Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Curbing the Undesirable Effects of Emotional Exhaustion on Ethical Behaviors and Performance: A Salesperson–Manager Dyadic Approach

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Business Ethics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Recent events and popularized stereotypes call into question the ethics of salesperson behaviors. Although prior research demonstrates that salespeople’s emotional exhaustion can have negative consequences for several job outcomes, little is known about the factors that can mitigate such relationships—particularly the relationship between emotional exhaustion and ethical behavior. To remedy this knowledge gap, we draw from self-control theory to propose a novel theoretical framework and develop hypotheses. These hypotheses are tested on a unique dataset consisting of survey data collected from 123 matched business-to-business (B2B) salesperson–manager dyads. The findings reveal that (1) emotional exhaustion is negatively associated with sales performance, (2) emotional exhaustion is negatively associated with ethical behaviors, (3) ethical behaviors are positively associated with sales performance, (4) ethical behaviors mediate emotional exhaustion’s negative effect on sales performance, (5) perceived supervisor support attenuates the negative association between emotional exhaustion and ethical behaviors, and (6) contrary to expectations, grit strengthens the negative association between emotional exhaustion and ethical behaviors. As we show here, perceived supervisor support may attenuate the undesirable effects of emotional exhaustion on ethical behaviors and sales performance. The article’s broader contribution thus lies in its suggestion that managers pay special attention to these factors. Moreover, factors such as grit can have unexpected and undesirable influences; therefore, we draw attention to the importance of scrutinizing these interactions, even when the factors involved are almost universally touted as beneficial. Theoretical and practical implications of the research are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. The adequacy of aggregating responses to the manager level was assessed by comparing the variance attributable to levels 1 and 2 to the total overall variance present in the data. These tests result in ICC (1) values of 0.069 and 0.089 when focusing on performance and ethical behavior, respectively. The residual parameter when focusing on performance (Wald Z = 7.263, p < .001) and ethical behavior (Wald Z = 7.165, p < .001), respectively, was statistically significant, suggesting that there is significant variance between subjects. However, the Intercept parameter when focusing on performance (Wald Z = 1.087, p = .227) and ethical behavior (Wald Z = 1.183, p = .237), respectively, was not statistically significant, indicating that the intercepts do not vary significantly across managers. This suggests that very little variance in our DVs of interest is attributable to nonindependence of common managers at level 2.

References

  • Agnihotri, R., Dingus, R., Hu, M. Y., & Krush, M. T. (2016). Social media: Influencing customer satisfaction in B2B sales. Industrial Marketing Management, 53, 172–180.

    Google Scholar 

  • Agnihotri, R., & Krush, M. T. (2015). Salesperson empathy, ethical behaviors, and sales performance: The moderating role of trust in one’s manager. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 35(2), 164–174.

    Google Scholar 

  • Agnihotri, R., Trainor, K. J., Itani, O. S., & Rodriguez, M. (2017). Examining the role of sales-based CRM technology and social media use on post-sale service behaviors in India. Journal of Business Research, 81, 144–154.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ahearne, M., Boichuk, J. P., Chapman, C. J., & Steenburgh, T. J. (2012). Earnings management practices in sales and strategic accounts survey report. Accessed September 11, 2013, from http://ssrn.com/abstract=2324325.

  • Ahearne, M., MacKenzie, S. B., Podsakoff, P. M., Mathieu, J. E., & Lam, S. K. (2010). The role of consensus in sales team performance. Journal of Marketing Research, 47(3), 458–469.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ahearne, M., Mathieu, J., & Rapp, A. (2005). To empower or not to empower your sales force? An empirical examination of the influence of leadership empowerment behavior on customer satisfaction and performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90(5), 945–955.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ameer, I., & Halinen, A. (2019). Moving beyond ethical decision-making: A practice-based view to study unethical sales behavior. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 39(2), 103–122.

    Google Scholar 

  • Association for Talent Development. (2013). State of the industry report. Alexandria, VA: Association for Talent Development.

    Google Scholar 

  • Babakus, E., Cravens, D. W., Johnston, M., & Moncrief, W. C. (1999). The role of emotional exhaustion in sales force attitude and behavior relationships. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 27(1), 58–70.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A. (1991). Social cognitive theory of self-regulation. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 248–287.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baumeister, R. F. (2002). Yielding to temptation: Self-control failure, impulsive purchasing, and consumer behavior. Journal of Consumer Research, 28(4), 670–676.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baumeister, R. F., Bratslavsky, E., Muraven, M., & Tice, D. M. (1998). Ego depletion: Is the active self a limited resource? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74(5), 1252–1265.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baumeister, R. F., Vohs, K. D., & Tice, D. M. (2007). The strength model of self-control. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 16(6), 351–355.

