From Uncertain Intentions to Actual Behavior: A Threshold Model of Whether and When Salespeople Quit

Abstract

In this article, the authors focus on the formation of intentions to quit among salespeople and the link between these intentions and subsequent quitting behavior. Building on the foundations of the recently developed judgment uncertainty and magnitude parameters (JUMP) model, which statistically and simultaneously separates the drivers of judgment magnitude from those of judgment uncertainty, the authors present a model of the formation of uncertain intentions that decomposes a stated intention into a magnitude and an uncertainty dimension. The authors then develop hypotheses regarding the impact of affective and continuance commitment and critical sales events on intention magnitude and the effect of critical sales events and role stress on intention uncertainty. Subsequently, the authors develop a threshold model of the intention-behavior link that articulates a psychological mechanism within which uncertainty-laden intentions translate into actual behavior. Empirically, results from sales force intention and turnover data provide strong support for the theorizing. In addition to identifying some drivers of intention-to-quit magnitude and uncertainty, the authors identify the crucial role of intention uncertainty in shaping both the probability and timing of subsequent behavior. Consistent with the psychological underpinnings of the threshold model, the authors find that intention uncertainty lowers the probability of intended behavior. The results regarding the timing of quitting support an uncertainty avoidance conjecture: Given a stated intention, likely quitters with greater intention uncertainty quit faster than those with lower intention uncertainty.

Determinants of turnover intentions among marketing and sales representatives in the UAE

“…Other factors include individual differences in demography and job tenure, role perceptions in terms of ambiguity and clarity, and organizational factors such as behavior of supervisors, critical sales events, characteristics of the job, and task in hand. Organizational strategies that reduce job ambiguity reduces sales rep turn over intentions (Brown and Peterson, 1993;Chandrashekaran et al, 2000). Sales force embeddedness is recommended to reduce turnover intentions.…”

“…While employee commitment acts as a deterrent to turn-over intention, satisfaction levels, perceived influence and perceived ease of gaining alternative employment play significant intervening effects on turnover intentions (Sager and Johnston, 1989). While continuance commitment lead in to employee commitment, intention uncertainty leads to turnover intentions (Chandrashekaran et al, 2000). Impact of employee turnover in SMEs in the retail industry is such that losing a single talented employee can be detrimental to organizational objectives.…”

Relationship commitment and value creation in sponsorship relationships

“…In the marketing literature, many studies treat relationship commitment as a onedimensional construct, but far fewer treat relationship commitment as comprising multiple types or multiple components. The latter studies have been conducted in contexts such as industrial distribution channels (Chang et al 2012;Davis-Sramek et al 2009;Gilliland and Bello 2002;Jain et al 2014;Kim, Hubbard and Swain 2011;Liu et al 2010;Sharma, Young, and Wilkinson 2015), manufacturing firms (Cater & Cater, 2010), the pharmaceutical industry (Hunter and Panagopoulos 2015), the printing and publishing industry (Chandrashekaran et al 2000), service industries such as banking and insurance (Lam 2012;Malhotra et al 2013;Verhoef, Frances and Hoekstra 2002), sports teams (Melancon, Noble and Noble 2011), telecom services (Gustaffsson, Johnson and Roos 2005), travel agencies (Wieseke et al 2007), and universities (Ganesan et al 2010), but studies in the sponsorship relationship context are lacking.…”

Understanding the Role of Consumer Heterogeneity in the Formation of Satisfaction Uncertainty

“…Captured by the Judgment Uncertainty and Magnitude Parameters (JUMP) model (see Chandrashekaran et al, 2000Chandrashekaran et al, , 2005, this twodimensional view of attitude resonates with the vast literature on attitude uncertainty (Gross, Holtz, & Miller, 1995). It advances the view that independent variables may have different impacts on attitude magnitude and attitude uncertainty.…”

“…This research is also motivated by marketing modeling literature that decomposes attitude into attitude magnitude and attitude uncertainty (Grewal, Chandrashekaran, & Dwyer, 2008;Chandrashekaran, McNeilly, Russ, & Marinova, 2000;Chandrashekaran, Rotte, & Grewal, 2005;Chandrashekaran et al, 2007;Rotte et al, 2006Rotte et al, , 2009. Captured by the Judgment Uncertainty and Magnitude Parameters (JUMP) model (see Chandrashekaran et al, 2000Chandrashekaran et al, , 2005, this twodimensional view of attitude resonates with the vast literature on attitude uncertainty (Gross, Holtz, & Miller, 1995).…”