The Relationship between Servant Leadership, Perceived Organizational Support, Performance, and Turnover among Business to Business Salespeople
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14738/abr.510.3730Keywords:
Servant leadership, perceived organizational support, performance, turnover intentions, turnoverAbstract
The purpose of this study, using a sample of 382 business-to-business salespeople in the United States, was to investigate how servant leadership influences salespersons’ perceived organizational support (POS), outcome performance, turnover intentions, and turnover. The results showed that servant leadership had a direct influence on POS and performance, but was related only indirectly to both turnover intentions and turnover through POS and performance.
References
Babakus, E., Yavas, U. and Ashill, N. J. (2011), “The Service Worker Burnout and Turnover Intentions: Roles of Person-Job Fit, Servant Leadership, and Customer Orientation,” Services Marketing Quarterly, Vol 32 No.1, pp. 17-31.
Bai, Y., Li, P., and Xi, Y. (2012), “The Distinctive Effects of Dual-Level Leadership Behaviors on Employees’ Trust in Leadership: An Empirical Study from China.” Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Vol 29 No. 2, pp. 213-237.
Bande, B., Pilar, F.F., Concepción, V.N.N. and Carmen, O.N. (2016), “Exploring the Relationship among Servant Leadership, Intrinsic Motivation and Performance in an Industrial Sales Setting.” Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, Vol 31 No. 2, pp. 219-231.
Barbuto, J.E., and Wheeler, D.W. (2006), “Scale Development and Construct Clarification of Servant Leadership.” Group & Organization Management, Vol 31 No. 3, pp. 300-326.
Bass, B.M. (1997), “Personal Selling and Transactional/Transformational Leadership.” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management,” Vol 17 No. 3, pp. 19-28.
Bass, B.M. (1985), Leadership and performance beyond expectations. New York: Free Press.
Bauer, T.N., Erdogan, B., Liden, R.C., and Wayne, S.J. (2006). “A Longitudinal Study of the Moderating Role of Extraversion: Leader-Member Exchange, Performance, and Turnover during New Executive Development.” Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol 91 No. 2, pp. 298-310.
Blau, P. (1964), Exchange and Power in Social Life. New York: Wiley.
Boles, J.S., Dudley, G.W., Onyemah,V., Rouziès, D. and Weeks, W.W., (2012). “Sales Force Turnover and Retention: A Research Agenda.” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, Vol 32 No. 1, pp. 131.140.
Brashear, T.G., Manolis, C., and Brooks, C.M. (2005), “The Effects of Control, Trust, and Justice on Salesperson Turnover.” Journal of Business Research, Vol 58 No. 3, pp. 241-249.
Burch, T.C. and Guarana, C. (2014), “The Comparative Influences of Transformational leadership and Leader-Member Exchange.” Journal of Leadership Studies, Vol 8 No. 3, pp. 6-25.
Chakrabrty, S., Widing, R.E., and Brown, G. (2014), “Selling Behaviours and Sales Performance: The Moderating and Mediating Effects of Interpersonal Mentalizing.” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, Vol 34 No. 2, pp. 112-122.
Chiniara, M. and Bentein, K. (2016), “Linking Servant Leadership to Individual Performance: Differentiating the Mediating Role of Autonomy, Competence and Relatedness Need Satisfaction.” Leadership Quarterly, Vol 27 No. 1, pp. 124-141.
Churchill, Jr., G.A., Ford, N.M., Hartley, S.W., and Walker, Jr. O.C. (1985), “The Determinants of Salesperson Performance: A Meta-analysis.” Journal of Marketing Research, Vol 22 No. 2, pp. 103–118.
Cullen, K., Edwards, B., Casper, W., and Gue. K. (2014), “Employees’ Adaptability and Perceptions of Change-Related Uncertainty: Implications for Perceived Organizational Support, Job Satisfaction, and Performance.” Journal of Business & Psychology, Vol 29 No. 2, pp. 269-280.
Darmon, R.Y. (2008), “The Concept of Salesperson Replacement Value: A Sales Force Turnover Management Tool.” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, Vol 28 No. 3, pp. 211–232.
Darrat, M., Atinc, G. and Babin, B.J. (2016), “On the Dysfunctional Consequences of Salesperson Exhaustion.” Journal of Marketing Theory & Practice, Vol 24 No. 2, pp. 236-245.
Dawley, D., Houghton, J.D., and Bucklew, N.S. (2010), “Perceived Organizational Support and Turnover Intention: The Mediating Effects of Personal Sacrifice and Job Fit.” Journal of Psychology, Vol 150 No. 3, pp. 238-257.