    Google Scholar 

  • Becker, J.-M., Klein, K., & Wetzels, M. (2012). Hierarchical latent variable models in PLS-SEM: Guidelines for using reflective-formative type models. Long Range Planning, 45(5/6), 359–394.

    Google Scholar 

  • Birtch, T. A., & Flora, F. T. C. (2014). The influence of business school’s ethical climate on students’ unethical behavior. Journal of Business Ethics, 123(2), 283–294.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blocker, C. P., Cannon, J. P., Panagopoulos, N. G., & Sager, J. K. (2012). The role of the sales force in value creation and appropriation: New directions for research. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 32(1), 15–27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boichuk, J. P., Bolander, W., Hall, Z. R., Ahearne, M., Zahn, W. J., & Nieves, M. (2014). Learned helplessness among newly hired salespeople and the influence of leadership. Journal of Marketing, 78(1), 95–111.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bolander, W., Satornino, C. B., Hughes, D. E., & Ferris, G. R. (2015). Social networks within sales organizations: Their development and importance for salesperson performance. Journal of Marketing, 79(6), 1–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bolander, W., Zahn, W. J., Loe, T. W., & Clark, M. (2017). Managing new salespeople’s ethical behaviors during repetitive failures: When trying to help actually hurts. Journal of Business Ethics, 144(3), 519–532.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bompar, L., Lunardo, R., & Saintives, C. (2018). The effects of humor usage by salespersons: The roles of humor type and business sector. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 33(5), 599–609.

    Google Scholar 

  • Borg, V., & Kristensen, T. S. (1999). Psychosocial work environment and mental health among travelling salespeople. Work & Stress, 13(2), 132–143.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brehm, J. W., & Self, E. A. (1989). The intensity of motivation. Annual Review of Psychology, 40(1), 109–131.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, S. P., Jones, E., & Leigh, T. W. (2005). The attenuating effect of role overload on relationships linking self-efficacy and goal level to work performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90(5), 972–979.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, S. P., & Peterson, R. A. (1994). The effect of effort on sales performance and job satisfaction. Journal of Marketing, 58(2), 70–80.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carver, C. S., & Scheier, M. F. (1982). Control theory: A useful conceptual framework for personality-social, clinical, and health psychology. Psychological Bulletin, 92(1), 111–135.

    Google Scholar 

  • Churchill, G. A. J., Ford, N. M., Hartley, S. W., & Walker, O. C. J. (1985). The determinants of salesperson performance: A meta-analysis. Journal of Marketing Research, 22(2), 103–118.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cordes, C. L., & Dougherty, T. W. (1993). A review and an integration of research on job burnout. Academy of Management Review, 18(4), 621–656.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crede, M., Tynan, M. C., & Harms, P. D. (2017). Much ado about grit: A meta-analytic synthesis of the grit Literature. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 113(3), 492–511.

    Google Scholar 

  • Darrat, M., Amyx, D., & Bennett, R. (2010). An investigation into the effects of work–family conflict and job satisfaction on salesperson deviance. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 30(3), 239–251.

    Google Scholar 

  • Darrat, M., Atinc, G., & Babin, B. J. (2016). On the dysfunctional consequences of salesperson exhaustion. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 24(2), 236–245.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davie, C., Stephenson, T., & Valdivieso de Uster, M. (2010). Three trends in Business-to-Business sales. McKinsey Quarterly, 19(May), 1–4.

    Google Scholar 

  • DeConinck, J. B., & Johnson, J. T. (2009). The effect of perceived supervisor support, perceived organizational support, and organizational justice on turnover among salespeople. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 29(4), 333–350.

    Google Scholar 

  • Diamantopoulos, A., & Winklhofer, H. M. (2001). Index construction with formative indicators: An alternative to scale development. Journal of Marketing Research, 38(2), 269–277.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dixon, A. L., & Schertzer, S. M. B. (2005). Bouncing back: How salesperson optimism and self-efficacy influence attributions and behaviors following failure. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 25(4), 361–369.

