGuentl the salesmanis in contact with his su7er/isor either throu(hface to face meetin(s, tele7hone con/ersations, orwritten letters and memoranda the more o77ortunit he will ha/e to learn and understand whathis su7er/isor, and 7erha7s other mem!ers of hisfirm, e@7ect of him. There should !e a ne(ati/erelationshi7, therefore, !etween communicationfreGuenc and 7ercei/ed am!i(uit .

hen the salesman is in freGuent contact withhis sales mana(er there is also an o77ortunit forinformation to flow from the salesman to his role

7artners within the or(ani)ation. The salesmanma !e a!le to ad/ise his su7eriors of the /ariousdemands he is recei/in( from customers and howthose demands seem to !e at odds with com7an

7olicies and 7rocedures. As a result, his or(ani)ational role 7artners ma moderate or ad"ust theire@7ectations to accommodate customer demands.

Thus, freGuent communication !etween the salesman and his su7er/isor ma hel7 reduce theamount of conflict the salesman faces.

The h 7othesi)ed relationshi7s !etween su7er/isor st le and 7ercei/ed conflict and am!i(uit can

!e summari)ed as follows.

2: The closer the salesman !elie/es his 7er formance is su7er/ised -' :A. The (reater the salesman+s 7ercei/ed

role conflictC. The less the salesman+s 7ercei/ed role

am!i(uit9 3: The (reater the influence the salesman

!elie/es he has in determinin( the standards ! which his 7erformance is e/aluated -* :A. The less the salesman+s 7ercei/ed role

conflictC. The less the salesman+s 7ercei/ed role

am!i(uit

I : The more freGuent the communication !etween a salesman and his sales mana(er -4 :

A. The less the salesman+s 7ercei/ed roleconflictC. The less the salesman+s 7ercei/ed role

am!i(uit

#nnova t ive n e ! ! & e

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36 Journal o" Marketing, Januar' + 01

:*(er ience a! a Modera t ing ar iable#t is li el that nearl all of the relationshi7s he

$a ( l e

M hod

h 7othesi)ed a!o/e ma !e moderated ! a sin(le/aria!le the salesman+s "o! e@7erience. Thelon(er a salesman is on the "o!, the (reater are hiso77ortunities to disco/er how his role 7artnerse@7ect him to 7erform in a /ariet of situations.Therefore, the seasoned /eteran is li el to 7ercei/e less role am!i(uit than a less e@7eriencedman .

#t is also 7ossi!le that the amount of time asalesman has !een on the "o! ma influence theamount of conflict he 7ercei/es. B@7erience mi(htser/e to reduce the amount of 7ercei/ed conflict infour wa s. 4irst, as a salesman (ains e@7erience hema learn that role 7artner demands that initialla77ear to !e in conflict can turn out to !e com7ati

!le after all. e learns that role 7artners sometimes !luff, issuin( e@treme initial demands that thesu!seGuentl !ac awa from, and so forth. $ec

ond, the e@7erienced salesman ma also learn howto resol/e or co7e with conflicts so the are not asstressful for him. e ma not see as much conflictin a (i/en situation as a newer man sim7l !ecausehe has learned how to deal with incom7ati!ledemands . += Third, o/er time a salesman ma !uildu7 7s cholo(ical defense mechanisms to screen outconflictin( demands and 7rotect himself from 7scholo(ical tension . 4inall , a more 7essimistic e@

7lanation of the effect of e@7erience on conflict isthat salesmen who 7ercei/e a (reat deal of conflictand who are sensiti/e to it ma ultimatel chan(e

"o!s. Therefore, there ma a77ear to !e a ne(ati/erelationshi7 !etween e@7erience and conflict sim

7l !ecause salesmen who ha/e !een wor in( atthe same "o! for a num!er of ears are those whoha/e 7ercei/ed less conflict o/er time or who ha/efound wa s of co7in( with it.

These effects of e@7erience in reducin( a salesman+s 7ercei/ed role conflict and am!i(uit willo7erate re(ardless of his firm+s or(ani)ation structure or his su7er/isor+s st le. Therefore, an additional h 7othesis has !een included to deal withthe moderatin( effects of e@7erience .

6: The lon(er the time a salesman has s7entin his current 7osition -T :A. The less the salesman+s 7ercei/ed role

conflictC. The less the salesman+s 7ercei/ed role

am!i(uit

10. 4or discussion of the inds of mechanisms 7eo7le de/elo7for co7in( with role conflict, see Dou(las T. all, A odel of'o7in( with &ole 'onflict: The &ole Ceha/ior of 'olle(eBducated omen, Administrati e Science !uarterly , ol. 1-Decem!er 19 2 , 77. I 1 I86F and al er, 'hurchill , and4ord, same reference as footnote 1.