DeConinck, J.B. 2015. (2015), “Outcomes of Ethical Leadership among Salespeople.” Journal of Business Research, Vol 68 No. 5, 1086-1093.
DeConinck, J.B. and Johnson, J.T. (2009), “The Effects of Perceived Supervisor Support, Perceived Organizational Support, and Organizational Justice on Turnover among Salespeople.” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, Vol 29 No. 4, pp. 333-350.
Dulac, T., Coyle-Shapiro, J.A.M., Henderson, D.J., and Wayne, S.J. (2008), “Not All Responses to Breach are the Same: The Interconnection of Social Exchange and Psychological Contract Processes in Organizations.” Academy of Management Journal, Vol 51 No. 6, pp. 1079-1098.
Eisenberger, R., Armeli, S., Rexwinkel, B., Lynch, P.D., and Rhoades, L. (2001), “Reciprocation of Perceived Organizational Support.” Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol 86 No. 1, pp. 42-51.
Eisenberger, R., Huntington, R., Hutchison, S., and Sowa, D. (1986), “Perceived Organizational Support.” Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol 71 No. 3, pp. 500-507.
Epitropaki, O. and Martin, R. (2013), “Transformational-Transactional Leadership and Upward Influence: The Role of Relative Leader-Member Exchanges (RLMX) and Perceived Organizational Support.” Leadership Quarterly, Vol 24 No. 2, pp. 299-315.
Ehrhart, M.G. (2004), “Leadership and Procedural Justice Climate as Antecedents of Unit-Level Organizational Citizenship Behavior.” Personnel Psychology, Vol 57 No. 1, pp. 61-94.
Fournier, C., Tanner Jr., J.F., Chonko, L.B., and Manoli, C. (2010), “The Moderating Role of Ethical Climate Salesperson Propensity to Leave.” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, Vol 30 No. 1, pp. 7-22.
Fuller, C.M., Simmering, M.J., Atinc, G., Atinc, Y., and Babin, B.J. (2016), “Common Methods Variance Detection in Business Research.” Journal of Business Research, Vol 69 No. 8, pp. 3192-3198.
Goad, E.A. and Jaramillo, F. (2014), “The Good, the Bad and the Effective: A Meta-Analytic Examination of Selling Orientation and Customer Orientation on Sales Performance.” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, Vol. 34 No. 4, pp. 285-301.
Gouldner, A.W. (1960), “The Norm of Reciprocity: A Preliminary Statement.” American Sociological Review, Vol 25 No. 2, pp. 161-178.
Greenleaf, R.K. (1970), The Servant as a Leader. Indianapolis, IN: Greenleaf Center.
Greenleaf, R.K. (1977), Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness. New York: Paulist Press.
Griffeth, R.W., Hom, P.W., and Gaertner. S. (2000), “A Meta-Analysis of Antecedents and Correlates of Employee Turnover: Update, Moderator Tests, and Research Implications for the Next Millennium.” Journal of Management, Vol 26 No. 3, pp. 463–488.
Grisaffe, D.B., VanMeter, R., and Chonko, L.B. (2016), “Serving First for the Benefit of Others: Preliminary Evidence of a Hierarchical Conceptualizations of Servant Leadership.” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, Vol 36 No. 1, pp. 40-58.
Hair, J.F., Black, W.C., Babin, B.J., Anderson, R.E., and Tatham, R.L. (2009), Multivariate Data Analysis, 6th ed. Upper Saddle, NJ.: Prentice Hall.
Harris, K.J., Kacmar, M.K., and Witt, L.A. (2005), “An Examination of the Curvilinear Relationship between Leader-Member Exchange and Intent to Turnover.” Journal of Organizational Behavior, Vol 26 No. 4, pp. 363-378.
Harris, K.J., Wheeler, A.R., and Kacmar, M.K. (2009), “Leader-Member Exchange and Empowerment: Direct and Interactive Effects on Job Satisfaction, Turnover Intentions, and Performance.” Leadership Quarterly, Vol 20 No. 3, pp. 371-382.
Holtom, B.C., Mitchell, T.R., Lee, T.W., and Eberly. M.B. (2008), “Turnover and Retention Research: A Glance at the Past, a Closer Review of the Present, and a Venture into the Future.” Academy of Management Annals, Vol 2 No. 1, pp. 231-274.
Hom, P.W., Carranikas, F., Prussia, G.E., and Griffeth, R.W. (1992), “A Meta-Analytical Structural Equations Analysis of a Model of Employee Behavior.” Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol 77 No. 6, pp. 890-909.