    Google Scholar 

  • Doney, P. M., & Cannon, J. P. (1997). An examination of the nature of trust in buyer–seller relationships. Journal of Marketing, 61(2), 35–51.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duckworth, A. L., Peterson, C., Matthews, M. D., & Kelly, D. R. (2007). Grit: Perseverance and passion for long-term goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92(6), 1087–1101.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duckworth, A. L., & Quinn, P. D. (2009). Development and validation of the Short Grit Scale (Grit-S). Journal of Personality Assessment, 91(2), 166–174.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dugan, R., Hochstein, B., Rouziou, M., & Britton, B. (2019). Gritting their teeth to close the sale: The positive effect of salesperson grit on job satisfaction and performance. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 39(1), 81–101.

    Google Scholar 

  • Effelsberg, D., Solga, M., & Gurt, J. (2014). Transformational leadership and follower’s unethical behavior for the benefit of the company: A two-study investigation. Journal of Business Ethics, 120(1), 81–93.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eisenberger, R., Huntington, R., Hutchison, S., & Sowa, D. (1986). Perceived organizational support. Journal of Applied Psychology, 71(3), 500–507.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eisenberger, R., Stinglhamber, F., Vandenberghe, C., Sucharski, I. L., & Rhoades, L. (2002). Perceived supervisor support: Contributions to perceived organizational support and employee retention. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(3), 565–573.

    Google Scholar 

  • Evans, K. R., McFarland, R. G., Dietz, B., & Jaramillo, F. (2012). Advancing sales performance research: A focus on five underresearched topic areas. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 32(1), 89–106.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fu, F. Q., Bolander, W., & Jones, E. (2009). Managing the drivers of organizational commitment and salesperson effort: An application of Meyer and Allen’s Three-Component Model. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 17(4), 335–350.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fuller, C. M., Simmering, M. J., Atinc, G., Atinc, Y., & Babin, B. J. (2016). Common methods variance detection in business research. Journal of Business Research, 69(8), 3192–3198.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ganesan, S. (1994). Determinants of long-term orientation in buyer–seller relationships. Journal of Marketing, 58(2), 1–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ghumman, S., & Barnes, C. M. (2013). Sleep and prejudice: A resource recovery approach: Sleep and prejudice. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 43, 166–178.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gino, F., Schweitzer, M. E., Mead, N. L., & Ariely, D. (2011). Unable to resist temptation: How self-control depletion promotes unethical behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 115(2), 191–203.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haines, R., Street, M. D., & Haines, D. (2008). The influence of perceived importance of an ethical issue on moral judgment, moral obligation, and moral intent. Journal of Business Ethics, 81(2), 387–399.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C., & Sarstedt, M. (2017a). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) (p. 384). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

  • Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., Sarstedt, M., & Thiele, K. O. (2017b). Mirror, mirror on the wall: A comparative evaluation of composite-based structural equation modeling methods. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 45(5), 616–632.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hair, J. F., Anderson, R. E., Mehta, R., & Babin, B. J. (2009). Sales management: Building customer relationships and partnerships. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hair, J. F., Sarstedt, M., Ringle, C., & Mena, J. (2012). An assessment of the use of partial least squares structural equation modeling in marketing research. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 40(3), 414–433.

    Google Scholar 

  • Halbesleben, J. R. B. (2006). Sources of social support and burnout: A meta-analytic test of the Conservation of Resources Model. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91(5), 1134–1145.

    Google Scholar 

  • Halbesleben, J. R. B., & Bowler, W. M. (2007). Emotional exhaustion and job performance: The mediating role of motivation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(1), 93–106.

    Google Scholar 

  • Halbesleben, J. R. B., & Buckley, M. R. (2004). Burnout in organizational life. Journal of Management, 30(6), 859–879.

