Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Sellers and buyers on the boundary: Potential moderators of role stress-job outcome relationships

  • Published:
Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Despite intense research interest in the role stress phenomenon in marketing over the last decade, there have been few attempts to explain the sometimes discrepant findings. This study investigated the influence of three potential moderators (education, job tenure, and work group cohesion) on role stress-job outcome relationships. Hypotheses were developed and tested in two work contexts of interest to marketers: industrial selling and purchasing. Findings point to some interesting moderating effects in the two samples. Work group cohesion reduced the dysfunctional effect of role stress on organizational commitment among industrial buyers. However, a more cohesive sales group experienced stronger dysfunctional effects from role stress on organizational commitment. Level of education buffered the role stress-organizational commitment link but only among industrial sales representatives. Managerial and research implications are also discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Anderson, Carol H. 1986. “Hierarchical Moderated Regression Analysis: A Useful Tool for Retail Management Decisions.”Journal of Retailing 62 (Summer): 186–203.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beehr, Terry A. 1976. “Perceived Situational Moderators of the Relationship between Subjective Role Ambiguity and Role Strain.”Journal of Applied Psychology 61 (February): 35–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, Steven P. and Robert A. Peterson. 1993. “Antecedents and Consequences of Salesperson Job Satisfaction: Meta-Analysis and Assessment of Causal Effects.”Journal of Marketing Research 30 (February): 63–77.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buchanan, Bruce II. 1974. “Building Organizational Commitment: The Socialization of Managers in Work Organizations.”Administrative Science Quarterly 19 (December): 533–546.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Busch, Paul and Ronald F. Bush. 1978. “Women Contrasted to Men in the Industrial Sales-Force: Job Satisfaction, Values, Role Clarity, Performance and Propensity to Leave.”Journal of Marketing Research 15 (August): 438–448.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Champoux, Joseph E. and William S. Peters. 1980. “Applications of Moderated Regression in Job Design Research.”Personnel Psychology 33 (Winter): 759–783.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chiesi, Harry L., George J. Spilich, and James F. Voss. 1979. “Acquisition of Domain-related Information in Relation to High and Low Domain Knowledge.”Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior 18 (June): 257–273.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Churchill, Gilbert A., Jr., Neil M. Ford, Steven W. Hartley, and Orville C. Walker. 1985. “The Determinants of Salesperson Performance: A Meta-Analysis.”Journal of Marketing Research 22 (May): 103–118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Churchill, Gilbert A., Jr., Neil M. Ford, and Orville C. Walker. 1974. “Measuring the Job Satisfaction of Industrial Salesmen.”Journal of Marketing Research 11 (August): 254–260.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dubinsky, Alan J., Roy D. Howell, Thomas N. Ingram, and Danny N. Bellenger. 1986. “Salesforce Socialization.”Journal of Marketing 50 (October): 192–207.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dubinsky, Alan J. and Bruce E. Mattson. 1979. “Consequences of Role Conflict and Ambiguity Experienced by Retail Salespeople.”Journal of Retailing 55 (Winter): 70–86.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dunlap, William P. and Edward R. Kemery. 1987. “Failure to Detect Moderating Effects: Is Multicollinearity the Problem?”Psychological Bulletin 102 (November): 418–420.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fisher, Cynthia D. and Richard Gittleson. 1983. “A Meta-Analysis of the Correlates of Role Conflict and Ambiguity.”Journal of Applied Psychology 68 (May): 320–333.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ford, Neil M., Orville C. Walker, and Gilbert A. Churchill, Jr. 1975. “Expectation-Specific Measures of the Intersender Conflict and Role Ambiguity Experienced by Industrial Salesmen.”Journal of Business Research 3 (April): 95–112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hunter, John E., Frank L. Schmidt, and Gregg B. Jackson. 1982.Meta-Analysis: Cumulating Research Findings across Studies. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, Susan E. and Randall S. Schuler. 1985. “A Meta-Analysis and Conceptual Critique of Research on Role Ambiguity and Role Conflict in Work Settings.”Organizational and Human Decision Processes 36 (August): 16–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnston, Mark W., A. Parasuraman, Charles M. Futrell, and William C. Black. 1990. “A Longitudinal Assessment of the Impact of Selected Organizational Influences on Salespeople’s Organizational Commitment during Early Employment.”Journal of Marketing Research 27 (August): 333–344.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kahn, Robert L., Donald M. Wolfe, Robert P. Quinn, Jaap D. Snoek, and Robert A. Rosenthal. 1964.Organizational Stress. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lysonski, Steven, Alan Singer, and David Wilemon. 1989. “Coping with Environmental Uncertainty and Boundary Spanning in the Product Manager’s Role.”Journal of Consumer Marketing 6 (Spring): 33–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mason, Charlotte H. and William D. Perreault, Jr. 1991. “Collinearity, Power, and the Interpretation of Multiple Regression Analysis.”Journal of Marketing Research 28 (August): 268–280.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Michaels, Ronald E., William L. Cron, Alan J. Dubinsky, and Erich A. Joachimsthaler. 1988. “Influence of Formalization on the Organizational Commitment and Work Alienation of Salespeople and Industrial Buyers.”Journal of Marketing Research 25 (November): 376–383.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Michaels, Ronald E., Ralph L. Day, and Erich A. Joachimsthaler. 1987. “Role Stress among Industrial Buyers: An Integrative Model.”Journal of Marketing 51 (April): 28–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morrow, Paula C. 1983. “Concept Redundancy in Organizational Research: The Case of Work Commitment.”Academy of Management Review 8 (July): 486–500.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mowday, Richard T., Richard M. Steers, and Lyman W. Porter. 1979. “The Measurement of Organizational Commitment.”Journal of Vocational Behavior 14 (April): 224–247.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neil, Cecily C. and William E. Snizek. 1988. “Gender as a Moderator of Job Satisfaction: A Multivariate Assessment.”Work and Occupations 15 (May): 201–219.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Podsakoff, Phillip M., William D. Todor, and Randall S. Schuler. 1983. “Leader Expertise as a Moderator of the Effects of Instrumental and Supportive Leader Behaviors.”Journal of Management 9 (Fall/Winter): 173–186.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pond, Samuel B., III and Paul D. Geyer. 1987. “Employee Age as a Moderator of the Relation between Perceived Work Alternatives and Job Satisfaction.”Journal of Psychology 72 (November): 552–557.

