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1 – 10 of 149Ting Yu, Ko de Ruyter, Paul Patterson and Ching-Fu Chen
This study aims to explore the formation and consequences of a cross-selling initiative climate, as well as how a service climate, which provides an important boundary condition…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the formation and consequences of a cross-selling initiative climate, as well as how a service climate, which provides an important boundary condition, affects both its formation and its ultimate impact on service-sales performance. This article identifies two important predictors of a cross-selling initiative climate: frontline employees’ perceptions of supervisors’ bottom-line mentality and their own sense of accountability.
Design/methodology/approach
The multilevel data set includes 180 frontline staff and supervisors (team leaders) from 31 teams employed by a spa/beauty salon chain. Hierarchical linear modelling and partial least squares methods serve to analyse the data.
Findings
Supervisors’ bottom-line mentality disrupts a cross-selling initiative climate. A sense of accountability exerts a positive impact at both individual and team levels. A service climate at the team level weakens the impact of a sense of accountability on a cross-selling initiative climate. A cross-selling initiative climate has a positive effect on team-level service-sales performance, but this effect is weakened by the service climate.
Originality/value
This study conceptualises an important frontline work unit attribute as a climate. It offers an initial argument that a cross-selling initiative climate is a central factor driving a work unit’s service-sales performance, which can increase firms’ productivity and competitive advantages. With this initial attempt to explore the antecedents and consequences of a cross-selling initiative climate, the study also offers novel insights into the interplay between a service and a cross-selling initiative climate.
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HsiuJu Rebecca Yen, Paul Jen-Hwa Hu and Yi-Chun Liao
This study aims to examine how a manager’s learning goal orientation (LGO) influences frontline service employees’ (FSEs’) engagement in cross-selling activities. Such engagements…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine how a manager’s learning goal orientation (LGO) influences frontline service employees’ (FSEs’) engagement in cross-selling activities. Such engagements must exist before they can achieve service–sales ambidexterity. Drawing on achievement goal theory and the meaning-making perspective, this study predicts that learning-oriented managers encourage and foster FSEs’ cross-selling behaviors by facilitating their ability to derive positive meaning from the cross-selling initiative. They do so by conveying high-quality information about the initiative and related changes to individual employees, as well as by encouraging the formation of a collective perception of open communications within the work unit.
Design/methodology/approach
Hierarchical (nested) data from 39 managers and 357 FSEs of a major logistic service company are used to test the hypotheses.
Findings
As predicted, a manager’s LGO relates positively to FSEs’ cross-selling activities, through sequential mediations of the hypothesized communication mechanisms and employees’ benefits-finding.
Originality/value
A manager’s LGO is an important antecedent of FSEs’ cross-selling behaviors. This study establishes this influence and clarifies the processes by which it occurs. This study also extends previous research by specifying the important role of employees’ meaning-making, which prompts them to adopt cross-selling, as a mediator of the multilevel communication influences that result from their managers’ LGO.
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HsiuJu Rebecca Yen, Paul Jen-Hwa Hu, Yi-Chun Liao and Jiun-Yu Wu
Ambidextrous frontline service employees (FSEs), capable of delivering quality services and carrying out sales responsibilities too, are crucial to service firms. This study seeks…
Abstract
Purpose
Ambidextrous frontline service employees (FSEs), capable of delivering quality services and carrying out sales responsibilities too, are crucial to service firms. This study seeks to extend ambidexterity research by examining how a manager's goal orientation could influence FSEs' ambidextrous conversion. The authors draw on achievement goal theory and conceptualize a link between a manager's achievement goal orientation and employees' service–sales ambidexterity (SSA). The authors then apply conservation of resources theory to complement this high-level conceptualization, hypothesize mediating roles of important resources that can facilitate employees' SSA, and the authors test them empirically.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopts a questionnaire survey design. The empirical test relies on multilevel path analyses of dyadic data from 341 FSEs and 39 managers of a major logistics service company in Taiwan.
Findings
Managers with a prominent learning goal orientation can facilitate and foster FSEs' SSA through developmental inducements and change-related self-efficacy, two important resources for their ambidextrous conversion. Managers with a strong performance-avoid goal orientation instead might hinder employees' SSA conversion, due to a negative impact on developmental inducements. Furthermore, SSA enhances FSEs' service delivery value and sales performance.
Originality/value
By analyzing and empirically testing the influence pathways of essential resources perceived by FSEs, which channel the effects of a manager's goal orientation to employees' SSA conversion, this study offers insights about how managers can support and foster FSEs' service–sales ambidextrous conversion.