    Google Scholar 

  • Halbesleben, J. R. B., Neveu, J. P., Paustian-Underdahl, S. C., & Westman, M. (2014). Getting to the “COR”: Understanding the role of resources in conservation of resources theory. Journal of Management, 40(5), 1334–1364.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hansen, J. D., & Riggle, R. J. (2009). Ethical salesperson behavior in sales relationships. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 29(2), 151–166.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hartmann, N. N., & Rutherford, B. N. (2015). Psychological contract breach’s antecedents and outcomes in salespeople: The roles of psychological climate, job attitudes, and turnover intention. Industrial Marketing Management, 51, 158–170.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hartmann, N. N., Wieland, H., & Vargo, S. L. (2018). Converging on a new theoretical foundation for selling. Journal of Marketing, 82(2), 1–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hayes, A. F. (2009). Beyond Baron and Kenny: Statistical mediation analysis in the new millennium. Communication Monographs, 76(4), 408–420.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hayes, A. F. (2017). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henseler, J., & Chin, W. W. (2010). A comparison of approaches for the analysis of interaction effects between latent variables using Partial Least Squares path modeling. Structural Equation Modeling, 17(1), 82–109.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hobfoll, S. E. (1989). Conservation of resources: A new attempt at conceptualizing stress. American Psychologist, 44(3), 513–524.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hochstein, B. W., Zahn, W. J., & Bolander, W. (2017). Exploring the unintended negative impact of an ethical climate in competitive environments. Marketing Letters, 28(4), 621–635.

    Google Scholar 

  • Homburg, C., Müller, M., & Klarmann, M. (2011). When should the customer really be king? On the optimum level of salesperson customer orientation in sales encounters. Journal of Marketing, 75(2), 55–74.

    Google Scholar 

  • Honeycutt, E. D., Siguaw, J. A., & Hunt, T. G. (1995). Business ethics and job-related constructs: A cross-cultural comparison of automotive salespeople. Journal of Business Ethics, 14(3), 235–248.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hulland, J., Baumgartner, H., & Smith, K. M. (2018). Marketing survey research best practices: Evidence and recommendations from a review of JAMS articles. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 46(1), 92–108.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jain, S. (2012). Self-control and incentives: An analysis of multiperiod quota plans. Marketing Science, 31(5), 855–869.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jaramillo, F., Mulki, J. P., & Boles, J. S. (2011). Workplace stressors, job attitude, and job behaviors: Is interpersonal conflict the missing link? Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 31(3), 339–356.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jaramillo, F., Mulki, J. P., & 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, 26(3), 271–282.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jelinek, R., & Ahearne, M. (2006). The enemy within: Examining salesperson deviance and its determinants. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 26(4), 327–344.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, J., & Sohi, R. (2014). The curvilinear and conditional effects of product line breadth on salesperson performance, role stress, and job satisfaction. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 42(1), 71–89.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, T. M. (1991). Ethical decision making by individuals in organizations: An issue-contingent model. Academy of Management Review, 16(2), 366–395.

    Google Scholar 

  • Joosten, A., van Dijke, M., Van Hiel, A., & De Cremer, D. (2014). Being “in control” may make you lose control: The role of self-regulation in unethical leadership behavior. Journal of Business Ethics, 121(1), 1–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kadic-Maglajlic, S., Micevski, M., Lee, N., Boso, N., & Vida, I. (2019). Three levels of ethical influences on selling behavior and performance: Synergies and tensions. Journal of Business Ethics, 156(2), 377–397.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kammeyer-Mueller, J. D., Simon, L. S., & Rich, B. L. (2012). The psychic cost of doing wrong: Ethical conflict, divestiture socialization, and emotional exhaustion. Journal of Management, 38(3), 784–808.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaptein, M. (2008). Developing a measure of unethical behavior in the workplace: A stakeholder perspective. Journal of Management, 34(5), 978–1008.

    Google Scholar 

  • Katsikeas, C. S., Auh, S., Spyropoulou, S., & Menguc, B. (2018). Unpacking the relationship between sales control and salesperson performance: A regulatory fit perspective. Journal of Marketing, 82(3), 45–69.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kemp, E., Leila Borders, A., & Ricks, J. M. (2013). Sales manager support: Fostering emotional health in salespeople. European Journal of Marketing, 47(3/4), 635–654.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lam, C. K., Walter, F., & Huang, X. (2017). Supervisors’ emotional exhaustion and abusive supervision: The moderating roles of perceived subordinate performance and supervisor self-monitoring. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 38(8), 1151–1166.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lavigne, G. L., Forest, J., Fernet, C., & Crevier-Braud, L. (2014). Passion at work and workers’ evaluations of job demands and resources: A longitudinal study. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 44(4), 255–265.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, N., & Cadogan, J. W. (2013). Problems with formative and higher-order reflective variables. Journal of Business Research, 66(2), 242–247.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewin, J. E., & Sager, J. K. (2008). Salesperson burnout: A test of the coping-mediational model of social support. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 28(3), 233–246.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liden, R. C., Wayne, S. J., Zhao, H., & Henderson, D. (2008). Servant leadership: Development of a multidimensional measure and multi-level assessment. The Leadership Quarterly, 19(2), 161–177.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li-Ping Tang, T., & Liu, H. (2012). Love of money and unethical behavior intention: Does an authentic supervisor’s personal integrity and character (ASPIRE) make a difference? Journal of Business Ethics, 107(3), 295–312.

