دانلود رایگان مقاله رویداد بحران تکامل سازمان فروش بررسی موردی شرکت خدمات بنگاه به بنگاه

ABSTRACT

While the literature recognizes that sales organizations evolve as they seek to improve their effectiveness, little is known about this evolutionary process. As a first step toward remedying this important knowledge gap, this case study uses event systems theory to explain the process through which critical events shaped the evolution of a sales organization over the course of a thirty-year period. The results reveal that (1) shifts in the sales organization were prompted by events that focused the unit's attention on the desire for growth or on the need to curb excesses, (2) the primary mechanism for effecting change in the sales organization was the flattening and de-flattening of organizational structures, and (3) a high degree of correspondence exists between shifts in organizational structure and, both, a salesperson's level of social capital and the incidence of unethical salesperson behaviors. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

4. Discussion

This study is the first to empirically examine several of the basic precepts of event systems theory; namely that events lead to change over time, can be initiated at varying levels of the firm, and can lead to a change in organizational structure. Generally, this research fills a critical knowledge gap regarding how events initiate change over time in a sales organization, and the role of structure in both enabling and constraining salesperson behavior. As elucidated in the section that follows, the findings suggest that both top-down and bottom-up events (e.g. top management versus individual salespeople) can prompt the evolution of a sales organization. Moreover, the findings suggest that salespeople are not created equal, and that powerful salespeople can be critical conduits of change within an organization. The study makes at least three contributions to the literatures on event systems, sales organizations, and social capital. We discuss these contributions next.