Political Skill Dimensions and Salesperson’s Obtainment of Internal Support – A Qualitative Study
(A2019-7925)

AUTHORS

Achim Kießig, Chemnitz University of Technology; Cornelia Zanger, Chemnitz University of Technology

KEYWORDS

salesperson’s internal support; political skill; team fluidity

ABSTRACT

Although sales literature suggests that salespeople increasingly need to gain internal support, research on how salespeople facilitate active internal support from co-workers to successfully complete pending sales transactions is scarce. We address this issue by exploring the role of political skill in this context. By integrating past research with results from a qualitative study, we not only propose political skill to be important in this regard, but uncover different mechanisms through which the construct’s distinct dimensions may exert a positive influence on a salesperson’s internal support. Moreover, we find the degree of team fluidity within a sales organisation to be an important moderator in the relationship between the distinct political skill dimensions and a salesperson’s internal support. Our findings complement literature with an understanding of how and under what conditions political skill positively affects a salesperson’s internal support.