    Google Scholar 

  • Loe, T. W., Ferrell, L., & Mansfield, P. (2000). A review of empirical studies assessing ethical decision making in business. Journal of Business Ethics, 25(3), 185–204.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lussier, B., Grégoire, Y., & Vachon, M.-A. (2017). The role of humor usage on creativity, trust and performance in business relationships: An analysis of the salesperson–customer dyad. Industrial Marketing Management, 65, 168–181.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lussier, B., & Hall, Z. R. (2018). Cooperation in B2B relationships: Factors that influence customers’ perceptions of salesperson cooperation. Industrial Marketing Management, 69, 209–220.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lussier, B., & Hartmann, N. N. (2017). How psychological resourcefulness increases salesperson’s sales performance and the satisfaction of their customers: Exploring the mediating role of customer-oriented behaviors. Industrial Marketing Management, 62, 160–170.

    Google Scholar 

  • Luthans, F., & Youssef, C. M. (2007). Emerging positive organizational behavior. Journal of Management, 33(3), 321–349.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marchetti, M. (1997). Whatever it takes. Sales & Marketing Management, 149(12), 28–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martin, C. A., & Bush, A. J. (2006). Psychological climate, empowerment, leadership style, and customer-oriented selling: An analysis of the sales manager–salesperson dyad. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 34(3), 419–438.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maslach, C., & Jackson, S. E. (1981). The measurement of experienced burnout. Journal of Occupational Behavior, 2(2), 99–113.

    Google Scholar 

  • Matthews, L. M., Zablah, A. R., Hair, J. F., & Marshall, G. W. (2016). Increased engagement or reduced exhaustion: Which accounts for the effect of job resources on salesperson job outcomes? Journal of Marketing Theory & Practice, 24(3), 249–264.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meade, A. W., & Craig, S. B. (2012). Identifying careless responses in survey data. Psychological Methods, 17(3), 437–455.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meriac, J. P., Slifka, J. S., & LaBat, L. R. (2015). Work ethic and grit: An examination of empirical redundancy. Personality and Individual Differences, 86, 401–405.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miao, Q., Newman, A., Yu, J., & Xu, L. (2013). The relationship between ethical leadership and unethical pro-organizational behavior: Linear or curvilinear effects? Journal of Business Ethics, 116(3), 641–653.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moss, J. (2019). When passion leads to burnout. Harvard Business Review. Accessed July 4, 2019, from https://hbr.org/2019/2007/when-passion-leads-to-burnout.

  • Mulki, J. P., Jaramillo, F., & Locander, W. B. (2006). Emotional exhaustion and organizational deviance: Can the right job and a leader’s style make a difference? Journal of Business Research, 59(12), 1222–1230.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mulki, J. P., Jaramillo, F., & Locander, W. B. (2009). Critical role of leadership on ethical climate and salesperson behaviors. Journal of Business Ethics, 86(2), 125–141.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mulki, J. P., Lassk, F. G., & Jaramillo, F. (2008). The effect of self-efficacy on salesperson work overload and pay satisfaction. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 28(3), 285–297.

    Google Scholar 

  • Muraven, M., & Baumeister, R. F. (2000). Self-regulation and depletion of limited resources: Does self-control resemble a muscle? Psychological Bulletin, 126(2), 247–259.

    Google Scholar 

  • Muraven, M., Tice, D. M., & Baumeister, R. F. (1998). Self-control as limited resource: Regulatory depletion patterns. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74(3), 774–789.

    Google Scholar 

  • Palmatier, R. W., Dant, R. P., & Grewal, D. (2007). A comparative longitudinal analysis of theoretical perspectives of interorganizational relationship performance. Journal of Marketing, 71(4), 172–194.

    Google Scholar 

  • Palmatier, R. W., Dant, R. P., Grewal, D., & Evans, K. R. (2006). Factors influencing the effectiveness of relationship marketing: A meta-analysis. Journal of Marketing, 70(4), 136–153.