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Hua Fan, Bing Han, Wei Gao and Wenqian Li
This study serves two purposes: (1) to evaluate the effects of organizational ambidexterity by examining how the balanced and the combined sales–service configurations of chatbots…
Abstract
Purpose
This study serves two purposes: (1) to evaluate the effects of organizational ambidexterity by examining how the balanced and the combined sales–service configurations of chatbots differ in their abilities to enhance customer experience and patronage and (2) to apply information boundary theory to assess the contingent role that chatbot sales–service ambidexterity can play in adapting to customers' personalization–privacy paradox.
Design/methodology/approach
An online survey of artificial intelligence chatbots users was conducted, and a mixed-methods research design involving response surface analysis and polynomial regression was adopted to address the research aim.
Findings
The results of polynomial regressions on survey data from 507 online customers indicated that as the benefits of personalization decreased and the risk to privacy increased, the inherently negative (positive) effects of imbalanced (combined) chatbots' sales–service ambidexterity had an increasing (decreasing) influence on customer experience. Furthermore, customer experience fully mediated the association of chatbots' sales–service ambidexterity with customer patronage.
Originality/value
First, this study enriches the literature on frontline ambidexterity and extends it to the setting of human–machine interaction. Second, the study contributes to the literature on the personalization–privacy paradox by demonstrating the importance of frontline ambidexterity for adapting to customer concerns. Third, the study examines the conduit between artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots' ambidexterity and sales performance, thereby helping to reconcile the previously inconsistent evidence regarding this relationship.
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Moritz Classen and Thomas Friedli
The purpose of this study is to explore organizational enablers of frontline employees’ (FLEs) service-sales ambidexterity (SSA) in industrial firms expanding their digital…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore organizational enablers of frontline employees’ (FLEs) service-sales ambidexterity (SSA) in industrial firms expanding their digital service portfolios.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted a qualitative study of five industrial firms pursuing digital service growth and, for this purpose, collected and analyzed interview data obtained from 50 service and sales managers and FLEs across three continents.
Findings
The authors identify and explain eight organizational enablers of digital service-sales ambidexterity (DSSA), operating at the macro, micro and meso levels.
Practical implications
Service and sales managers should use the identified organizational enablers to exploit the established service business and to explore new digital growth paths.
Originality/value
The study expands the prior understanding of SSA by advancing the concept of DSSA, unpacking its multilevel dynamics and operationalizing eight organizational enablers.
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Keo Mony Sok, Devin Bin and Phyra Sok
Business-to-business (B2B) firms increasingly have a need for frontline sales employees who can both sell and service customer account, a task known as sales-service ambidexterity…
Abstract
Purpose
Business-to-business (B2B) firms increasingly have a need for frontline sales employees who can both sell and service customer account, a task known as sales-service ambidexterity which may pose significant challenges to frontline sales employees. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to show that one has to be cognizant of the potential negative consequences brought about requiring frontline sales employees to engage in sales-service ambidexterity and find a way to mitigate such negative consequences.
Design/methodology/approach
The multisource data for this study was collected from frontline sales employees and their respective supervisors working across multiple B2B pharmaceutical companies in a Southeast Asian country. The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and PROCESS Macro.
Findings
The results reveal a negative indirect effect of sales-service ambidexterity sales performance through role overload. This negative indirect effect is fully neutralized when information exchange is high but not when it is low.
Originality/value
This study underscores the importance of not only the negative consequence of sales-service ambidexterity but also offers insights into how this negative consequence is neutralized so that sales performance is maximized.
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The purpose of this research is to identify the cross-functional factors and their impact after exploratory factor analysis (EFA), especially in B2B context and constructing a…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to identify the cross-functional factors and their impact after exploratory factor analysis (EFA), especially in B2B context and constructing a model to interpret and quantify the influences (sales performance score) specifically to the IT/ITES companies.
Design/methodology/approach
Getting answer for a corporate that where its current stand in the industry is important for the strategy making, especially for the sales team. Few academic researches charted direction toward cross-functional sales factors, but getting answer whether we can quantify that sales performance and identify what is the numeric benchmark value, is difficult. For the companies to understand the need to focus on which cross-functional factors and when, is also difficult.
Findings
After 1,079+ literature study, concluded with the 25 antecedents strongly used in previous studies and 8 more on after focused group study, pilot study and discussion with the industry leaders, 35 questions addressing 33 indicators collected in 10 months duration from 310 sales professionals, 90+ IT companies. Three samples were removed as outliers using “Mahalanobis Distance Test” for multivariate analysis, dropped two variables by “Missing value Not at Random” (MNAR). Final 15 determinants of cross-functional sales performance indicators forming four best factors with very high reliability after EFA to form a future formative model and sales performance score.
