CLOSENESS OF SUPERVISION AND SALESPERSON WORK OUTCOMES - AN ALTERNATEPERSPECTIVE

Researchers in sales management have given considerable attention to t he influence that closeness of supervision has on sales personnel. Fin dings from previous investigations, however, tend to be inconsistent a nd inconclusive regarding the relationship between closeness of superv ision and salesperson work outcomes. A possible reason for the incompa tible findings may be that prior research generally has focused on the perceived level of supervisory closeness, not the nature of that clos eness. This paper reports results of a study that explored both the le vel and nature of closeness of sales supervision. Operationalization w as based on the degree of active involvement sales managers have with their salespeople expressed in terms of differing leadership styles. F indings reveal that highly active involvement with salespeople general ly has a more favorable impact on work outcomes of sales subordinates than inactive or moderately active involvement. Managerial and researc h implications of the results also are offered.