IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/ijmark/v2023y2023i4d10.1007_s43039-023-00078-z.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Sales ambidexterity and performance: a behavioral paradigm through the Career Stage framework

Author

Listed:
  • Marta Giovannetti

    (University of Macerata)

Abstract

Sales professionals worldwide have a decisive role in bringing value to organizations and supply chains, but pressures are challenging the existing sales force models and forcing organizations to look for new ways to optimally manage their resources and achieve multiple goals, including Sales ambidexterity. This approach allows for the achievement of seemingly conflicting tasks and goals, with superior performances. The purpose of this research is to study the salesperson’s orientations and behavior, and the concept of Sales ambidexterity, as well as to provide additional insights into the personal and career concerns of the sales professional, by adopting a Career Stage perspective. The quantitative study (PLS-SEM), conducted on a large sample of Italian BtoB salespeople (N = 199), made it possible to test the hypotheses that had emerged from extant research, verifying the importance of orientations and personal dispositions towards ambidexterity, as well as its relationship with efficacy and performance outcomes, in interaction with the Career Stage dimension. The findings confirm that the attitudes, priorities and concerns of individuals in their career have an impact on salespeople’s job outcomes. Salespeople orientations, motivation and Career Stage should indeed be taken into consideration when reflecting or planning salesforce training and incentive initiatives aiming at Sales Ambidexterity. This study investigates Sales Ambidexterity, a novel construct with theoretical and managerial importance, extending its nomological network and including relevant antecedents and the Career Stage framework. The importance of motivation and orientations in sales is known and, in this study, Career Stage is used in interaction with Sales ambidexterity to provide additional insights on this new sales paradigm.