    Google Scholar 

  • Piercy, N. F., Cravens, D. W., & Lane, N. (2003). Sales manager behavior control strategy and its consequences: The impact of manager gender differences. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 23(3), 221–237.

    Google Scholar 

  • Plouffe, C. R., Bolander, W., Cote, J. A., & Hochstein, B. (2016). Does the customer matter most? Exploring strategic frontline employees’ influence of customers, the internal business team, and external business partners. Journal of Marketing, 80(1), 106–123.

    Google Scholar 

  • Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J.-Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879–903.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rapp, A., Agnihotri, R., Baker, T. L., & Andzulis, J. M. (2015). Competitive intelligence collection and use by sales and service representatives: How managers’ recognition and autonomy moderate individual performance. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43(3), 357–374.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rimfeld, K., Kovas, Y., Dale, P. S., & Plomin, R. (2016). True Grit and genetics: Predicting academic achievement from personality. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 111(5), 780–789.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ross, W. T., & Robertson, D. C. (2003). A typology of situational factors: Impact on salesperson decision-making about ethical issues. Journal of Business Ethics, 46(3), 213–234.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rutherford, B. N., Hamwi, G. A., Friend, S. B., & Hartmann, N. N. (2011). Measuring salesperson burnout: A reduced Maslach burnout inventory for sales researchers. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 31(4), 429–440.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmitz, C., & Ganesan, S. (2014). Managing customer and organizational complexity in sales organizations. Journal of Marketing, 78(6), 59–77.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwepker, C. H., Ferrell, O. C., & Ingram, T. N. (1997). The influence of ethical climate and ethical conflict on role stress in the sales force. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 25(2), 99–108.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwepker, C. H., & Good, D. J. (2011). Moral judgment and its impact on business-to-business sales performance and customer relationships. Journal of Business Ethics, 98(4), 609–625.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwepker, C. H., & Ingram, T. N. (1996). Improving sales performance through ethics: The relationship between salesperson moral judgment and job performance. Journal of Business Ethics, 15(11), 1151–1160.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwepker, C. H., & Schultz, R. J. (2015). Influence of the ethical servant leader and ethical climate on customer value enhancing sales performance. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 35(2), 93–107.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seligman, M. E. P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive Psychology. American Psychologist, 55(1), 5–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Siemsen, E., Roth, A., & Oliveira, P. (2010). Common method bias in regression models with linear, quadratic, and interaction effects. Organizational Research Methods, 13(3), 456–476.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skov, T., Borg, V., & Ørhede, E. (1996). Psychosocial and physical risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders of the neck, shoulders, and lower back in salespeople. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 53(5), 351–356.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steenburgh, T., & Ahearne, M. (2012). Motivating salespeople: What really works. Harvard Business Review, 90(7/8), 70–75.

    Google Scholar 

  • Strout, E. (2002). To tell the truth. Sales & Marketing Management, 154(7), 40–47.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sujan, H., Weitz, B. A., & Kumar, N. (1994). Learning orientation, working smart, and effective selling. Journal of Marketing, 58(3), 39–52.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tang, G., Kwan, H. K., Zhang, D., & Zhu, Z. (2016). Work–family effects of servant leadership: The roles of emotional exhaustion and personal learning. Journal of Business Ethics, 137(2), 285–297.

    Google Scholar 

  • Valcour, M. (2018). When burnout is a sign you should leave your job. Accessed January 25, 2018, from https://hbr.org/2018/2001/when-burnout-is-a-sign-you-should-leave-your-job.

  • Valentine, S. R., & Barnett, T. (2007). Perceived organizational ethics and the ethical decisions of sales and marketing personnel. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 27(4), 373–388.

    Google Scholar 

  • Valentine, S. R., & Bateman, C. R. (2011). The impact of ethical ideologies, moral intensity, and social context on sales-based ethical reasoning. Journal of Business Ethics, 102(1), 155–168.

    Google Scholar 

  • Valenzuela, L. M., Mulki, J. P., & Jaramillo, J. F. (2010). Impact of customer orientation, inducements and ethics on loyalty to the firm: Customers’ perspective. Journal of Business Ethics, 93(2), 277–291.