    Google Scholar 

  • Porter, Lyman W., Richard M. Steers, Richard T. Mowday, and Paul V. Boulian. 1974. “Organizational Commitment, Job Satisfaction, and Turnover among Psychiatric Technicians.”Journal of Applied Psychology 59 (October): 603–609.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rizzo, John R., Robert J. House, and Sidney I. Lirtzman. 1970. “Role Conflict and Ambiguity in Complex Organizations.”Administrative Science Quarterly 15 (March): 150–163.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salancik, Gerald R. 1977. “Commitment and the Control of Organizational Behavior and Belief.” InNew Directions in Organizational Behavior. Eds. Barry M. Staw and Gerald R. Salancik. Chicago: St. Clair Press, 1–54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt, Frank L., John E. Hunter, and Kenneth Pearlman. 1982. “Progress in Validity Generalization: Comments on Callender and Osburn and Further Developments.”Journal of Applied Psychology 67 (December): 835–845.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sharma, Subhash, Richard M. Durand, and Oded Gur-Arie. 1981. “Identification and Analysis of Moderator Variables.”Journal of Marketing Research 18 (August): 291–300.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, Patricia C., Lorne M. Kendall, and Charles L. Hulin. 1969.The Measurement of Satisfaction in Work and Retirement. Chicago: Rand McNally.

    Google Scholar 

  • Staw, Barry M. 1975. “Attribution of the ‘Causes’ of Performance: A General Alternative Interpretation of Cross-sectional Research on Organizations.”Organizational Behavior and Human Performance 13 (June): 414–432.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ————— 1990. “Rationality and Justification in Organizational Life.” InInformation and Cognitions in Organizations. Eds. Larry L. Cummings and Barry M. Staw. Greenwich, CT: JAI, 53–88.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stone, Eugene F. and John R. Hollenbeck. 1989. “Clarifying Some Controversial Issues Surrounding Statistical Procedures for Detecting Moderator Variables: Empirical and Related Matters.”Journal of Applied Psychology 74 (February): 3–10.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Sell, Mary, Arthur P. Brief, and Randall S. Schuler. 1981. “Role Conflict and Role Ambiguity: Integration of the Literature and Directions for Future Research.”Human Relations 34 (January): 43–71.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walker, Orville C., Jr., Gilbert A. Churchill, Jr., and Neil M. Ford. 1975. “Organizational Determinants of the Industrial Salesman’s Role Conflict and Ambiguity.”Journal of Marketing 39 (January): 32–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walker, Orville C., Jr., Gilbert A. Churchill, Jr., and Neil M. Ford. 1977. “Motivation and Performance in Industrial Selling: Present Knowledge and Needed Research.”Journal of Marketing Research 14 (May): 156–168.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wise, Steven L., Lawrence H. Peters, and Edward J. O’Connor. 1984. “Identifying Moderator Variables Using Multiple Regression: A Reply to Darrow and Kahl.”Journal of Management 10 (Summer): 227–236.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wolfe, Donald M. and Jaap D. Snoek. 1962. “A Study of Tensions and Adjustment under Role Conflict.”Journal of Social Issues 18 (July): 102–121.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zaccaro, Stephen J. and Gregory H. Dobbins. 1989. “Contrasting Group and Organizational Commitment among Multilevel Attachments.”Journal of Organizational Behavior 10 (July): 267–273.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zedeck, Sheldon. 1971. “Problems with the Use of ‘Moderator’ Variables.”Psychological Bulletin 76 (October): 295–310.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Indiana University-Bloomington, USA

    Ronald E. Michaels & Andrea L. Dixon

Authors
  1. Ronald E. Michaels
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Andrea L. Dixon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

His research interests are in the areas of job satisfaction, performance, and motivation issues in personal selling and organizational buying. Michaels’ research has appeared in theJournal of Marketing Research, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Business Research, andIndustrial Marketing Management.

She received her M.B.A. degree in marketing from Boston University. Dixon’s research has appeared in theJournal of Consumer Satisfaction/Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior and AMA’sEnhancing Knowledge Development in Marketing. She is a member of the Academy of Marketing Science, the American Marketing Association, and the Association for Consumer Research. Her current research interests include personal selling, sales management, and services marketing.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Michaels, R.E., Dixon, A.L. Sellers and buyers on the boundary: Potential moderators of role stress-job outcome relationships. JAMS 22, 62–73 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1177/0092070394221006

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0092070394221006

Keywords

Search

Navigation