“Before we talk about direction, let's spend a minute on ...1571406/...This thesis is a...
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Transcript of “Before we talk about direction, let's spend a minute on ...1571406/...This thesis is a...
“Before we talk about direction, let's spend a minute on mission and vision”
Henry Mintzberg
Acknowledgements
First of all, we would like to give a special thanks to Jacob Touma, this research would not
have been possible without his help, openness and support. Furthermore, we want to thank all
the respondents for their kindness, professionalism, and welcoming attitude. They have all
contributed to this research and the study would not be possible without them.
Lastly, we want to thank our supervisor Jan Bodin for helping us throughout our thesis work
and helping us look at the study from different perspectives. Further, we want to thank Umeå
School of Business, Economics, and Statistics for making it possible to write the thesis in
collaboration with a company and thereby making it possible to contribute new knowledge,
perspectives and view of the area researched.
Umeå May 2021
______________ _______________
Anton Lundbäck Mathias Särkimukka
Abstract
The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way of working for employees and companies
around the world. An important part of an organization is the salesforce since they are
building relations with customers and making sales. It is therefore important for the salesforce
to be motivated in order to be productive and contribute to the organization's increased sales.
This thesis is a qualitative study regarding salesforce motivation and how to motivate
salesforce further in the future based on the Covid-19 pandemic changed way of working. We
have studied the Middle East regional office of a Swedish B2B company within the security
sector called Gunnebo Group. The research was conducted through interviewing seven
respondents whom comes from seven different nationalities and based in four different
countries. All the respondents are working within the salesforce at the researched organization
with the title of Sales Directors. Through the interviews we have gathered data about four
different perspectives that can have an impact on the salesforce motivation. These aspects are
motivation in general, culture, leadership, and the changed way of working due to Covid-19.
In this study we have taken these perspectives in consideration when answering our research
question and trying to fulfil the research purpose.
The purpose of this research is to create an understanding of what can motivate the salesforce
at Gunnebo Middle East post-pandemic and/or going into 2022. Further, we want to
contribute with new knowledge that will help organizations develop as well as prepare for a
post-pandemic way of approaching motivation regarding salesforce.
The conclusion of this study is, in order to motivate salesforce further in the future, B2B
companies within the security sector need to continue to work with the changes that the
Covid-19 pandemic has created and not go back to a pre-pandemic way of working. Further,
companies need to maintain the changes and develop the changed way of working through
educational programs regarding the use of technological tools as well as customer interaction
to increase motivation and performance. It is crucial that the organization does not lose focus
on the importance of face-to-face interaction.
Key words:
Motivation, salesforce motivation, Covid-19, B2B, culture, leadership, changed way of
working, technology, future, face-to-face.
Table of content 1 Introduction chapter .................................................................................................. 1
1.1 The effect of working during Covid-19................................................................ 1
1.2 Industry .............................................................................................................. 2
1.3 Salesforce ........................................................................................................... 2
1.4 Research question .............................................................................................. 4
1.4.1 Aspects to help answer the research question ............................................. 4
1.5 Research purpose ............................................................................................... 4
2 The Organization researched .................................................................................... 5
2.1 Gunnebo Middle East ......................................................................................... 6
3 Theoretical frame of reference .................................................................................. 7
3.1 Motivation in general and salesforce motivation ................................................. 7
3.2 Motivation regarding Salesforce ......................................................................... 8
3.3 National- and organizational culture aspect on motivation .................................. 9
3.3.1 Organizational culture ................................................................................ 11
3.4 Leadership aspect on motivation ....................................................................... 11
3.4.1 Employee and employer relationship ......................................................... 12
3.4.2 Leadership communication. ........................................................................ 12
3.5 Changed way of working due to Covid-19 ......................................................... 13
3.6 Summary theoretical frame of reference ............................................................ 14
4 Methodology ............................................................................................................ 15
4.1 Pre-knowledge and choice of subject ................................................................ 15
4.2 Research philosophy ......................................................................................... 15
4.2.1 Ontological perspective.............................................................................. 16
4.2.2 Epistemological perspective....................................................................... 16
4.2.3 Axiology perspective .................................................................................. 16
4.3 Research approach and Choice of method ......................................................... 17
4.3.1 Choice of method ........................................................................................ 18
4.4 Reaching and selecting respondents ................................................................. 18
4.5 Ethical aspect .................................................................................................... 19
4.6 Interviews .......................................................................................................... 19
4.6.1 Semi-structured .......................................................................................... 20
4.6.2 Conducting interview ................................................................................. 21
4.7 Managing of empirical data and data analysis ................................................... 22
4.8 Data analysis ...................................................................................................... 22
4.9 Literature research ............................................................................................ 23
4.9.1 Critical evaluation ....................................................................................... 23
5 Description and presentation of empirical findings .................................................. 25
5.1 Empirical findings regarding motivation in general aspect on salesforce
motivation .................................................................................................................... 25
5.2 Empirical findings regarding cultural aspect on salesforce motivation .............. 26
5.3 Empirical findings regarding leadership aspect on salesforce motivation ......... 27
5.4 Empirical findings regarding the changed way of working aspect on salesforce
motivation .................................................................................................................... 28
5.5 Empirical findings summary .............................................................................. 30
6 Analysis .................................................................................................................... 31
6.1 Analysis regarding motivation in general aspect on salesforce motivation ........ 32
6.2 Analysis regarding cultural aspect on motivation .............................................. 33
6.3 Analysis regarding leadership aspect on motivation ......................................... 34
6.4 Analysis regarding the changed way of working due to Covid-19 aspect on
motivation .................................................................................................................... 35
6.5 Analysis summary .............................................................................................. 36
7 Conclusions and recommendations .......................................................................... 39
7.1 Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 39
7.2 Practical recommendations on how to implement further motivation amongst
salesforce employees in the future. .............................................................................. 42
7.3 Limitations and further research ........................................................................ 43
8 Societal aspects and truth criteria ............................................................................. 45
8.1 Societal aspects ................................................................................................. 45
8.2 Truth criteria ...................................................................................................... 46
List of references ............................................................................................................. 47
Appendix ........................................................................................................................ 50
Appendix 1: Interview guide........................................................................................ 50
Appendix 2: Letter to respondents ............................................................................... 51
List of Figures
Figure 1. Salesforce motivation ........................................................................................ 8
Figure 2. Theoretical summary ........................................................................................ 14
Figure 3. Empirical summary .......................................................................................... 30
Figure 4. Analysis summary ............................................................................................ 38
Figure 5. Suggestions for increased motivation in the future............................................ 42
List of Tables Table 1. Summary Gunnebo Group Business Units ........................................................... 5
Table 2. Overview of conducted interviews ..................................................................... 22
Table 3. Analysis structure .............................................................................................. 31
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1 INTRODUCTION CHAPTER
We will in this chapter give an introduction to our research area. The chapter starts with a
discussion regarding the changes B2B companies had to make due to Covid-19, we will further
introduce the researched industry, then a discussion regarding motivation and salesforce will
be present. In the end of the chapter the research question and purpose will be presented.