Suggested Citation

  • Marta Giovannetti, 2023. "Sales ambidexterity and performance: a behavioral paradigm through the Career Stage framework," Italian Journal of Marketing, Springer, vol. 2023(4), pages 471-501, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:ijmark:v:2023:y:2023:i:4:d:10.1007_s43039-023-00078-z
    DOI: 10.1007/s43039-023-00078-z
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s43039-023-00078-z
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s43039-023-00078-z?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Son K. Lam & Thomas E. DeCarlo & Ashish Sharma, 2019. "Salesperson ambidexterity in customer engagement: do customer base characteristics matter?," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 47(4), pages 659-680, July.
    2. Michael Lubatkin & Zeki Simsek & Yan Ling & John F. Veiga, 2006. "Ambidexterity and Performance in Small-to Medium-Sized Firms : The Pivotal Role of Top Management Team Behavioral Integration," Post-Print hal-02311781, HAL.
    3. Robert W. Palmatier & Mark B. Houston & John Hulland, 2018. "Review articles: purpose, process, and structure," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 46(1), pages 1-5, January.
    4. 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).
    5. Russ, Frederick A. & McNeilly, Kevin M., 1995. "Links among satisfaction, commitment, and turnover intentions: The moderating effect of experience, gender, and performance," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 57-65, September.
    6. Corsaro, Daniela, 2022. "Explaining the Sales Transformation through an institutional lens," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 1106-1124.
    7. Ryan Mullins & Bulent Menguc & Nikolaos G. Panagopoulos, 2020. "Antecedents and performance outcomes of value-based selling in sales teams: a multilevel, systems theory of motivation perspective," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 48(6), pages 1053-1074, November.
    8. Paschen, Jeannette & Wilson, Matthew & Ferreira, João J., 2020. "Collaborative intelligence: How human and artificial intelligence create value along the B2B sales funnel," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 63(3), pages 403-414.
    9. James G. March, 1991. "Exploration and Exploitation in Organizational Learning," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 2(1), pages 71-87, February.
    10. Bilal Ahmad & Liu Da & Mirza Huzaifa Asif & Muhammad Irfan & Shahid Ali & Muhammad Imad Ud Din Akbar, 2021. "Understanding the Antecedents and Consequences of Service-Sales Ambidexterity: A Motivation-Opportunity-Ability (MOA) Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-19, August.
    11. Gopalakrishna, Srinath & Crecelius, Andrew T. & Patil, Ashutosh, 2022. "Hunting for new customers: Assessing the drivers of effective salesperson prospecting and conversion," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 916-926.
    12. Thomas E. DeCarlo & Son K. Lam, 2016. "Identifying effective hunters and farmers in the salesforce: a dispositional–situational framework," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 44(4), pages 415-439, July.
    13. Zheng, Yaqin & Liao, Hsin-Yi & Schrock, Wyatt A. & Zheng, Yi & Zang, Zhimei, 2023. "Synergies between salesperson orientations and sales force control: A person-organization fit perspective on adaptive selling behaviors and sales performance," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 155(PA).
    14. Son K. Lam & Michel Borgh, 2021. "On salesperson judgment and decision making," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 49(5), pages 855-863, September.
    15. Daniela Corsaro & Isabella Maggioni & Mirko Olivieri, 2021. "Sales and marketing automation in the post-Covid-19 scenario: value drivers in B2B relationships," Italian Journal of Marketing, Springer, vol. 2021(4), pages 371-392, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Youngtak M. Kim & John R. Busenbark & Seung-Hwan Jeong & Son K. Lam, 2022. "The performance impact of marketing dualities: a response surface approach to resolving empirical challenges," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 50(5), pages 915-940, September.
    2. Son K. Lam & Thomas E. DeCarlo & Ashish Sharma, 2019. "Salesperson ambidexterity in customer engagement: do customer base characteristics matter?," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 47(4), pages 659-680, July.
    3. Mammassis, Constantinos S. & Kostopoulos, Konstantinos C., 2019. "CEO goal orientations, environmental dynamism and organizational ambidexterity: An investigation in SMEs," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 37(5), pages 577-588.
    4. Matsuno, Ken & Kohlbacher, Florian, 2020. "Proactive marketing response to population aging: The roles of capabilities and commitment of firms," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 93-104.
    5. Chang, Kuo-Hsiung & Gotcher, Donald F., 2020. "How and when does co-production facilitate eco-innovation in international buyer-supplier relationships? The role of environmental innovation ambidexterity and institutional pressures," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(5).
    6. Sabyasachi Sinha, 2015. "The Exploration–Exploitation Dilemma: A Review in the Context of Managing Growth of New Ventures," Vikalpa: The Journal for Decision Makers, , vol. 40(3), pages 313-323, September.
    7. Partanen, Jukka & Kohtamäki, Marko & Patel, Pankaj C. & Parida, Vinit, 2020. "Supply chain ambidexterity and manufacturing SME performance: The moderating roles of network capability and strategic information flow," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 221(C).
    8. Jan Ossenbrink & Joern Hoppmann & Volker H. Hoffmann, 2019. "Hybrid Ambidexterity: How the Environment Shapes Incumbents’ Use of Structural and Contextual Approaches," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 30(6), pages 1319-1348, November.
    9. Manuel Guisado-González & Jennifer González-Blanco & José Luis Coca-Pérez, 2019. "Exploration, exploitation, and firm age in alliance portfolios," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 9(4), pages 387-406, December.
    10. Danny Soetanto & Sarah L. Jack, 2018. "Slack resources, exploratory and exploitative innovation and the performance of small technology-based firms at incubators," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 43(5), pages 1213-1231, October.
    11. Choo Yeon Kim & Myung Sub Lim & Jae Wook Yoo, 2019. "Ambidexterity in External Knowledge Search Strategies and Innovation Performance: Mediating Role of Balanced Innovation and Moderating Role of Absorptive Capacity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(18), pages 1-23, September.
    12. Frank T. Rothaermel & Maria Tereza Alexandre, 2009. "Ambidexterity in Technology Sourcing: The Moderating Role of Absorptive Capacity," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 20(4), pages 759-780, August.
    13. Schnellbaecher, Benedikt & Diefenbach, Ulf & Millemann, Jan, 2015. "Putting the Individual in Ambidexterity – Identifying Activities to Achieve Organisational Ambidexterity and Long-Term Survival," Proceedings of the ENTRENOVA - ENTerprise REsearch InNOVAtion Conference (2015), Kotor, Montengero, in: Proceedings of the ENTRENOVA - ENTerprise REsearch InNOVAtion Conference, Kotor, Montengero, 10-11 September 2015, pages 57-63, IRENET - Society for Advancing Innovation and Research in Economy, Zagreb.
    14. Jiewei Zu & Jianan Wang & Jun Ma, 2022. "Ambidexterity in a Rapidly Changing Environment of China: Top Management Team Decision Making and Sustained Performance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-20, March.
    15. Balasubramaniam Ramesh & Kannan Mohan & Lan Cao, 2012. "Ambidexterity in Agile Distributed Development: An Empirical Investigation," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 23(2), pages 323-339, June.
    16. Vinit Parida & Tom Lahti & Joakim Wincent, 2016. "Exploration and exploitation and firm performance variability: a study of ambidexterity in entrepreneurial firms," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 12(4), pages 1147-1164, December.
    17. Lee, Jangwook & Chung, Jiyoon, 2022. "Women in top management teams and their impact on innovation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    18. Yan Ling & Michelle Hammond & Li-Qun Wei, 2022. "Ethical leadership and ambidexterity in young firms: examining the CEO-TMT Interface," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 18(1), pages 25-48, March.
    19. David B. Audretsch & Maribel Guerrero, 2023. "Is ambidexterity the missing link between entrepreneurship, management, and innovation?," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 48(6), pages 1891-1918, December.
    20. Barba-Aragón, María Isabel & Jiménez-Jiménez, Daniel, 2020. "HRM and radical innovation: A dual approach with exploration as a mediator," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 38(5), pages 791-803.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:ijmark:v:2023:y:2023:i:4:d:10.1007_s43039-023-00078-z. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.