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Effects of work–family interface conflicts on salesperson behaviors: a double-edged sword

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Abstract

Work–family interface conflicts have typically been cast in a negative light due to their detrimental consequences. This study offers new insights by uncovering conditions under which such conflicts may produce both positive and negative effects on salesperson job-related behaviors in the context of B2B sales. Drawing on cognitive appraisal theory as an overarching theoretical framework, the authors suggest that informal controls (i.e., professional control and self-control) have differential moderating effects in salespeople’s primary and secondary appraisal processes when faced with work–family conflict and family–work conflict. Dyadic data from a matched salesperson–customer sample reveals that professional control amplifies, whereas self-control mitigates, the positive effect of work–family conflict on perceived stress. Professional control amplifies the positive effect of stress on in-role behavior, and self-control strengthens positive effects of stress on in-role behavior and customer-directed extra-role behavior while suppressing unethical behavior under high stress. Moreover, the two types of informal controls moderate the direct effects of family–work conflict on salesperson behaviors in an opposite fashion, such that under a strong professional control, family–work conflict reduces in-role and extra-role behaviors and induces unethical behavior, whereas a strong self-control alleviates such detrimental effects. These findings suggest that work–family interface conflicts should be viewed as a double-edged sword capable of producing both positive and negative consequences under certain conditions, offering new theoretical insights and important managerial implications for this prevalent phenomenon in sales management.

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Notes

  1. We chose informal controls (i.e., professional control and self-control) over formal controls (i.e., process control and outcome control) in our study because it has been demonstrated that informal controls have much stronger impact on job tension and dysfunctional behavior (Jaworski and MacInnis 1989). We nonetheless account for potential effects of process control and outcome control by including them as covariates.

  2. Although we do not expect incremental effects of work–family conflict, we nonetheless tested them empirically. Results corroborate our assertion as no incremental or moderation effects were found between work–family conflict and salesperson behaviors.

  3. Similar to German companies (Workman et al. 1998), Chinese firms do not clearly distinguish between sales and marketing functions and tend to use them interchangeably. Therefore, as suggested by sales managers during our interviews, we used “sales and marketing professionals” instead of “sales professionals” to accommodate the idiosyncrasy of the empirical context.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. 436 School of Business Administration, Portland State University, Portland, OR, 97207, USA

    C. Fred Miao

  2. Management Division, School of Graduate Professional Studies, Penn State University, 30 East Swedesford Rd., Malvern, PA, 19355-1443, USA

    Guangping Wang

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Correspondence to C. Fred Miao.

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Miao, C.F., Wang, G. Effects of work–family interface conflicts on salesperson behaviors: a double-edged sword. J. of the Acad. Mark. Sci. 45, 762–783 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-016-0492-7

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