SPECIAL ABSTRACT SECTION:2011 NATIONAL CONFERENCE IN SALES MANAGEMENT

摘要

Research to date has yielded a great deal of insight on an individual's identification process both within organizational boundaries (e.g., employee's organizational identification) as well as beyond the organizational realm (customer-company identification). However, the past research focus has been almost entirely on the individual's identification with the collective, such as a salesperson's identification with the organization. Notably, this approach ignores the interpersonal level and its influence on a salespersons identity and identification in the workplace. Addressing this issue, the current research aims to develop a conceptual framework that incorporates the salesperson-manager relational identification as the focal construct. Theoretical arguments are built on the foundation provided by recent research on relational identity and relational identification predicated on the role-relationship between two individuals in a workplace. Specifically, the framework suggests that role-based identities (e.g., salesperson role clarity, managers' feedback) and person-based identities (e.g., salespeople's helping behaviors, managers' trustworthiness) lead to salesperson-manager relational identification. This research also outlines the links between salesperson-manager relational identification and salespeople's job-related behaviors such as effort and service performance.