Influence of Control Systems on Opportunistic Behaviors of Salespeople: A Test of Gender Differences

Abstract

Jaworski (1988) proposed that managers typically use two types of formal controls—output and process—to direct and evaluate marketing employees and that the latter may respond negatively to perceptions of such controls. The current study tests the generalizability of Jaworski's framework to salesperson populations that differ on gender. Using a sample of professional salespeople, the study examines if (1) male and female employees perceive managers as using similar controls under given task conditions, and (2) female salespeople respond to control perceptions in the same way as do male salespeople. Results suggest that there are no gender differences for either controls perceived or responses to controls.