Hunter, E., Neubert, M.J., Perry, S.J., Witt, L.A., Penney, L.M., and Weinberger, E. (2013), “Servant Leaders Inspire Servant Followers: Antecedents and Outcomes for Employees and the Organization.” Leadership Quarterly, Vol 24 No. 2, pp. 316-331.
Ingram, T.N., LaForge, R.W., Locander, W.B., McKenzie, S.B. and Podsakoff, P.M. (2005), “New Directions in Sales Leadership Research.” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, Vol 25 No. 2, pp. 251-273.
Jaramillo, F. and Mulki, J.P. (2008), “Sales Effort: The Intertwined Roles of the Leader, Customers, and the Salesperson.” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, Vol 28 No. 1, pp. 37-51.
Jaramillo, F., Bande, B. and Varela, J. (2015), “Servant Leadership and Ethics: A Dyadic Examination of Supervisor Behaviors and Salesperson Perceptions.” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, Vol 35 No. 2, pp. 108-124.
Jaramillo, F., Grisafe, D.B., Chonko, L.B. and Roberts, J.A. (2009a), “Examining the Impact of Servant Leadership on Salesperson’s Turnover Intentions. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, Vol 29 No. 4, pp. 351-366.
Jaramillo, F., Grisafe, D.B., Chonko, L.B., and Roberts, J.A. (2009b), “Examining the Impact of Servant Leadership on Sales Force Performance.” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, Vol 29 No. 3, pp. 257-276.
Jaramillo, F., Mulki, J.P. and Solomon, P. (2006), “The Role of Ethical Climate on Salesperson’s Role Stress. Job Attitudes, Turnover Intention, and Job Performance.” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, Vol 26 No. 3, pp. 271-282.
Johnston, M.W., Futrell, C.W., Parasuraman, A. and Sager, J. (1988), “Performance and Job Satisfaction Effects on Salesperson Turnover.” Journal of Business Research, Vol 16 No. 1, pp. 67–83.
Lewin, J.E. and Sager, J.K. (2010), “The Influence of Personal Characteristics and Coping Strategies on Salespersons’ Turnover.” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, Vol 30 No. 4, pp. 257-276.
Liden, R.C., Panaccio, A. Meusr, J.D., Hu, J. and Wayne, S.J. (2014a), “Servant Leadership: Antecedents, Processes, and Outcomes.” In The Oxford Handbook of Leadership and Organization, edited by David V. Day, 357-379. New York: Oxford University Press.
Liden, R.C., Wayne, S.J., Liao, C. and Mauser, J.D. (2014b), “Servant Leadership and Serving Culture: Influence on Individual and Unit Performance.” Academy of Management Journal, Vol 57 No. 3, pp. 1434-1452.
Liden, R.C., Wayne, S.J., and Meuser, J.D. (2015), “Servant Leadership: Validation of a Short Form.” The Leadership Quarterly, Vol 26 No. 2, pp. 254-269.
Liden R.C., Wayne, S.J., Zhao, H., and Henderson, D. (2008), “Servant Leadership: Development of a Multidimensional Measure and Multi-Level Assessment.” The Leadership Quarterly, Vol 19 No. 2, pp. 161-172.
Low, G.S., Cravens, D.W. and Moncrief, W.C. (2001), “Antecedents and Consequences of Salesperson Burnout.” European Journal of Marketing, Vol 35 No. 5–6, pp. 587–611.
Lucas, Jr. G.H., Parasuraman, A., Davis, R.A., and Enis, B.A. (1987), “An Empirical Study of Salesforce Turnover.” Journal of Marketing, Vol 51 No. 3, pp. 34-59.
MacKenzie, S.B., Podsakoff, P.M., and Ahearne, M. (1998), “Some Possible Antecedents and Consequences of In-Role and Extra-Role Salesperson Performance.” Journal of Marketing, Vol 62 No. 3, pp. 87-98.
MacKenzie, S.B., Podsakoff, P.M., and Rich, G.A. (2001), “Transformational and Transactional Leadership and Salesperson Performance.” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Vol 29 No. 2, pp. 115-134.
Miao, C.F., and Evans, K. R. (2007), “The Impact of Salesperson Motivation on Role Perceptions and Job Performance – A Cognitive and Affective Perspective.” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, Vol. 27 No. 1, pp. 89-101.
Mulki, J.P., Caemmerer, B. and Heggde, G.S. (2015), “Leadership Style, Salesperson’s Work Effort and Job Performance: The Influence of Power Distance.” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, Vol 35 No. 1, pp. 3-22.
Mulki, J.P., Jaramillo, F. and Marshall, G.W. (2007), “Lone Wolf Tendencies and Salesperson Performance.” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, Vol 27 No. 1, pp. 25-38.