1.1 THE EFFECT OF WORKING DURING COVID-19
The year 2020 changed the world as we once knew it. The Covid-19 pandemic struck our
societies and changes had to be made worldwide. Everything and everyone, from businesses to
people, had to adapt to the new environment and challenges we faced together as society. April
Rinne once said in her Ted Talk “How to navigate our uncertain future”:
“No two days are the same” (Rinne, 2019, 1:11).
Companies and employees around the world have changed their way of working because of the
pandemic. According to a worldwide study by GitLab (2021), 56% of the respondents have
been working from home for less than a one year, this is the result of employees being pushed
out of their offices and into their home due to Covid-19. A condition for being able to work
from home is modern collaborative technologies, i.e., accessibility to video conferencing,
digital share file storage and other technical tools (Thomas, 2020). With help from these modern
technologies, working from home is becoming easier (Thomas, 2020). To further elaborate on
working remotely, in a study made by Buffer (2021), the results showed that employees
appreciate the opportunity to have a flexible schedule, flexibility to work from any location and
not having to commute, these were their main upsides to not working from a fixed location.
Although there are positive aspects of working from home as well as remotely, there are also
negative aspects. According to Gitlab (2020), a survey made in Australia, Canada, UK, and
USA, 29% of the respondents said that motivation was the biggest challenge to working
remotely in the beginning of 2020. Junela (n.d.) stated that it is important for organizations and
for their employees to be motivated. Junela argues that a motivated employee can help reach
their personal goals, help each individual with self-development and a motivated workforce
will have greater job satisfaction. As a result of a motivated workforce the organization can
achieve benefits such as higher productivity, reducing cost of operations and thus improving
overall efficiency. Another factor is stability in the workforce, which is important regarding
reputation and goodwill of the company.
Uhl-Bien (2021) argues for the importance of maintaining a strong relationship between leader
and followers. Since Covid-19 has affected the way of communicating, one could argue that
the communication between leader and follower has changed as well. Furthermore, it is
according to Silke Bartsch et al. (2020), up to managers/leaders to make sure the employees are
prepared for the future. They further argue, by introducing and working towards digital
development companies can handle unexpected situations in a more efficient way, compared to
companies that have not been technologically developed and/or focused. It is according to
Bartsch et al., (2020) important to consider the environment in which a manager is leading their
team, since it can influence the way they handle and approach unexpected changes and therefore
it is important to be prepared for. Although Bartsch et al. (2020) base the arguments from a
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service industry perspective, we would argue that the arguments are applicable for other sectors
as well. Technology has a large role when it comes to working remotely and the pandemic has
made people work from home. In relation to Covid-19, changes have happened quickly and
rapidly, this can be seen as a problem for the working culture within a company (Thomas,
2020).
1.2 INDUSTRY
The market for physical security products has been affected due to Covid-19 and sales have
declined for the first time after eleven consecutive years of growth (ResearchandMarkets,
2021). On the other hand, according to ResearchandMarkets (2021) the market for physical
security products expect to recover by Q3 2021 and the publisher forecast that the market will
have a 6% CAGR (compound annual growth rate) over the next five years. Within the security
industry, there are companies that are acting on the business-to-business market. The process
of doing sales in a B2B market is complex, it includes higher sales values, complex and longer
sales cycles (Connick, 2021). It is important to note that this is not applicable for all B2B
companies, since some might have other business models or approaches to doing sales
(Connick, 2021). Further, based on Connick (2021) description of B2B sales cycles and
complexity of sales, we assume that the sales process includes a team of e.g., sales managers,
project leaders and customer relations personnel. It is according to us these roles that creates
the salesforce.
A company within the security industry that sells products on the B2B market, which includes
long selling cycles, is Gunnebo Group who are worldwide leaders regarding security products,
services, and solutions. As well as the industry, Gunnebo was affected due to Covid-19, net
sales decreased 19% during January-September 2020 compared to the same period 2019. Stefan
Syrén, the CEO of Gunnebo pointed out that their focus has been on employees' health, they
have worked hard to maintain good service and delivery to the customers during Covid-19
(Gunnebo Group, 2020a). Further, Syrén stated in the Gunnebo Group (Gunnebo Group, 2020a)
interim report that the company has faced:
“New circumstances, new challenges and new business opportunities.”
(Gunnebo Group, 2020a, p.2)
In relation to the publisher forecasts and the statement by Syrén, the market provides business
opportunities. In addition to potential growth within the B2B security-sector market we as
authors find it important that the salesforce within the B2B sector-sector is motivated in order
to provide increased use of security equipment. Based on the increased usage of security
equipment we assume it will create a safe feeling within the public when e.g., traveling or visit
shopping malls.
