Hindering and Challenging Aspects of Sales Control Systems: A Granular Approach to the Burnout Process in Japan

The present thesis attempts to extend the understanding of salespeople’s burnout by taking a granular approach to the Job Demands-Resources framework. In particular, the study investigates the boundary conditions of salespeople’s burnout in which customer orientation affects burnout, and, in turn, affects their service performance. Particular attention was given to the work environment unique to the sales occupations. As such, the study conceptualises the demanding aspects of sales control systems (i.e. activity control and outcome control) as organisational demands, and customer learning climate as an important organisational resource. These organisational demands and this resource are conceptualised as the boundary conditions of burnout among sales employees, and hypothesised to have moderating effects on the link between customer orientation and burnout. Further, the study tests the effect of burnout on the service performance of salespeople following an emerging discussion which highlights the importance of relational aspects of salespeople’s performance.
Using a sample of 372 dyadic responses collected from frontline sales employees and their direct supervisors from a pharmaceutical company operating in Japan, the study tested two direct relationship hypotheses and three interaction hypotheses where customer orientation interacts with proposed demands and a resource to influence salespeople’s burnout. The results suggest that customer orientation is an important personal resource that shapes perceptions of the work environment. Particularly, this study provides empirical evidence that: (1) customer orientation is directly and negatively related to burnout; (2) burnout is negatively related to service performance; (3) activity control is appraised as a challenge demand, and it interacts with customer orientation to further reduce burnout; (4) outcome control is appraised as hindering, and it interacts with customer orientation to form burnout; and (5) customer learning climate is a valuable resource for customer-oriented sales employees in alleviating burnout. These findings are discussed with relevance to the prevalent extant literature. In addition, important theoretical and managerial implications will be provided. Finally, the thesis further discusses the limitations of the study and provides directions for future research; this is followed by the concluding remarks.