Mulki, J.P., Jaramillo, F. and Locander, W.B. (2006), “Effects of Ethical Climate and Supervisory Trust on Salesperson’s Job Attitudes and Intentions to Quit.” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, Vol 26 No. 1, pp. 19-26.
Mullins, R. and Syam, N. (2014), “Manager-Salesperson Congruence in Customer and Job Outcomes: The Bright and Dark Sides of Leadership in Aligning Values.” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management Vol 34 No. 3, pp. 188-205.
Netemeyer, R.D., Boles, J.S., McKee, D.O. and McMurrian, R. (1997), “An Investigation into the Antecedents of Organizational Citizenship Behaviors in a Personal Selling Context.” Journal of Marketing, Vol 61 No. 3, pp. 85-98.
Neubert, M.J., Carlson, D.S., Roberts, J.A., Kacmar, K.M. and Chonko, L.B. (2008), “Regulatory Focus as a Mediator of the Influence of Initiating Structure and Servant Leadership on Employee Behavior.” Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol 93 No 6, pp. 1220-1233.
Panaccio, A., Henderson, D.J., Liden, R.C., Wayne, S.J. and Cao, X. (2015), “Toward an Understanding of When and Why Servant Leadership Accounts for Employee Extra-Role Behaviors.” Journal of Business and Psychology, Vol 30 No. 4, pp. 657-675.
Paparoidamis, N.G. and Guenzi, P. (2009), “An Empirical Investigation into the Impact of Relationship Selling and LMX on Salespeople’s Behaviours and Sales Effectiveness.” European Journal of Marketing, Vol 43 No. 7/8, pp. 1053-1075.
Parolini, J., Patterson, K., and Winston, B. (2009), “Distinguishing between Transformational and Servant Leadership.” Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol 30 No. 3, pp. 274-291.
Peltokorpi, V., Allen, D.G. and Froese, F. (2015), “Organizational Embeddedness, Turnover Intentions, and Voluntary Turnover: The Moderating Effects of Employee Demographic Characteristics and Value Orientation.” Journal of Organizational Behavior, Vol 36 No. 2, pp. 292-321.
Pettijohn, C.E., Pettijohn, L.S. and Taylor, A.J. (2007), “Does Salesperson Perception of the Importance of Sales Skills Improve Sales Performance, Customer Orientation, Job Satisfaction, and Organizational Commitment, and Reduce Turnover?” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, Vol 27 No. 1, pp. 75-88.
Piercy, N.F., Cravens, D.W., Lane, N. and Vorhies, D.W. (2006), “Driving Organizational Citizenship Behaviors and Salesperson In-Role Behavior Performance: The Role of Management Control and Perceived Organizational Support.” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Vol 34 No. 2, pp. 244-262.
Podsakoff, N.P., LePine, J.A. and LePine, M.A. (2007), “Differential Challenge Stressor–Hindrance Stressor Relationships with Job Attitudes, Turnover Intentions, Turnover, and Withdrawal Behavior: A Meta-Analysis.” Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol 92 No. 2, pp. 438–454.
Podsakoff, P., MacKenzie, S.B., Lee, J.L. and Podsakoff, N.P. (2003), “Common Method Bias in Behavioral Research: A Critical Review of the Literature and Recommended Remedies.” Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol 88 No. 5, pp. 879-903.
Rhoades, L. and Eisenberger, R. (2002), “Perceived Organizational Support: A Review of the Literature.” Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol 86 No. 5, pp. 825-836.
Richardson, R. (999), “Measuring the Impact of Turnover on Sales.” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, Vol 19 No. 4, pp. 53–66.
Riggle, R.J., Edmondson, D.R. and Hansen, J.D. (2009), “A Meta-Analysis of the Relationship between Perceived Organizational Support and Job Outcomes: 20 Years of Research.” Journal of Business Research, Vol 62 No. 10, pp. 1027-1030.
Russ, F.A. and McNeilly, K.A. (1995), “Links among Satisfaction, Commitment, and Turnover Intentions: The Moderating Effect of Experience, Gender, and Performance.” Journal of Business Research, Vol 34 No. 1, pp. 57-65.
Rutherford, B., Park, J. and Han, S.L. (2011), “Increasing Job Performance and Decreasing Salesperson Propensity to Leave: An Examination of an Asian Sales Force.” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, Vol 31 No. 2, pp. 171-184.
Sager, J.K., Varadarajan, P. and Futrell, C.M. (1988), “Understanding Salesperson Turnover: A Partial Evaluation of Mobley’s Turnover Process Model.” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, Vol 8 No. 1, pp. 21-35.
