An exploration of salesperson job satisfaction in India using P-E fit constructs

Abstract

Job satisfaction is an important variable in organization behavior and sales management. This study explored the impact of person-job fit and person-organization fit on the job satisfaction, organization commitment and turnover intentions of salespersons in India. These constructs have hitherto not been explored in emerging market contexts. A survey of pharmaceutical salespersons found that person-job fit had a strong positive relationship with job satisfaction and person-organization fit had a positive relationship with organization commitment. Job satisfaction had a positive influence on organization commitment and a negative influence on turnover intentions. The differences in job satisfaction across age and experience categories were not significant but salespersons with higher educational qualifications reported lower levels of job satisfaction. The study will contribute to the sales management literature by identifying significant direct paths between P-E fit constructs and job satisfaction and its consequent constructs. An implication for managers is the importance of measuring fit and job satisfaction