Do Retailers Really Profit from Ambidextrous Managers? The Impact of Frontline Mechanisms on New and Existing Product Selling Performance

• DOI: 10.1111/jpim.12158
• Publication Date: 2014-03-24T11:21:21Z
• Authors: Michel van der Borgh; Jeroen J.L. Schepers
• Keywords: 0502 economics and business; 05 social sciences

When manufacturers introduce a new product to the market, downstream retail partners are faced with inherent trade‐offs. Retail sales personnel have support product's introduction substantial efforts but also sell existing products in stock, before storage and devaluation costs spin out of control. This study shows how managers can guide personnel's performance selling, respectively. The authors argue that manager may prioritize selling products, or both (i.e., an ambidextrous orientation). Based on data gathered from representatives company databases large E uropean consumer electronics retailer, perform time‐lagged partial least squares analysis test empirically their conceptual model. find outperform singular‐oriented counterparts if they properly align orientation frontline management mechanism consisting task autonomy, feedback, employee age. More specifically, promote net profit obtainment grant employees autonomy give little feedback. In addition, remarkable finding is older agents tend younger when working under manager. discuss implications these findings.