ABSTRACT

Purpose: Given the ever-increasing pressure put on sales organizations to improve performance, behave ethically and establish long-term customer relationships, this study seeks to better comprehend ethical leadership’s part in doing so. It proposes that perceived ethical leadership indirectly influences salesperson performance through trust in manager and ethical ambiguity.

Methodology/Approach: A survey of business-to-business salespeople was taken. Hypotheses are tested using structural equation modeling.

Findings: The results show that perceived ethical leadership influences salesperson performance through the mediating roles of trust in manager and ethical ambiguity. Salespeople’s perceptions of their supervisor’s ethical leadership behaviors positively impact their trust in manager and negatively influences their ethical ambiguity. In turn, trust in manager positively influences sales performance while ethical ambiguity negatively influences sales performance.

Research Implications: The results from testing the hypothesized model support mechanisms by which ethical leadership behavior may affect business-to-business salesperson job performance. It appears that ethical leadership works through ethical ambiguity and trust in manager to impact salesperson behavior performance, rather than directly impacting salesperson performance. Importantly the findings add to the literature an important consequence of ethical leadership, ethical ambiguity. This research likewise adds to the literature on role, and more specifically ethical, ambiguity by finding that reducing salesperson ethical ambiguity has a positive impact on salesperson behavior performance.

Practical Implications: This study finds that one important mechanism for reducing ethical ambiguity is for sales supervisors to practice ethical leadership. By reducing ethical ambiguity, sales managers can improve business-to-business salesperson performance. In addition, use of ethical leadership by sales managers can positively influence the business-to-business salesperson’s trust in manager, which subsequently leads to greater sales performance.

Originality/Value/Contribution: The results of this study add to our knowledge of ethical leadership by further developing its consequences. It also sheds light on a vastly under-researched construct, ethical ambiguity. Finally, it further validates the important role that trust in manager plays in the organization.

摘要

目的：考虑到销售组织不断提高的压力，要求他们提高绩效，遵守道德规范并建立长期客户关系，因此本研究旨在更好地理解道德领导者的职责。它提出，道德上的领导才能通过对经理的信任和道德上的歧义间接影响销售人员的绩效。

方法/方法：对企业对企业销售人员进行了调查。假设使用结构方程模型进行测试。

研究结果：结果表明，道德上的领导才能通过对经理的信任和道德上的模棱两可的中介作用影响销售人员的绩效。销售人员对上司的道德领导行为的看法积极地影响了他们对经理的信任，消极地影响了他们的道德歧义。反过来，对经理的信任会正面影响销售业绩，而道德歧义会负面影响销售业绩。

研究意义：测试假设模型支持机制的结果，道德领导行为可能会影响企业对企业销售员的工作绩效。看来，道德领导力是通过道德歧义和对经理的信任来影响销售人员的行为绩效，而不是直接影响销售人员的绩效。重要的是，这些发现将有关道德领导力，道德歧义的重要后果添加到文献中。通过发现减少销售人员的道德歧义对销售人员的行为表现有积极的影响，这项研究同样为角色，尤其是道德模糊性增加了文献资料。

实际含义：这项研究发现，减少销售人员道德操守的一种重要机制是销售主管进行道德操守。通过减少道德上的歧义，销售经理可以提高企业对企业销售人员的绩效。此外，销售经理使用道德领导可以正面影响企业对企业销售员对经理的信任，从而提高销售业绩。

原创性/价值/贡献：本研究的结果通过进一步发展其后果，增加了我们对道德领导者的认识。它也揭示了一个在很大程度上未被研究的结构，即伦理歧义。最后，它进一步验证了信任管理者在组织中扮演的重要角色。