Research limitations/implications
(1) In this study no moderator and mediator effect are analyzed. (2) This study is the precursor to the final model construction. (3) Business down due to recession, global pandemic, terrorism, earthquake, war etc. are not considered during this analysis and study. Only the cross-functional reasons for natural business down have been considered and analyzed. (4) Exact “Sales Performance Score (SPS)” should be calculated after model forming, adjusting and confirmatory factor analysis.
Practical implications
(1) The major implication of this study would be for IT/ITES companies. It will be very easy for them to quantify the sales performance and measure that scientifically. (2) There will be a way to measure, predict and take measurable actions in case sales performance of the company downfalls. (3) Also the impact will be known to the top management of the company well in advance so that they can make the proper strategy. This will be very useful in current situation when measuring business outcome and make strategy well in advance is of any company's utmost priority.
Originality/value
Focusing on these identified factors companies can improve its sales performance. The authors contribute in creating a statistical model and computing a sales performance score, based on the final factor loading values, would be unique and unprecedented to measure the current industry performance by quantifying its standard or benchmark value for better strategic support toward the achievement of targets.
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Jill Irvin, Laura Pedro and Paul Gennaro
Over the past decade, many companies acquired their way to growth by developing and managing a portfolio of businesses, treating each as an autonomous unit. For many companies…
Abstract
Over the past decade, many companies acquired their way to growth by developing and managing a portfolio of businesses, treating each as an autonomous unit. For many companies, that strategy no longer works. Such companies must now stimulate organic growth by finding synergies between formerly disparate pieces of their enterprise. That means transforming a loosely‐knit collection of businesses into a synergistic enterprise in which each business shows one face to the customer.
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Yuhyung Shin, Won-Moo Hur and Tae Won Moon
This study aims to test the mediating effect of cross-selling behavior (CSB) on the relationship between sales manager feedback (i.e. output and behavioral) and sales performance…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to test the mediating effect of cross-selling behavior (CSB) on the relationship between sales manager feedback (i.e. output and behavioral) and sales performance, and the moderating effect of emotional labor (i.e. deep and surface acting) on this relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors used two-wave multisource data: survey and objective sales performance (sales revenue) data collected from 300 door-to-door salespeople working at a South Korean cosmetics company.
Findings
The relationship between output feedback and sales performance was mediated by CSB. In addition, the positive relationship between output feedback and CSB was weakened by deep and surface acting, whereas that between behavioral feedback and CSB was strengthened by deep acting. Specifically, behavioral feedback had a positive relationship with CSB when salespeople engaged in a high level of deep acting. This relationship was not significant for low and medium levels of deep acting. The authors’ supplementary analyses indicated no significant three-way interaction effect between output feedback, behavioral feedback and emotional labor on CSB.
Research limitations/implications
Data collection from door-to-door salespeople in a single cosmetics company undermines the generalizability of the present findings.
Practical implications
By exploring the boundary conditions that strengthen or weaken the effectiveness of manager feedback, this study provides insights into how the two types of manager feedback can be effectively used to promote CSB and sales performance.
Originality/value
This study offers a nuanced understanding of the relative roles of output and behavioral feedback in CSB and the differential moderating effects of emotional labor on the two types of manager feedback.
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Ting Yu, Paul Patterson and Ko de Ruyter
This paper aims to examine how the motivation and ability of individual employees to sell influences their units’ capability to align their service delivery with sales in a way…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine how the motivation and ability of individual employees to sell influences their units’ capability to align their service delivery with sales in a way that satisfies customers. It also addresses the potential influence of employees’ confidence in their supervisor’s ability to sell, such that they predict a joint influence of personal and proxy agency.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses hierarchical linear modeling to address the research issues.
Findings
Employees’ learning orientation has a positive influence on service-sales ambidexterity, but the impact of a performance-avoidance goal orientation is negative, and a performance-prove orientation has no influence. Proxy efficacy enhances the positive impact of learning orientations due to the manager’s ability to lead by example, facilitate knowledge sharing and provide advice. However, it attenuates the impact of self-efficacy on service-sales ambidexterity, because skilled supervisors tend to take over and eliminate opportunities for employees to build their own skills. It also confirms the positive influence of service-sales ambidexterity on branch performance.
Originality/value
To examine the emerging service-sales ambidexterity issues raised in frontline service units, this study adopts a motivation and capability paradigm. It is among the first studies to address service-sales ambidexterity issues by considering both individual and branch contextual factors.
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