Role Stress among Industrial Buyers: An Integrative Model

Abstract

Research perspectives from role theory are examined with a large sample of purchasing professionals in an effort to increase understanding of industrial buyer behavior and the buying environment. An integrative model of the antecedents and consequences of role stress fits the data well. The results suggest that an awareness of the nature and influence of role stress in the buying context can be of value to marketing professionals, especially sales representatives and marketing/product managers.

The effects of environmental dynamism and heterogeneity on salespeople’s role perceptions, performance and job satisfaction

“…These relationships have been studied extensively in the literature and the results of this study validate the findings of others (Bagozzi, 1978;Behrman and Perreault, 1984;Behrman et al, 1981;Churchill et al, 1976;Fry et al, 1986;Kohli, 1985;Mahajan et al, 1984;Michaels et al, 1987;Teas, 1983).…”

Towards an Improved Understanding of Industrial Buying Behavior: Determinants of the Number of Suppliers

“…Here, a considerable number of studies have explored the size and structure of the buying center (Johnston and Bonoma 1981;Lilien and Wong 1984) and have analyzed the factors that affect its structure and size (Dawes, Dowling and Patterson 1992;McQuiston 1989, Spekman andStern 1979). Other studies in this area have developed concepts for measuring influence in the buying center (Silk and Kalwani 1982;Kohli and Zaltman 1988), studied determinants of influence (Kohli 1989) or analyzed selected psychological constructs within the buying center, such as role stress (Michaels, Day and Joachimsthaler 1987) and motivation (Michaels, Dubinsky and Rich 1995).…”

The effects of organizational restructuring on industrial buying behavior: 1990 and beyond

“…Brockner, 1988;Brockner et al, 1987Brockner et al, , 1994Staw et al, 1981) and in the marketing literature (e.g. Barclay, 1991;Michaels et al, 1987;Qualls and Puto, 1989). According to these researchers, as an organization's workforce is reduced through downsizing, there is potential for the development of a type of role conflict…”

“…Group profiles known as role overload -the extent to which various tasks exceed the amount of time and resources available for their accomplishment (Michaels et al, 1987). That is, as previously noted, when organizations downsize, the number of tasks to be accomplished in the organization initially remains constant, but fewer people are available to accomplish these tasks.…”

“…Michaels et al, 1987;Sutton and D'Aunno, 1989). These reductions in motivation and performance are especially acute when task expectations are impossible to achieve and, therefore, performance will be deficient regardless of the amount of effort expended.…”