The a!o/e h 7otheses were tested on a crosssectional sam7le of salesmen drawn from ten com

7anies in se/en different industries. These firmswere all en(a(ed in the manufacture of relati/elhi(h 7riced industrial eGui7ment or materials that

reGuired s7ecial desi(n or a77lication to meet !u ers7ecifications. 'onseGuentl , salesmen in thesecom7anies were not sim7l order ta ers, !ut anim7ortant 7art of their firms+ mar etin( efforts.The nature of their "o!s, therefore, made them

7articularl susce7ti!le to hi(h le/els of conflict andam!i(uit .

Huestionnaires were mailed to ;0 salesmen . Anintroductor letter si(ned ! the sales mana(er ofeach firm and two follow u7 letters from the e@7erimenters were used to encoura(e 7artici7ation.'om7leted Guestionnaires were recei/ed from 265salesmen, for a res7onse rate of 55K.

Data Col lec t ion #n! t ru ent !

ercei/ed role conflict and am!i(uit were measured ! the * D$A;B$ scale, which uses a;i ert t 7e format to disco/er the num!er andma(nitude of conflicts 7ercei/ed ! a salesmanamon( the e@7ectations held ! his role 7artners. *talso measures the amount of am!i(uit felt ! thesalesman concernin( the e@7ectations of each role

7artner. The 7redictor /aria!les closeness of su 7er/ision, influence in determinin( the standards of su7er/ision, and Dinno/ati/eness re

Guired ! the "o! were measured ! similar ;i ertscales that had !een de/elo7ed on the !asis of

7re/ious research. ##

The num!er of or(ani)ation de7artments affectin( the salesman+s acti/ities was measured !

7resentin( salesmen with a chec list of de7artments and as in( them to indicate how muchim7act each de7artment had on their acti/ities. Thescore for this /aria!le as used here, howe/er,sim7l reflects the num!er of de7artments eachsalesman felt had some influence o/er his acti/ities, without re(ard to the t 7e or amount of that

influence.A salesman+s contact with his sales mana(er wasmeasured ! a set of multi7le choice Guestionsdealin( with the freGuenc of face to face, tele

7hone, and written communications. The sum of

11. The * D$A;B$ scale and the 7rocedures followed inde/elo7in( it and the other instruments used in this stud aredescri!ed in eil . 4ord, %. C. al er, #r., and . A.'hurchill, #r., DB@7ectation $7ecific easures of the *nter$ender 'onflict and &ole Am!i(uit ercei/ed ! *ndustrial$alesmen - or in( 7a7er o. 153, raduate $chool of Cusiness, ni/ersit of iscons in, adison, 4e!ruar 19 I .

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Organizational Deter inant! o" the #ndu!trial $ale! an%! &ole Con"lict and A biguit' 37

these three freGuenc scores was em7lo ed as ameasure of total communication freGuenc .

4inall , the len(th of time a salesman had !eenin his 7resent "o! was measured with a sin(lemulti7le choice Guestion.

&e!ult!

Ta!le + 7resents sim7le 7airwise correlations !etween role conflict and am!i(uit and each of thesi@ 7redictor /aria!les. *t is encoura(in( to notethat ten out of twel/e relationshi7s are in the ri(htdirection . The two e@ce7tions are that role conflictdecreased when more or(ani)ational de7artmentsinfluenced the salesman+s acti/ities and when hewas closel su7er/ised, instead of increasin( ash 7othesi)ed. All twel/e correlations are smallhowe/er, and onl three are statisticall si(nificantat the normall entertained le/els. Time in 7ositionis the onl 7redictor /aria!le that had a statisticallsi(nificant im7act on !oth role conflict and roleam!i(uit . Coth decreased with len(th of ser/ice.

A salesman+s role am!i(uit also decreased withincreasin( closeness of su7er/ision.

There was little multicollinearit in the 7redictorset. The hi(hest 7airwise correlation was .3>

!etween freGuenc of contact and time in 7osition,which is understanda!le since a salesman usuallreGuires less contact with his sales mana(er as he(ains e@7erience .

Ta!les 3 and - contain the results for role conflict. hile onl 2K of the /ariation in role conflictis accounted for ! the si@ 7redictor /aria!les, theem7hasis should not !e on &2. The stud in/ol/es atest of some a 7riori h 7otheses re(ardin( theor(ani)ational antecedents of role conflict and am

!i(uit . The em7hasis, therefore, lo(icall should !e on the statistical si(nificance of the o/eralleGuation and then, if si(nificant, on the si(nificance of the !eta coefficients. The re(ression eGuation, thou(h, as "ud(ed ! the 4 ratio, is notstatisticall si(nificant. The e/idence does not confirm the h 7otheses re(ardin( the antecedents ofrole conflict .

