A combinatory approach to affective and cognitive dimensions of the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation of salespeople

Salesperson motivation is one of the key themes in sales management research and practice. Traditionally, it has been predominantly linked to financial incentives and pay packages assuming that extrinsic motivation is a prime driver of sales performance.However, later studies have demonstrated the crucial importance of intrinsic motivation in influencing salesperson job outcomes, although there is a number of inconsistencies and ambiguity within the research domain. The growing evidence that both types of motivation contribute to employee performance increasingly suggest that concentrating on one single type of motivation may be much less effective than utilizing a more balanced approach. Specifically, by combining intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.Research in psychology suggests that certain orientations of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation can co-exist and in combination enhance work outcomes.This study contributes to the knowledge on salesperson motivation in the following ways. First, by providing a comprehensive systematic review on how motivation is defined, major theories underpinning motivation, how motivation has historically been measured, and key methodologies employed over time. Second, by investigating how the combinations of cognitive and affective orientations of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation affect salesperson performance and work engagement. Third, by examining the effect of formal and informal sales force control systems onto the motivational orientations.Data in this study is collected from a cross-sectional sample of B2B salespeople. Findings from the main study using polynomial regression with response surface analysis reveal that salesperson intrinsic and extrinsic motivational orientations can co-exist, and have a positive combined effect on performance and work engagement. Findings from the third study utilising multiple regression analysis shed the light on the importance of informal control systems (e.g. cultural control) in influencing salesperson motivation.The study also offers vital managerial recommendations and propose some avenues for future research in the area of salesperson motivation

Tracing social influence in responses to strategy change in an online community

Interest into the effects of social influence on members of online communities is growing but there is a lack of knowledge about the impact of influential members in online communities on responses to strategy change within the wider community. We explore social influence in responses to strategy change through content analysis of forum posts before and after a change in strategy. Acceptance or non-acceptance of strategy change and subsequent positive and negative behavioural responses online are dependent on individual factors. The details of these behavioural responses to a change in strategy are tabulated and included in a conceptual model to inform decision-makers. Strategy change precipitates a reduction in social influence effects. Non-acceptance of strategy change is associated with competitor advertisement, inflammatory behaviour, offensive behaviour and complaints. This negative behaviour has important ramifications for acceptance of strategy change within the wider community and impacts on the viability of setting up online forums

Gamification for Brand Value Co-Creation:A Systematic Literature Review

Gamification, commonly defined as the use of game elements in non-game contexts, is a relatively novel term, yet it has been gaining popularity across a wide range of academic and industrial disciplines. In the marketing field, companies are increasingly gamifying their mobile apps and online platforms to enrich their customers’ digital experiences. Whilst there has been a number of systematic studies examining the influence of gamification on user engagement across different fields, none has reviewed its role in brand value co-creation. Following a systematic literature review procedure via the online research platform EBSCOhost, this paper is the first to survey a set of empirical studies examining the role and impact of gamification on brand value co-creation. A final pool of 32 empirical studies implies the existence of four types of activities that are co-created by online users and positively influenced by gamification, namely: customer service, insights sharing, word-of-mouth, and random task. Moreover, this paper highlights the major game dynamics driving these activities, the key findings of each of the covered studies and their main theoretical underpinnings. Lastly, a set of noteworthy research directions for future related studies are suggested, comprising the exploration of novel game elements, and new co-creation activities related to corporate social responsibilities and physical commercial operations

(Re) defining salesperson motivation: current status, main challenges, and research directions

The construct of motivation is one of the central themes in selling and sales management research. Yet, to-date no review article exists that surveys the construct (both from an extrinsic and intrinsic motivation context), critically evaluates its current status, examines various key challenges apparent from the extant research, and suggests new research opportunities based on a thorough review of past work. The authors explore how motivation is defined, major theories underpinning motivation, how motivation has historically been measured, and key methodologies used over time. In addition, attention is given to principal drivers and outcomes of salesperson motivation. A summarizing appendix of key articles in salesperson motivation is provided