Schwepker, C.H. and Shultz, R.J. (2015), “Influence of the Ethical Servant Leader and Ethical Climate on Customer Value Enhancing Sales Performance.” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, Vol 35 No. 2, pp. 93-107.
Schwepker Jr, C.H. (2016), “Servant Leadership, Distributive Justice and Commitment to Customer Value in the Salesforce.” Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, Vol 31 No. 1, pp. 70-82.
Schwepker, C.H. (2015), “Influencing the Salesforce Through Perceived Leadership: The Role of Salesforce Socialization and Person-Organization Fit on Salesperson Ethics and Performance,” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, Vol 35 No. 4, pp, 292-313.
Schwepker, C.H. (2013), “Improving Sales Performance Through Commitment to Superior Customer Value: The Role of Psychological Ethical Climate.” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, Vol 33 No. 4, pp. 389-402.
Schwepker, C.H. and Good, D.J. (2010), “Transformational Leadership and its Impact on Sales Force Moral Judgment. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, Vol 30 No. 4, pp. 299-318.
Schwepker, Jr., C.H. (2001), “Ethical Climate’s Relationship to Job Satisfaction, Organizational Commitment, and Turnover Intention in the Salesforce.” Journal of Business Research, Vol 54 No. 1, pp. 39-52.
Shannahan, K., Bush, A. and Shannahan, R. (2013), “Are Your Salespeople Coachable? How Salesperson Coachability, Trait, Competitiveness, and Transformational Leadership Enhance Sales Performance.” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Vol 41 No 1, pp. 40-54.
Stone, G.A., Russell, R.F., and Patterson, K. (2004), “Transformational versus Servant Leadership: A Difference in Leader Focus.” Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol 25 No. 4, pp. 349-361.
Sweet, K.M., Witt, L.A. and Shoss, M.K. (2015), “The Interactive Effect of Leader-Member Exchange and Perceived Organizational Support on Employee Adaptive Performance.” Journal of Organizational Psychology, Vol 15 No. 1, pp. 49-62.
van Dierendonck, D. (2011), “Servant Leadership: A Review and Synthesis.” Journal of Management, Vol 37 No. 4, pp. 1228-1261.
van Dierendonck, D., Stam, D., Boersma, P., de Windt, N., and Alkema, J. (2014), “Same Difference? Exploring the Differential Mechanisms Linking Servant Leadership and Transformational Leadership to Follower Outcomes.” Leadership Quarterly, Vol 25 No. 3, pp. 544-562.
Verbeke, W., Dietz, B., and Verwaal, E. (2011), “Drivers of Sales Performance: A Contemporary Meta-Analysis. Have Salespeople Become Knowledge Broker?” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Vol 39 No. 3, pp. 407-428.
Waldman, D.A., Carter, M.Z., and Hom, P.W. (2015), “A Multilevel Investigation of Leadership and Turnover Behavior.” Journal of Management, Vol 41 No. 6, pp. 1724-1744.
Walumbwa, F.O., Hartnell, C.A., and Oke, A. (2010), “Servant Leadership: Procedural Justice Climate, Service Climate, Employee Attitudes, and Organizational Citizenship Behavior: A Cross-Level Investigation.” Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol 95 No. 3, pp. 517-529.
Wang, Guangping, Ma, X. (2013), “The Effect of Psychological Climate for Innovation on Salespeople’s Creativity and Turnover Intention.” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, Vol 33 No. 4, pp. 373-388.
Wayne, S.J., Shore, L.M., and Liden, R.C. (1997), “Perceived Organizational Support and Leader-Member Exchange: A Social Exchange Perspective.” Academy of Management Journal, Vol 40 No. 1, pp. 82-111.
Williams, C.R. and Livingstone, L.P. (1994), “Another Look at the Relationship between Performance and Voluntary Turnover.” Academy of Management Journal, Vol 37 No. 2, pp. 269-98.
Zhao, Chen, Yonghong, and Zhonhua Gao. “An Identification Perspective of Servant Leadership’s Effects.” Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol 31 No. 5, pp. 898-913.
Zhou, Yingying and Miao, Q. (2014), “Servant Leadership and Affective Commitment in the Chinese Public Sector: The Mediating Role of Perceived Organizational Support.” Psychological Reports, Vol 115 No. 2, pp. 381-395.
Zimmerman, R.D. and Darnold, T.C. (2009), “The Impact of Job Performance on Employee Turnover Intentions and the Voluntary Turnover Process: A Meta-Analysis and Path Model.” Personnel Review, Vol 38 No. 2, pp. 142-158.
