The effects of control, trust, and justice on salesperson turnover

Abstract

Turnover represents a significant cost in many organizations, and previous studies indicate that perceptions of justice can reduce turnover intentions among salespeople. In this study, we examine process control and decision control as both direct and indirect predictors of justice and, subsequently, as predictors of turnover. In addition, trust is modeled as a mediating variable. We test our control-based model of turnover with a sample of 240 business-to-business salespeople. Results from the study indicate that, in the context of managerial processes and decision making, as salesperson control increases so does trust in sales managers and, subsequently, perceptions of distributive and procedural justice. Our findings highlight the effects of justice on sales force turnover and suggest that as perceptions of justice increase, firms will benefit from lower levels of salesperson turnover. Sales managers can reduce sales force turnover by giving salespeople greater input into decisions and processes.