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Linking thinking styles to sales performance: The importance of creativity and subjective knowledge

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  • Groza, Mark D.
  • Locander, David A.
  • Howlett, Charles H.

Abstract

This study examines the roles of thinking styles, role ambiguity, and knowledge in predicting salesperson creative selling behaviors. It also examines the importance of salesperson industry knowledge (i.e., an understanding of the industry's regulatory environment) and salesperson organizational knowledge (i.e., an understanding of customers' internal political environment) in the creative selling–sales performance relationship. Survey data come from 262 business-to-business benefits broker salespeople to test the conceptual model. The results of the structural equations modeling confirm that a judicial thinking style has a positive effect on creative selling and that role ambiguity and organizational knowledge are also important antecedents of creative selling. Importantly, the analysis confirms that industry and organizational knowledge moderate the creative selling–sales performance relationship.

Suggested Citation

  • Groza, Mark D. & Locander, David A. & Howlett, Charles H., 2016. "Linking thinking styles to sales performance: The importance of creativity and subjective knowledge," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(10), pages 4185-4193.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:69:y:2016:i:10:p:4185-4193
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.03.006
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    Cited by:

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    13. Locander, David A. & Darrat, Mahmoud A. & Babin, Barry J., 2023. "Examining the impact of salesperson orientation on creative selling, passive deviance, and organizational outcomes," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    14. Locander, David A. & Locander, Jennifer A. & Weinberg, Frankie J., 2020. "How salesperson traits and intuitive judgments influence adaptive selling: A sensemaking perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 452-462.
    15. Herjanto, Halimin & Amin, Muslim & Purington, Elizabeth F., 2021. "Panic buying: The effect of thinking style and situational ambiguity," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    16. Edwards, John & Miles, Morgan P. & D'Alessandro, Steven & Frost, Mark, 2022. "Linking B2B sales performance to entrepreneurial self-efficacy, entrepreneurial selling actions," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 585-593.
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    19. Park, Hyewon & Hur, Won-Moo & Kang, Seongho, 2023. "Contribution of sales control in salespeople’s creative selling: Work engagement as a mediator," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).

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