THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ROLE OVERLOAD, DEPERSONALIZATION AND COMMERCIAL PERFORMANCE: Hypotheses Proposal

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THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ROLE OVERLOAD, DEPERSONALIZATION AND COMMERCIAL PERFORMANCE: Hypotheses Proposal

Journal Title: European Journal of Business and Social Sciences - Year 2015, Vol 4, Issue 1

Abstract

1. Introduction Today, the relationship with the customer has become central to a company's brand image. As a matter of fact, a customer who is satisfied with the quality of a service offered by a sales representative will draw more satisfied customers to the company. This will improve consumersâ€™ perception of the company's image. The proliferation of research dealing with service quality leads us to consider a variable that can hinder the fulfillment of this goal, namely the depersonalization of sales representatives. The problematic at the heart of the current study is whether the depersonalization of sales representatives is a trait inherent to the human being or a consequence of an overload of work and whether it has an impact on the quality of service. To answer the research questions, we will attempt, through a literature review, to highlight the main factors involved in the depersonalization of sales representatives and to define their influence on perceived performance. 2. Literature review Research works conducted on sales representatives so far are scarce. In what follows, we will focus on the relationship between role overload and depersonalization in sales representatives and on its consequence on perceived performance. 2.1.Role overload Role overload as a construct that is rarely used in research about sales force. According to Maslach and Leiter (1997), role overload occurs when work demands exceed human capabilities. People are called to do many things in a short time with very few resources. This is a permanent and not a one-off work situation that does not allow the worker to rest and restore balance. It can be described as a lack of individual resources to perform distinct roles (Peterson etal.,1995). Larson (2004) defines it as a state that is perceived at work when the demands in tools, skills and knowledge are beyond what the person could offer. Other authors describe it as the situation when the amount of work to be performed requires more time than available, which can lead to an uncertain performance (Cooper et al., 2001; Cooper and Dewe, 2004). In other words, there is role overload when the expectations and demands that come from the sales representativeâ€™s environment are beyond his capabilities, personal resources and motivation to complete a task. 2.2.Depersonalization In the literature, depersonalization is referred to as withdrawal or cynicism (Demerouti et al., 2001; Bakker et al., 2004). Depersonalization is also called dehumanization. It is a stress described as an unduly onerous magnitude of role requirements (Schaubroeck et al., 1989; Schick et al., 1990). It is a state of physical withdrawal and psychological distancing on the part of a person. Employees are detached from their work and have no feelings towards customers any more. They start treating them as objects rather than as human beings.

Authors and Affiliations

Asma Dellagi

Keywords

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EP ID EP10579
DOI -
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