Examining the Conditions under which Salespeople Experience Frustration at Work

Frustration in the sales force has been identified as one of the primary inhibitors of sales performance. Drawing on role theory and social identity theory, the authors examine how dimensions of role stress and of social conflict combine to workplace constellations that result in sales force frustration. Based on a sample of 118 salespeople, the authors analyze the data using fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA)—an analytic method prolific for analyzing higher-order interactions. The results from this study show that there exist multiple configurations of factors leading to frustration in the sales force. Knowledge of these causal patterns helps sales managers detect workplace frustrators and develop strategies to diminish these conditions.