Associate Professor  Ronnie (Chuang-Rang)  Gao
School of Business, Trinity Western University, Langley, British Columbia,  Canada

Title: The Impact of transformational leadership on salespeople job satisfaction: Exploring its mediating mechanism

Abstract:

Purpose - This research aims to examine the mediating effects of psychological empowerment (PE) and employee vigor (EV) in the relationship between transformational leadership (TL) and salespeople job satisfaction (SJS). 

Design/methodology/approach – A conceptual model was tested with data collected from a survey among business-to-business salespeople working in various industries in the United States. Hypotheses were tested using both Structural Equation Modelling and PROCESS analyses. 

Findings - First, PE, but not EV, mediates the TL to SJS link; second, EV mediates the TL to PE link; third, PE mediates the EV to SJS link. PROCESS analysis also revealed a sequential mediating route of EV and PE in the TL to SJS link. 

Originality – First, the present study is the first one to empirically confirm PE’s mediating effect in the TL to SJS link and PE’s mediating effect in the EV to SJS link. Second, this study extends Gao et al.’ (2020) study by confirming that EV still mediates the TL to PE link when all the four PE dimensions are examined. Finally, this study advances the TL and sales management research by showing that PE’s mediating route and the sequential mediating route of EV and PE, together, fully mediates the TL to SJS link.

Practical implications – Firms should develop TL practices among sales managers and nurture PE mindsets and EV feelings among salespeople due to their direct and indirect effects on SJS.

Keywords Transformational leadership; Psychological empowerment; Employee vigor; Salespeople job satisfaction

Biography:

Ronnie (Chuang-Rang) Gao, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Marketing (with tenure) at School of Business, Trinity Western University, Langley, British Columbia, Canada. Ronnie received his B.Eng. in Electrical Engineering from Tongji University in Shanghai, China. He earned his M.B.A. from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and his Ph.D. in marketing from Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. Ronnie’s professional employment includes positions as locomotive engineer at the Chinese Railway Systems, as training engineer at the Chinese Railway Expert Team at Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority, as public relations & marketing director at the Nigerian Railway Rehabilitation Project, and as vice president business development and marketing at the China Operations of a Canadian consulting company. 

Ronnie’s research focuses on several different areas including cross-(sub)cultural consumer behavior, sales management, and green consumer behavior. His work has been published on Journal of Business Research, Journal of International Consumer Marketing, Christian Business Review, Association for Consumer Research (ACR) North American Advances, and American Marketing Association (AMA) Proceedings.