1.3 SALESFORCE
The changes that had to be made due to Covid-19 has changed the view of the way of
approaching the future, either going back to normal or further interaction with digital tools
(Rangarajan et al., 2021). For people working within sales and sale processes, e.g., sales
management, it is important to learn and further investigate the possibility of a mix between
these two perspectives (Rangarajan et al., 2021). Sales management describes the process of
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developing a salesforce, coordinating sales operations, and implementing sales techniques that
makes businesses reach or surpass their targets (Pipedrive, 2021), we therefore define salesforce
as sales personnel and people involved in the sales process.
Regarding motivation and how to motivate sales personnel, Churchill et al. (1985) found that
motivation in the workplace was one of the six main salesperson attributes that was related to
performance. The six main attributes are: role perceptions, skill levels, aptitude, motivation,
personal characteristics, and organizational/environmental variables. In Churchills meta-
analysis of sales performance, motivation was found to be the third most effective predictor of
sales performance after role perceptions and skills (Churchill et al. 1985). Churchill et al. (1985)
continues to argue for the importance of keeping the sales managers and the salesforce
motivated and that it is a key piece to reaching organizational selling targets.
Furthermore, Shipley and Kiely (1988) surveyed and studied which motivational factors that
are of most importance when trying to motivate salespeople in the industrial goods market.
According to the study, the main factors were self-satisfaction from doing a good job,
acknowledgement for effort, satisfying customer needs and achieving sales budgets. As
mentioned above there are many different ways of motivating salesforce, it is therefore
according to Hohenberg and Homburg (2016) important to take the cultural backgrounds
aspects into consideration when trying to motivate sales personnel in a more effective way.
Further, Khusainova et al. (2018) encourage researchers to keep on doing research regarding
motivation in order to help organizations face new and emerging challenges as well as how to
handle the challenges in a better way. Although there has been research regarding motivational
factors amongst salesforce e.g., Shipley and Kiely (1988), as well as the use of technical sales
tools (e.g., Rangarajan, 2021). We can see a gap in the research regarding further salesforce
motivation and how salesforce can use technological tools in relation to the Covid-19. We can
also see that at the start the pandemic has affected motivation and working remotely, as
mentioned above, 29% of the respondents in the Gitlab (2020) study viewed motivation as the
biggest challenge working remotely, and it is therefore interesting to research motivation during
and after Covid-19.
The perspective of motivation regarding salesforce is interesting, especially when it comes to
the security sector. To feel safe and secure is something every society should experience, and
it is therefore important for the salesforce within the security sector to feel motivated to
contribute to a safer world. We do not know what the future beyond Covid-19 holds, all we
know is that it will bring new challenges and that we are sooner or later going back to “normal”.
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1.4 RESEARCH QUESTION
How can B2B companies within the security-sector increase salesforce motivation in the future
based on the changed way of working due to Covid-19?
1.4.1 Aspects to help answer the research question
To answer the research question and help to fulfil the research purpose, we have looked further
into four different aspects that can have an impact on motivation. These aspects were chosen in
relation to the researched area and the relevance the aspects have in relation to motivation. The
four aspects are:
1. Motivation in general aspects on salesforce motivation
2. Culture aspects on salesforce motivation
3. Leadership aspects on salesforce motivation
4. Changed way of working due to Covid-19 aspects on salesforce motivation
1.5 RESEARCH PURPOSE
The purpose of this study is to create an understanding of what can motivate the salesforce at
Gunnebo Middle East post-pandemic. Based on this research we can make suggestions of what
to do/work with today to handle a post-pandemic phase. We thereby want to research what
types of motivation can be important to work with post-pandemic and how the role of e.g.,
leadership and culture affect motivation. The purpose of this research is to create new
knowledge that will help organizations develop as well as prepare for a post-pandemic way of
approaching motivation regarding salesforce. It is important to know the past to adjust/approach
the future.
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2 THE ORGANIZATION RESEARCHED
We will in this chapter introduce Gunnebo Group, we will further introduce our research
partner Gunnebo Middle East.
Gunnebo Group is a worldwide leader in security products, services, and solutions, with their
headquarters based in Gothenburg, Sweden (Gunnebo Group, 2021). Gunnebo was a public
company and listed at Nasdaq Stockholm until December 2020 when Altor Equity Partners AB
which is a private equity company and Stena Adactum AB acquired all of Gunnebo’s shares
(Gunnebo Group, 2020b; Gunnebo Group, 2020c). Further, Gunnebo has over 4200 employees
around the world and sales companies in more than 20 countries, the Group also has a channel
partner network, giving it access to 100 additional markets (Gunnebo Group, 2020d).
Gunnebo Group's biggest business unit is Safe Storage and financially for the first nine months
of 2020 they accounted for 39% of the net sales (Gunnebo Group, 2020a). Within Safe Storage
they offer products to protect cash, valued items and data from burglary, fire and explosion.
With products such as safes, vaults, security cabinets, automated safe deposit lockers, and high-
security locking systems. Market segments are banks, public sector, homes, retail, commercial
offices, and others (Gunnebo Group, 2020d). Entrance Control are supplying products to
control and regulate access at key entry points. With products such as speedgates, tripod
turnstiles, airport products and full height turnstiles. Market segments are for example public
and commercial buildings, stadia, high-risk sites, metro and airports (Gunnebo Group, 2020d).
Cash Management is providing products to complete the payment cycle, through, cost effective
and secure solutions. With products such as, closed cash management, recycling, cash deposit
and cash management software. Market segments are such as retail, bank and other businesses
managing cash. Further, Gunnebo Group (2020d) predicts the largest expected growth rates will
come from e.g., the Middle East regarding pedestrian entrance control, where they have a 12%
of the global market share.
Table 1. Summary Gunnebo Group Business Units. (Gunnebo Group, 2020a; Gunnebo Group,
2020d)
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2.1 GUNNEBO MIDDLE EAST
We can see that there is growth potential in Gunnebo Middle East in relation to the expanding
market. It is therefore interesting to look further into Gunnebo Middle East and the region's
perspective on motivation and how different aspects such as culture and leadership impact
salesforce motivation in the region.
Gunnebo Middle East has their regional office in Dubai, UAE and consists of representative
offices in three other places which are Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, Istanbul in Turkey and Muscat
in Oman. The organization has 37 employees and 18 different nationalities. In general, the
Middle East market is oil driven, because many of the world's biggest oil producers are located
in their working area (Gunnebo PP, 2021). Besides that, the region has other factors whom have
affected, the region was for a while politically and economically instability, wars and terrorism.
According to Gunnebo this generates and motivates the need for security systems and
equipment. Gunnebo has prestigious references for supplying products to buildings in this
region like Burj Khalifa, Emirates Airlines and Emiri Terminal (Gunnebo PP, 2021).
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3 THEORETICAL FRAME OF REFERENCE
This chapter will present the different aspects mentioned in chapter one in relation to
motivation and motivation amongst salesforce. The aspects and impact perspective on
motivation that is presented are: general aspect of motivation and salesforce, culture, and
leadership. Lastly, a presentation of how Covid-19 changed the way of working for salesforce.
3.1 MOTIVATION IN GENERAL AND SALESFORCE MOTIVATION
Motivation among employees is extremely important for an organisation, thus it can and will
provide the organizations with positive outcomes as well as create a good work environment
(Junela, n.d.). We have shortly mentioned motivation in chapter one, the roles motivation has
in a work environment and what effect it can have on productivity. But what is motivation?
According to the Britannica dictionary presented by Cofer and Petri (2020), motivation is
defined as:
“Motivation, forces acting either on or within a person to initiate behaviour.”
Individuals are being motivated in different ways and many motivational theories have
previously been created and explored. There are different ways of receiving and/or becoming
motivated, it is thereby worth mentioning a few well cited motivational theories and authors:
Maslow's Hierarchy of needs, Vroom's Expectancy theory and Churchill, Ford and Walker´s
model of salesforce motivation. Although there are many theories regarding motivation, we
have in this chapter chosen to describe the motivational theories of Vroom and Churchill, Ford
and Walker. Vroom’s (1964) and Churchill et al. (2000) theories are mentioning aspects of
motivation that we see as relevant in relation to our research. The relevance is, in our case, the
understanding of general theories regarding motivation in general as well as motivation in
relation to salesforce. Further Vroom´s expectancy theory is often used and referred to in
relation to salesforce motivation, his theory covers certain aspects that have been previously
shown to be relevant for motivating sales personnel. As we will discuss later, Churchill et al.
(2000) is developing new thoughts and aspects based on expectancy theory.
In addition to the different types of traditional motivational theories, there are more specific
motivation researchers regarding sales, Shipley and Kiely (1988) are examples of researchers
which we will describe later in this section. It is important for this research to understand
motivational factors and aspects regarding sales in general and what motivates sales personnel.
To understand what motivates salesforces, we need to gather knowledge outside the traditional
motivational theories and focus on motivational research targeted towards salesforces. We will
down below present an example of a traditional motivation theory, Vroom´s expectancy theory.
Victor Harold Vroom (1964) developed a theory called expectancy theory, he defines his theory
as a theory based on three concepts in how to motivate an employee: expectancy,
instrumentality, and valence. The meaning of expectancy defines when an employee believes
effort will lead to the intended performance, e.g., when a person believes that increased effort
will lead to higher performance at work. Vroom explains further that belief can be based on an
individual experience, self-confidence and the perceived difficulty of the performance standard
or goal.
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The second concept, instrumentality, is based on an employee's belief that they will receive a
desired outcome if their performance expectations are met. It reflects the employee's
expectation of what the desired outcome is if they archive their task or tasks. An example of
outcome could be higher payment/salary, promotion, and sense of accomplishment (Vroom,
1964).
The third and final concept, valence, is based on how the employee ranks and/or prioritises the
outcome. Needs, sources of motivation and individual preferences for a particular outcome are
examples of factors associated with employee’s valence. The different outcomes are also based
on individual values, thus one employee may be motivated by bonuses or pay raise and for
another employee it is not a desirable outcome (Vroom, 1964).
To summarize Vroom's (1964) expectancy theory, e.g., if an employee believes that by putting
more effort into their job they will achieve increased sales (expectancy), which will result in
higher sales which then will lead to greater commission (instrumentality) and higher
commission is very important (valence). This would, according to Vroom (1964), lead to greater
and higher motivation for the employee. It is important to note, as mentioned above, that
motivation factors are different for each individual and a higher commission may not be a
motivational factor for other employees. To give another example of how to motivate
employees, one could instead be granted flexible working hours or recognition for a desired
outcome after putting in extra office hours (Vroom, 1964).
3.2 MOTIVATION REGARDING SALESFORCE
Churchill et al. (2000) developed a model of salesforce motivation that integrated the ideas of
Herzberg's Two factor theory and Vroom's Expectancy theory. If the salespeople have higher
motivation, it will generate more effort, which will lead to higher performance (Churchill et al.
2000). They further argue that salespeople enhanced performance will later lead to greater
rewards and will bring higher job satisfaction for the salespeople. Based on the model presented
down below, Churchill et al. (2000) mainly advises sales managers that they should convince
salespeople to make more sales, thus by working harder and learning sales techniques they can
help their salespeople to be more productive which leads to a higher success rate. Further,
managers should convince salespeople that the rewards for better performance are worth the
extra effort. Although, it is important to understand what each individual value regarding how
to reward them (Churchill et al. 2000).
As shown in figure 1 below, motivation is a circular phenomenon. When people are satisfied,
they need to be motivated again and that will affect the process of how people get motivated
(Churchill et al. 2000). Churchill et al. (2000) further states, with higher motivation comes
greater effort which leads to higher performance and if the performance is high the reward can
become greater which would result in high satisfaction. It is important to note that motivation
can have the opposite effect, e.g., with lower motivation comes less effort which leads to lower
performance and if the performance is low the reward can become less great which would result
in low satisfaction.
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Figure 1. Salesforce motivation (Jobber and Lancaster, 2015. p. 396)
In relation to what salespeople value regarding rewards, Shipley and Kiely (1988) investigated
which motivational factors are of most importance to motivate salespeople in the industrial
goods market. The respondents were asked to make a list of factors that were not a motivator,
a moderately strong motivator, or an extremely strong motivator. According to the study, the
extremely strong motivators were ranked as follows: self-satisfaction from doing a good job,
satisfying customer needs, meeting family responsibilities, increased chance of promotion,
making more money and others.
Moderately strong motivators were ranked as: achieve sales target, acknowledgement of effort,
satisfy customer needs, keep job and others. In contrast, salespersons ratings over demotivating
factors were acknowledgement of effort, company policy, field support, earnings, promotion
opportunities and others.
Based on Churchill et al. (2000) and Shipley and Kiely (1988), salespeople can be motivated in
many different ways and at the same time be demotivated, based on factors regarding work and
work environment. Some factors were specified as both motivators and dissatisfiers, such as
factors relating to money, acknowledgement, promotion, and job security. Shipley and Kiely
(1988) argue that application of general motivational theory to motivate salespeople is not
recommended. Instead, they suggest having their findings in mind such as their ranking over
motivational factors. Further, they argue that sales managers should implement a periodic
review of what factors cause motivation and dissatisfaction among the sales personnel. That
would create possibilities to understand and be able to motivate their salesforce in a more
effective way.
3.3 NATIONAL- AND ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE ASPECT ON MOTIVATION
Culture is a widely defined phenomenon, and there are a variety of definitions. Since there is
no correct way of defining culture, it is important to understand different aspects of the
phenomenon and relation to motivation. To give a few examples of how culture is defined:
“Configuration of learned behaviors and results of behavior whose component elements
are shared and transmitted by the members of a particular society.” Linton (1945, p.32).
“Culture is the collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one
group or category of people from others." Hofstede (2011, p.3).
The quotations mentioned above give, according to us, a good insight on how to define a
complex subject in relation to the organization researched. Since the company acts within a
multicultural environment, we see Linton’s (1945, p.32) definition as the most accurate in
relation to our study. To give further understanding to our research we have chosen to describe
and give context to our area of research based on the geographical area that the organization
researched is active in.
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Hohenberg and Homburg (2016) collected data from sales representatives in 38 countries on
four continents. In their study they included and took a few of researcher Gert Hofstede’s (2011)
basic cultural dimensions into consideration, such as power distance, individualism, uncertainty
avoidance, when investigating how to motivate sales representatives for innovation selling in
different cultures with various financial and nonfinancial steering instruments.
The relevance Hohenberg and Homburg (2016) brings to our research is the context of how
national culture and national background can influence motivation amongst sales personnel.
We consider that context is similar to the organization researched, since they are a multinational
company, are working in the B2B market and want to reach and sell new products in a wide
market (Gunnebo, 2020a).
Furthermore, in all cultures behaviour-oriented and outcome-oriented steering instruments can
specifically encourage innovation-selling motivation. To give examples of behaviour-oriented
steering instruments, it can be education and supervisor support for innovation selling. On the
other hand, outcome-oriented steering instruments can be supervisor appreciation and variable
compensation for innovation sales results. Hohenberg and Homburg (2016) argued that
companies should use various steering instruments to motivate their sales personnel. Because
salesforce steering effectiveness strongly depends on sales representatives' national culture.
To motivate sales representatives from countries with high power distance, Hofstede (2011)
describes the degree of power distance is depending on the degree to which unequal power
relations are accepted by the members with less influence in different organizations and
institutions. In cultures with high power distance, which means that the subordinates are
strongly dependent on the superiors. According to Hofstede Insight (2021) countries in the
Middle East region such as UAE, Saudi Arabia and Turkey are countries with high power
distance. Further, Hohenberg and Homburg (2016) recommend that focusing on steering
measures that involve close interaction with the direct supervisor, such as supervisor
appreciation for innovation-sales results is effective for sales representatives from those
countries.
Another dimension which is suitable for our context is uncertainty-avoidance, which Hofstede
(2011) describes as a culture tolerance for ambiguity, it indicates to what extent members feel
either uncomfortable or comfortable in unstructured situations. According to Hofstede Insight
(2021) UAE, Saudi Arabia and Turkey are uncertainty-avoidance cultures. To clarify, in those
countries people have an emotional need for rules and security is an important element in
individual motivation (Hofstede, 2011). Further, Hohenberg and Homburg (2016) recommend
further regarding this dimension, focusing on supervisor appreciation for innovation-sales
results for sales representatives from those countries.
According to Hofstede Insight (2021) UAE, Saudi Arabia and Turkey can be considered as a
collectivist society in the dimension regarding individualism. Which describes in which degree
people in the society are integrated into groups. In an individualist culture the meaning is that
their own goals are the most important, while collectivism sees the group's goals as the most
important (Hofstede, 2011). Hohenberg and Homburg (2016) argues that financial incentives
are better suited in individualistic cultures than in a collectivistic culture.
Finally, based on Hofstede Insight (2021) ranking regarding UAE, Saudi Arabia and Turkey in
different dimensions, supervisor appreciation for sales representatives is according to
Hohenberg and Homburg (2016) more appropriate than financial incentives as motivation for
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innovation selling at salespeople from these countries. However, in our context with many
nationalities, Hohenberg and Homburg (2016) advise managers against uniform salesforce
steering across countries. As a result of that, sales representatives' national culture affects the
effectiveness of different steering instruments. Lastly it is worth mentioning that Oman is not
included in Hofstede Insight (2021), hence not mentioning it and describing its context.
3.3.1 Organizational culture
Defining the corporate culture is difficult, because within the culture, everyone imagines
something different (Košičiarová et al., 2021). Corporate culture can be defined in general as:
“The corporate culture is a set of fundamental and decisive ideas, values and
standards of conduct that have proven to be effective in the past and are accepted
and perceived by employees as universally valid.” Košičiarová et al. (2021, p. 5).
Besides national cultures impact on motivation, corporate culture or organizational culture can
have an impact on employee’s motivation (Muizu and Sari 2019). The research has shown that
organizational culture can have a positive and no effects on employee’s motivation. Our
presented research below is not made in a sales context, but we considered research about
organizational culture is suitable in other sectors as well.
An example where organizational culture has no significant impact on employee’s motivation
is explained by So et al. (2018). In their study, they researched how organizational culture
impacts motivation in the broadcasting industry as well as communication. They describe in
their result that organizational culture has no significant influence on motivation. On the other
hand, their results show that organizational communication had a significant influence on
employees' motivation. Furthermore, So et al. (2018) confirmed the relationship between higher
motivation and increased performance, which was one of the same findings as Churchill et al.
(1985).
Muizu and Sari (2019) published a research paper regarding organizational culture, leadership,
and motivation within the banking industry. According to their study, organizational culture
directly affects the work motivation of the employees. They further found that there is an
indirect influence of organizational culture on employees' motivation through leadership.
To summarize, organizational culture can have a positive and no impact on employee’s
motivation according to the research. Other factors such as communication and leadership can
have an impact on motivation as well.
3.4 LEADERSHIP ASPECT ON MOTIVATION
Just as culture, leadership is a widely defined phenomenon and there is no one correct way of
defining leadership. Leadership is often defined in different ways by the researcher discussing
the area (Rosari, 2019). Rosari (2019) gives a few examples of how leadership can be defined
according to: Bass, Kotter and Rost.
“Leadership is basically doing what the leader wants done. Leadership is an interaction
between two or more members of a group. Leaders are agents of change, persons whose
acts affect other people more than other people’s acts affect them.” (Bass, 1990, p. 19).
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“The process of moving a group or groups in some direction through (mostly) non -
coercive means.” (Kotter, 1988, p. 16).
“An influential relationship among leaders and followers who intend real changes that
reflect their mutual purposes” (Rost, 1993, p. 124).
The quotations mentioned above give, according to us, a good insight on how to define a
complex subject in relation to the organization researched. To give further understanding to our
research we have chosen to describe different perspectives on the role of a leader and how a
leader should act in a work- and salesforce environment.
It is up to the leader to motivate their team/employees and by making the team more aware of
the set goals made by the organization (Rosari, 2019). Rosari (2019) continues to argue for the
influence the leader has on their followers and that leaders are responsible for building a
relationship between the leader and the followers. This indicates the importance of the leader
and employee relationship. Furthermore, according to Košičiarová et al. (2021) the leader
and/or manager needs to know how to motivate his/her employees in order to achieve
productivity and reach set goals. They continue to describe the importance of the role a leader
has to achieve. It is the role of a leader to recognize the needs of employees and by recognizing
needs they understand what motivates an individual or group (Košičiarová et al., 2021).
Regarding the roles of managers and leaders, both Rosari (2019) and Košičiarová et al. (2021)
argue for the importance of relationship with the employees. They further argue that a leader
cannot lead efficiently without the support of the followers, hence there is no one specific
leadership style that is seen as the superior one.
3.4.1 Employee and employer relationship
Openness and transparency are, according to Chadi et al. (2015), the key to building a strong
relationship with employees and work environment. Emotion is something that will always
have an impact on behaviour, both negative and positive when discussing relationships and
motivation. To ensure that the emotions are transparent and understood it is important that the
employee finds him or her in a normalized work environment where nothing feels unfamiliar.
Further it is, in relation to a normalized work environment, that the relationship between
employee and employer/leader is secured in the sense that it is permanent (Chadi et al., 2015).
Previous work and relations can affect the current motivation amongst employees both
negatively and positively (Chadi et al., 2015). Chadi et al. (2015) study showed that previous
work outcomes have no meaning on motivation if there is a purpose in the future that brings
meaning and importance to the employee. Although one thing that will affect future motivation
amongst the employees is the employee and employer relationship, there is a need to have trust
and transparency to later ensure that the future work will have a purpose that will get the
employees intrigued.
3.4.2 Leadership communication.
In Longenecker and Mallin (2019) research they investigated which are “the key leadership
skills of great sales leaders”. The research was conducted by a sample of over 300 sales leaders
from four global organizations with headquarters in the USA. Longenecker and Mallin (2019)
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found that outstanding communication skills and emotional intelligence were some of the most
important skills to have as a leader. Regarding a leader's communication skills, it means that
the leader must be able to communicate in a good way with their superiors, peers, and
customers. In addition to that a leader has to listen to employees who directly report to the
leader as well as information sharing to people in the organization. Further, emotional
intelligence is the ability to understand and manage the emotions of others which can involve
such as social skills and empathy.
3.5 CHANGED WAY OF WORKING DUE TO COVID-19
Based on the research area it is important to include changes that have been made due to Covid-
19. Rangarajan et al. (2021) investigated the changing B2B sales landscape due to Covid-19
and they argue that the pandemic has been a catalyst for digitization and digital transformation
initiates. Traditional indicators such as revenues, margins and orders in the pipeline have been
used to measure salespersons and because of changes made in the working landscape, customers
have cancelled or postponed their orders. In some cases, customers wanted more flexibility with
order sizes or terms of payments or delivery. Based on the changing landscape together with
the digital transformation companies have considered moving from the traditional indicators to
more activity-based performance measures. Activity based measures can be such as: how many
new prospects have been contacted, information update in the sales tools or develop new skills
that could be useful after the pandemic (Rangarajan et al. 2021).
Rangarajan et al. (2021) further found that the digital transformation would involve building
new capabilities and upskilling salespeople and sales managers. Sales managers were viewed
as being key to success with the digital transformation and sales managers coaching was a key
area for improvement. As a positive consequence, upskilling and new skills could improve sales
organization selling outcomes after the pandemic. As a result of digital transformation,
Rangarajan et al. (2021) argue that post pandemic many steps in the sales process will change
in some way and will not go back exactly as it was before the pandemic. Above all it will
include more use of digital technologies such as specific sales tools to work more efficiently.
On the other hand, they emphasize that sales success depends heavily on the salesperson-
customer interaction. Therefore, a failure to recognize the importance of salesperson-customer
interaction will likely result in decreased productivity, since it can increase salesperson stress
and employee turnover. Further, it is critical that sales managers realise this, even though
technology can enable the sale process.
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3.6 SUMMARY THEORETICAL FRAME OF REFERENCE
To summarize what has been presented in the theoretical framework, motivation is a
phenomenon that does not have a right or wrong way to be preceded. Different factors such as
cultural background and leadership roles have an effect on how an individual can become
motivated (Hohenberg and Homburg, 2016; Chadi et al., 2015). As presented in this chapter
there are general aspects of motivation and specific salesforce motivation, although the general
aspect can be connected to different scenarios and under different circumstances (Vroom, 1964;
Churchill et al., 2000). Further, regarding the changed way of working because of Covid-19
theories state that it might affect the work environment and how to work as well as interact in
the future (Rangarajan et al., 2021).
We have in this chapter presented theories we considered as appropriate in relation to the
context of this study. The figure/model down below illustrates how each aspect of motivation
is connected.
Figure 2. Theoretical summary. The different aspects of motivation, e.g., general motivation,
culture and leadership on the left side have, according to theories, an impact on salesforce
motivation, while the change way of working does not, in theory, show a direct connection or
impact on salesforce motivation.
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4 METHODOLOGY
This chapter will conclude the scientific methods, theoretical and practical approach in relation
to the research question and purpose. The reasons and choices of method and approach are
discussed as well as explained in relation to the research. We will introduce and argue for how
the research has been constructed, as well as our choices of approach and the data collection
process.
4.1 PRE-KNOWLEDGE AND CHOICE OF SUBJECT
Before officially starting the bachelor thesis course, one of us authors have had previous contact
with the company and the regional manager in Gunnebo Middle East. It was planned that the
author would work in Dubai during the summer the Covid-19 pandemic struck our societies
and therefore changed the outcome of the situation. However, the author stayed in contact with
the regional manager up till the point of starting the bachelor thesis course. We then asked the
regional manager if they would be of the organizations interested to work and have a
collaboration with us. The regional manager accepted our question of collaboration and our
interest in contributing new knowledge regarding salesforce motivation.
Sales management and motivation is something we have always had an interest in. Throughout
our years as students, we have studied undergraduate courses in Business Administration,
examples of courses we have studied are Sales Management, Organizational change, and
Leadership. Courses such as these have given us a good pre-knowledge about the research area.
On the other hand, neither one of us have any professional or working experience within sales
management. We found the topic interesting because sales personnel are important for a
company's revenue, we see the organizational salesforce as the bridge between the company
and its customers. It is therefore important that they are motivated to build a strong relationship
with their customers and are motivated to contribute to the company. Motivation is also
something that everyone can relate to, in one way or another. There is no right way to motivate
a person and regarding sales forces they can have different motivational factors (Vroom 1964;
Shipley and Kiely 1988; Churchill et al. 2000; Hohenberg and Homburg 2016). That is why we
found it interesting to conduct research regarding salesforce motivation from different aspects
such as culture and leadership, impact on motivation in a post-pandemic environment.
4.2 RESEARCH PHILOSOPHY
Before beginning our research, it was important to define our research design and the choices
we had to make in terms of methodology. A research paradigm is:
“A framework that guides how research should be conducted, based on people's
philosophies and their assumptions about the world and the nature of
knowledge.” (Collis and Hussey, 2014, p. 43)
Down below our choices of scientific approach is described in regard to the ontological
perspective and the epistemological perspective. Furthermore, the axiology perspective is
discussed.
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4.2.1 Ontological perspective
The researcher's view of reality is often referred to as an ontological perspective and aims to
describe people's view of the world and the nature of reality. The ontological assumption is
related to how reality is perceived (Saunders et al., 2019, p. 133). Therefore, is it relevant to
include our perception of reality because the ontological assumption impacted the way we as a
researcher conducted our study.
According to Collis and Hussey (2014, p. 47) there are two main views of reality, the first is
positivism which is related to an objective view and second one is interpretivism, which is
related with a subjective view. If you have a positivism approach to the nature of reality, you
believe social reality is objective and external to the researcher. Furthermore, in the context
with a positivist approach to our research we and every respondent would have the same picture
of reality. On the other hand, interpretivism is a better assumption for our study because it is
interconnected with a subjective and a socially constructed reality (Collis and Hussey, 2014, p.
47). Further, it means that we and every respondent would have their own sense of reality and
thereby multiple realities exist.
To clarify the ontological perspective and our research purpose, we considered everyone has
their own view of reality. Which is appropriate in relation to our study, we consider reality is
socially constructed because everyone is not motivated in the same way.
4.2.2 Epistemological perspective
An important issue when doing research is the epistemological perspective. It decides what is
acceptable regarding knowledge (Saunders et al., 2019, p. 133). It is inevitable for this research
to not be subjective, and the interview respondents have their own perception of knowledge.
This concludes that a subjective approach to this study would be unsupportive and neglectable,
achieving a universal truth of a knowledge cannot be done in this specific study based on the
research purpose. Therefore, the perception of what knowledge comes from the individuals that
participated in this study. According to positivists, knowledge is something that can be
measured and is observable. The relation between the researcher and what is being researched
has a clear line of subjectivity (Collis and Hussey, 2014, p. 47). In relation to this study, it is
not suited or realistic to assume this perspective, since it is not possible to measure motivation
from a subjective point of view. As mentioned above, motivation is something that varies
among individuals and one cannot assume that there is an objective or right way to motivate an
individual or a salesforce. Furthermore, a subjective approach regarding what is acceptable
knowledge is interrelated with interpretivism. This concludes that the subjective evidence of
knowledge can come from participants in the phenomenon (Collis and Hussey, 2014, p. 47).