TAC;B 2;T* ;B &B &B$$*% A A;=$*$ *T &%;B '% 4;*'T

A$ T B '&*TB&*% A&*AC;B

TAC;B 1A*& *$B

'%&&B;AT*% $CBT BB &BD*'T%& $A D '&*TB&*% A&*AC;B$

redictor aria!le

$tandardi)ed&e(ression'oefficients t alue

'riterion aria!le

&' &ole &A &oleredictor aria!le 'onflict Am!i(uit

% %r(ani)ation de7artmentsaffectin( acti/ities .01 & a .039' 'loseness with which

su7er/ised .018 & a .189c* *nfluence in determinin(

standards ! which

o'#NFT

ulti7le & ? .151 .

.029.022

.010

.030.069

.153

TAC;B 3

.I56

.338.161.I63

1.0I2

2.3II

su7er/ised .006 .069 *nno/ati/eness .011 .010

4 4reGuenc of contact .038 .011T Time in 7osition .123 ! .11 !

aAn & indicates the relationshi7 is re/ersed from that which was

A A;=$*$ %4 A&*A 'B *T &%;B'% 4;*'T A$ T B '&*TB&*%

A&*AC;B

$um of De(rees of ean$Guares 4reedom $Guare 4 &atio

h 7othesi)ed. !$i(nificant at .05 le/el.c$i(nificant at .01 le/el.

Due to re(ressionDue to residuals

Total

596.225 13.6

62309.8

@258

26I

99.366 .9999.665

Althou(h the sim7le 7airwise correlations areinformati/e, the do not control for simultaneous/ariations in the other /aria!les. $ince multi7lere(ression anal sis does afford such control, !othconflict and am!i(uit were related to the entire setof 7redictor /aria!les throu(h a linear function ofthe 7redictors. 4or role am!i(uit , for e@am7le, thefollowin( model was e@amined :

&A L " -0 ' * 4 T

Ta!les ; and 1 contain the results for role am !i(uit . This eGuation is statisticall si(nificant atthe .01 le/el. 4urther, the eGuation accounts for 13K of the /ariation in role am!i(uit , with thefMlMowinM three /aria!les ha/in( a statisticall si(nificant *m7act : closeness with which su7er/ised-' , influence in determinin( standards - , andtime in 7osition -T . The direction of association iscorrect in each caseF it is also correct for all other

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38 Journal o" Marketing, Januar' + 01

7osited, !ut nonsi(nificant, relationshi7s . Thisanal sis unco/ered the im7ortant role of Dinfluencein determinin( standards ! which su7er/ised indeterminin( a salesman+s 7ercei/ed role am!i(uit a /aria!le whose im7act was hidden in thetwo /aria!le anal sis.

TAC;B ;

;T* ;B &B &B$$*% A A;=$*$ *T &%;B A C* *T=A$ T B '&*TB&*% A&*AC;B

$tandardi)ed

relati/el little im7act on the total amount of roleconflict e@7erienced ! the salesman.

This inter7retation of the results also hel7s toe@7lain wh some of the findin(s in this stud areinconsistent with 7re/ious research re7orted !Eahn et al. Their stud focused lar(el on wor ersin 7ositions where most of the mem!ers of theirrole set were 7eo7le within the same or(ani)ation.'onseGuentl , internal or(ani)ational structureand su7er/isor 7olicies were much more im

7ortant in determinin( the num!er and consistenc of the role demands recei/ed ! those wor ers .

redictor aria!le

&e(ression'oefficien ts t alue Des7ite the salesman+s 7osition at the firm+s

!oundar , howe/er, it ma !e too soon to concludeoC#

NFT

ulti7le & ? .363.

.060.235.26.033

.015.13

TAC;B 1

.9993.851I.5I3

.5I3

.2322.233

that there is nothin( mana(ement can do to alle/iate the amount and conseGuences of role conflict in the sales force. The findin( that e@7eriencedsalesmen 7ercei/e si(nificantl less role conflictthan those with less e@7erience, for e@am7le, su((ests that the amount and nature of sales trainin(

ma influence a salesman+s 7erce7tions of, anda!ilit to co7e with, role conflict. Trainin(, after all, is lar(el an attem7t to com7ress the ind of

A A;=$*$ %4 A&*A 'B *T &%;B A C* *T=A$ T B '&*TB&*% A&*AC;B

$um of De(rees of ean$Guares 4reedom $Guare 4 &atio

learnin( that occurs with e@7erience into a shortertim e 7eriod .

*t has also !een im7lied that a salesman+s 7er ce7tions of, and reactions to, conflict ma !e

Due to re(ressionDue to residualsTotal

3I66.9228 9.263I6.6

625826I

5 .888.

6.516 influenced ! his 7ersonal characteristics and 7scholo(ical traits. An im7ro/ed understandin( ofwhat 7ersonal /aria!les are related to the wa s inwhich salesmen 7ercei/e and react to role conflictcould lead to im7ro/ed selection criteria and trainin( techniGues.