    Google Scholar 

  • Verbeke, W., Ouwerkerk, C., & Peelen, E. (1996). Exploring the contextual and individual factors on ethical decision making of salespeople. Journal of Business Ethics, 15(11), 1175–1187.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, Y., Wang, G., Chen, Q., & Li, L. (2017). Depletion, moral identity, and unethical behavior: Why people behave unethically after self-control exertion. Consciousness and Cognition, 56, 188–198.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wedell-Wedellsborg, M. (2019). The psychology behind unethical behavior. Harvard Business Review. Accessed July 4, 2019, from https://hbr.org/2019/2004/the-psychology-behind-unethical-behavior.

  • Weeks, W. A., Loe, T. W., Chonko, L. B., & Wakefield, K. (2004). The effect of perceived ethical climate on the search for sales force excellence. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 24(3), 199–214.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weeks, W. A., & Nantel, J. (1992). Corporate codes of ethics and sales force behavior: A case study. Journal of Business Ethics, 11(10), 753–760.

    Google Scholar 

  • Xanthopoulou, D., Bakker, A. B., Demerouti, E., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2009). Reciprocal relationships between job resources, personal resources, and work engagement. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 74(3), 235–244.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yam, K. C. (2018). The effects of thought suppression on ethical decision making: Mental rebound versus ego depletion. Journal of Business Ethics, 147(1), 65–79.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yoo, J., & Frankwick, G. L. (2013). Exploring the impact of social undermining on salesperson deviance: An integrated model. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 33(1), 79–90.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

This study has not received any funding or grant.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. HEC Montréal, 3000, chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine, Montreal, QC, H3T 2A7, Canada

    Bruno Lussier

  2. Shidler College of Business, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, 2404 Maile Way, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA

    Nathaniel N. Hartmann

  3. Carl DeSantis Associate Professor of Marketing, College of Business, Florida State University, 821 Academic Way, Tallahassee, FL, 32306-1110, USA

    Willy Bolander

Authors
  1. Bruno Lussier
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Nathaniel N. Hartmann
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Willy Bolander
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bruno Lussier.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

Bruno Lussier declares that he has no conflict of interest. Nathaniel N. Hartmann declares that he has no conflict of interest. Willy Bolander declares that he has no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Research Involving Human Participants

Please note that this article does not contain any studies with animals performed by any of the authors.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Appendix

Appendix

Measurement scales

Loading

Ethical behaviors (Liden et al. 2008; Schwepker and Schultz 2015)

 I hold high ethical standards

0.88

 I am always honest

0.93

 I would not compromise ethical principles in order to achieve successa

 

 I value honesty more than profits

0.89

Emotional exhaustion (Maslach and Jackson 1981; Rutherford et al. 2011)

 I feel exhausted at the end of a working day

0.78

 I feel tired when I wake up in the morning and have to face another day at work

0.92

 I feel burned out from my work

0.94

 I feel frustrated by my job

0.74

Perceived supervisor support (DeConinck and Johnson 2009; Eisenberger et al. 1986)

 My sales manager takes great pride in my accomplishments

0.75

 My sales manager really cares about my well-being

0.95

 My sales manager really considers my goals and values

0.93

 My sales manager is willing to help me if I need it

0.73

Grit (Duckworth et al. 2007; Duckworth and Quinn 2009)

 Perseverance of effort (tenacity)

  I finish whatever I begin

0.85

  Setbacks don’t discourage me

0.75

  I am diligent

0.86

  I am a hard worker

0.79

 Consistency of interest (passion)

  I often set a goal but later choose to pursue a different oneb

0.84

  I have been obsessed with a certain idea or project for a short time but later lost interestb

0.84

  I have difficulty maintaining my focus on projects that take more than a few months to completeb

0.86

  New ideas and projects sometimes distract me from previous onesb

0.84

 Manager Perceived Sales Performance (Martin and Bush 2006)

  This salesperson has a good overall work attitude

0.79

  This salesperson is effective at solving problems

0.77

  This salesperson has a good overall job performance

0.93

  This salesperson has a good selling ability

0.91

  This salesperson reaches overall sales objectives

0.89

  1. aItem was dropped because of cross loadings
  2. bItem is reserve coded

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Lussier, B., Hartmann, N.N. & Bolander, W. Curbing the Undesirable Effects of Emotional Exhaustion on Ethical Behaviors and Performance: A Salesperson–Manager Dyadic Approach. J Bus Ethics 169, 747–766 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-019-04271-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-019-04271-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation