The dark side of salesperson ambidexterity: How salesperson ambidexterity increases felt stress

Abstract

Extant research suggests that ambidextrous salespeople (i.e., those who prefer to simultaneously engage in both hunting and farming activities) outperform monodextrous salespeople (i.e., those who prefer to engage in hunting over farming, or vice versa) to meet their sales goals. However, across two field studies of business-to-business salespeople, we demonstrate that ambidextrous salespeople are generally more stressed than their monodextrous counterparts. In addition, salesperson felt stress grows significantly stronger to the extent that ambidextrous salespeople also handle non-selling service requirements while working under an outcome-based control system. Study results also reveal that felt stress mediates the ambidexterity-job satisfaction relationship, suggesting that ambidextrous salespeople are less satisfied in their sales role because of the added stress from switching between the activities required in selling to both new and current customers. We discuss the theoretical and managerial implications regarding salesperson well-being while also presenting avenues for future research.