Conclu! ion! and # ( l ica t ion!

&ole Con"lict

The findin(s 7resented here su((est that thesales or mar etin( mana(er can do little to reducethe amount of role conflict e@7erienced ! his fieldsalesmen. either the authorit or influence structure in the firm, the wa s that salesmen are su7er/ised, nor the amount of inno/ati/e acti/it reGuired of them are si(nificantl related to theamount of conflict the 7ercei/e .

The most 7lausi!le e@7lanation for the lac of

su77ort for the h 7otheses concernin( role conflictlies in the nature of the salesman+s 7osition ... ostof the conflicts he faces 7ro!a!l occur !etween thee@7ectations of role 7artners within his firm, on theone hand, and those of role 7artners outside of hisfirm his customers and famil mem!ers on theother. There is little a sales mana(er can do tomoderate the demands his salesmen recei/e fromtheir customers or their families. 'onseGuentl ,the internal or(ani)ational structure of the firm andthe su7er/isor st le of the sales mana(er ha/e

4inall , while mana(ement ma not !e a!le tomoderate the salesman+s 7erce7tions of role conflict, mana(ement 7olicies and 7ractices ma influence the wa s salesmen co7e with, or attem7t toresol/e, such conflicts. ana(ement 7olicies, inother words, ma ha/e an im7act at the !eha/iorsta(e of the role definition 7rocess e/en thou(hthe don+t ha/e much effect at the 7erce7tionsta(e. These con"ectures all su((est interestin( and

7otentiall fruitful areas for research.

&ole A b igu i t '

The findin(s su((est that mana(ers can to somee@tent influence the amount of am!i(uit or uncertaint e@7erienced ! salesmen in 7erformin(their "o!s. $u7er/isor 7olicies are 7articularl im

7ortant in this re(ard. $alesmen e@7erience lessam!i(uit when the are relati/el closel su7er /ised and when mana(ement listens to their o7inions and desires in formulatin( the standards !which their 7erformance will !e e/aluated andcontrolled.

$till, howe/er, the (reater 7art of the am!i(uit

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Organizational Deter inant! o" the #ndu!trial $ale! an%! &ole Con"lict and A biguit' 39

7ercei/ed ! salesmen seems unaffected ! mana(ement 7olicies. ere a(ain it seems reasona!leto assume that most salesmen are more uncertaina!out how their role 7artners located outside oftheir own firms 7articularl their customerse@7ect them to !eha/e than the are a!out whattheir sales mana(ers and other mem!ers of thefirm e@7ect of them. *nternal com7an 7oliciesseem to !e of little hel7 to the salesman in clarif

in( the role e@7ectations of his customers and othere@traor(ani)ational role 7artners.

4inall , "ust as with role conflict, the amount andconseGuences of the am!i(uit salesmen e@7erience ma !e influenced ! other mana(ementactions and 7olicies not e@amined in this stud . *nthis res7ect, the nature of a firm+s sales trainin(

7ro(ram and the criteria it uses in recruitment andselection are 7rime areas for further in/esti(ation.

~~~~~~ MARKETING MEMO

8l t i a te v! . #nter edia te Goal! , an :*a ( le o" o(ula t ion . . .The s7read of 7o7ulation interest in recent ears has !een so 7er/asi/e that it

would seem almost ine/ita!le that counter 7ositions should de/elo7. *n recentre(ional meetin(s in e@ico, hana, #a7an, and the hili77ines, and in anum!er of other settin(s, /arious D!ac lashD si(nals ha/e a77eared a(ainst whatwas 7ercei/ed as the 7anacea of 7o7ulation control.D

... whate/er the cause and whate/er the "ustification, ... issues are heardmuch more freGuentl toda than a decade a(o. hat was then anal )ed !scientists is now de!ated ! 7olic ma ers.

hat shines throu(h the de!ate, howe/er, is an encoura(in( 7ros7ect: that, asin other such de!ates, the 7rota(onists ma find it much easier to a(ree on whatis to !e done than on what the 7ro!lem reall is . 4or whether 7o7ulation is the

7ro!lem of the era or onl a moderate one, or whether the 7ro!lem is DtheirDfault or ours, or whether international assistance is ri(htl allocated or not,there does now seem to !e a Guite wide a(reement on two 7ro7ositions: alle/iatethe 7li(ht of the 7oor -read: 7romote social and economic de/elo7ment and atthe same time ma e a/aila!le modern means of fertilit control to the 7oor as tothe rich -read: 7ro/ide famil 7lannin( .

Cernard Cerelson, ositions ono7ulation rowth, in The res

ident+s &e7ort $ection, '&e $opulation (ouncil Annual Report + 0-,

77. 19 2 , at 77. 26 and 2 .