A model of retail job characteristics, employee role ambiguity, external customer mind-set, and sales performance

Based upon findings from the sales, retailing, marketing, management, and organizational behavior literatures, the authors develop and test a model of retail employee sales performance that differs from previous efforts by utilizing multi-dimensional conceptualizations of potential antecedents as well as a promising yet previously unexamined employee job attitude–external customer mind-set. The results indicate that the characteristics of the retail employee’s work environment, with one exception, are directly associated with enhanced job attitudes and reduced ambiguity. The exception is that greater amounts of job autonomy are associated with increased levels of ambiguity. Retail employee ambiguity regarding customers and external customer mind-set are both associated with sales performance.