The Influence of Job Security on Field Sales Manager Satisfaction: Exploring Frontline Tensions

Abstract

Frontline sales managers are subject to continuous threats to job security. Macro-environmental factors, frm performance, and the performance of the manager’s sales team can all infuence job security in this setting. Although job security (and insecurity) has been studied previously, this study makes several contributions to the literature. First, this study considers issues surrounding job security in the relatively unique environment of the feld sales manager, adding to knowledge on how to attract and retain a superior sales force. Second, this work adds a consideration of important variables not previously considered in job security research, including role autonomy and perceived fairness in reward allocation. Third, the study looks at several interactions between role factors and performance as infuences on job security, highlighting the importance of job factors in manager perceptions. Overall, this research presents a rich view of the factors infuencing the job security perceptions of feld sales managers. The results provide strong support for the overall model and highlight the moderating infuence of role confict and ambiguity in the link between performance and job security. Implications for future research and for the structuring of feld sales manager jobs are considered.

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Notes on contributors

Charles H. Noble

Charles H. Noble (Ph.D., Arizona State University), Associate Professor of Marketing, School of Business Administration, University of Mississippi, [email protected].