Our study was based on the subjective knowledge from each respondent. Therefore, it was the
most suited perspective for our research purpose and in line with our ontological assumptions.
4.2.3 Axiology perspective
Axiology perspective is related to the roles of values and ethics (Saunders et al., 2019, p. 134).
Seen from a positivism point of view the researcher is without bias, free from values,
independent from the research area and the researched object (respondents) is not affected by
the researcher (Collis and Hussey, 2014, p. 48). In our case we had values about the research
area and had an important role in what is fact and what is information regarding our data. Our
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values helped us to decide what is information and what is facts. The values and answers from
the respondents could be affected based on the circumstances. We are doing research from a
subjective point of view, since we are working with a company and the base of our research is
in relation to the company and their employees.
4.3 RESEARCH APPROACH AND CHOICE OF METHOD
There are two primary approaches regarding the view of the relationship between research and
theory, deductive and inductive. A deductive approach is based on collecting data from the
researched area and then subjecting tests to prove the researched theory. An inductive approach
on the other hand, is based on collecting data, understanding the problem, and later formulating
a theory or a conceptual framework (Saunders et al., 2019, p. 153-154). Regarding the two main
approaches, we considered a deductive approach to be the most suited for this study, based on
the researched area. Since there are a lot of existing theories about motivation as well as
salesforce motivation. We started this study by researching different motivational theories, both
traditional and about salesforce motivation. After we collected the relevant theories and
previous research, we found relevant to our research purpose, we then started to collect
empirical data from our researched population. After we gathered the empirical data, when we
analysed our gathered existing theories with the collected empirical data about salesforce
motivation. After analysing the theoretical framework to the collected empirical data, we could
then make a conclusion about the relation between existing theories and our empirical data.
According to Collis and Hussey (2014, p. 4) there are four classification purposes regarding the
process of research, these are: exploratory, predictive, descriptive, and analytical. When doing
research, it is according to us, important to not have a set perspective regarding the process of
research. In relation to this research, we have changed the purpose throughout the research and
came to the conclusion that we did an exploratory and predictive study. In regard to Collis and
Hussey (2014, p. 4), an exploratory purpose is when a researcher/s tries to explore a new
problem or problems in a new context. As presented in chapter one we have in this research
explored the problematization of post-covid approach regarding the motivation for salesforce
in B2B companies within the security sector. According to Khusainova et al. (2018), motivation
is something that needs to be explored continuously and it is an area which has been explored
previously. In relation to our research, we put the motivational aspect into a new context
regarding the changed way of working due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the salesforce within
the security sector. With this approach taken into consideration, the predictive purpose was
suitable based on what we knew. Predictive purpose is:
“A forecast of which variable(s) should be changed in order to bring about a
change in the productivity levels …” (Collis and Hussey, 2014, p. 4)
Throughout our research we found that a descriptive approach could not fulfil a purpose in our
study. In order for the descriptive approach to fulfil a purpose, we would formulate an explicit
conclusion regarding the research, e.g., 30% of one group thinks in one way and 70% thinks in
another. This would not be possible in relation to our research purpose. Further, we found that
an analytical purpose was not applicable for this research either. Collis and Hussey (2014, p. 5)
defines analytical purpose as analysing, e.g., two perspectives in relation to one another and
making conclusions based on the findings. An example of an analytical purpose is, how does
one variable affect the result and is there a correlation between the findings and what is being
researched. These aspects do not help us to fulfil the research purpose thus the purpose of this
research is not to find correlations or compare variables in relation to each other.
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4.3.1 Choice of method
When doing research and collecting data, it is important to decide whether collecting
quantitative data or qualitative data is best suited for the research. Quantitative data are data in
numerical form and associated with a positivist study (Collis and Hussey 2014, p. 44).
Qualitative data are typical in an interpretive research and can be derived from spoken words
or verbal data (Collis and Hussey 2014, p. 44; Saunders et al. 2019, p. 638). We have in this
study collected qualitative data in forms of spoken words, through interviews with appropriate
respondents to fill our research purpose. Further, Collis and Hussey (2014) describe qualitative
data as:
“Normally transient, understood only within context and that usually results in
findings with a high degree of validity.” (Collis and Hussey, 2014, p. 130)
Based on our type of research area and Collis and Hussey (2014) definition of qualitative data,
we considered that qualitative data was the most appropriate way of collecting primary data for
our study. Since, we did an interpretive research with all respondents within a context at the
organization researched and we got their individual opinions regarding our questions. Further,
if our research were based on quantitative data we would not have been able to gather as precise
data as if we did through the qualitative data we collected in relation to our research. Moreover,
this would, according to Collis and Hussey (2014), lead to a decrease in validity and we would
argue that the result as well as analysis would not be as precise nor the recommendations.
4.4 REACHING AND SELECTING RESPONDENTS
Before meeting with the regional manager at the researched organization, we had an idea on
how we would approach our population and the sample. We based our approach through
Saunders et al. (2019, p. 316) figure 7.4 “Choosing a non-probability sampling technique”.
Further, they describe the figure as a form guide to help researchers choose a sample from the
population through answering questions and following a line of conclusions. The sample we
used and way of gathering data is called self-selection samples. Self-selection samples are
described by Saunders et al. (2019, p. 323) as a type of volunteer sampling techniques, where
people identify their desire to take part in the research. In our context, we as researchers
identified potential respondents considered appropriate to take part in our research through
having a Teams meeting with the regional manager at the organization researched. We as
researchers came to the conclusion that it would not be appropriate to have all employees as a
sample size and agreed that seven employees would be appropriate based on the research
timeframe. Furthermore, the seven respondents participating in this research was suggested to
us through the researched organization. We asked for six to eight potential respondents, and we
got offered seven, which we accepted and asked all of them if they would want to participate in
our study.
It was important for us that the sample included salesforce personnel and the easiest way of
reaching the respondents was through the regional manager. Since the organization research
has offices in four cities, Dubai, Riyadh, Muscat, and Istanbul, we found it interesting for our
research to have respondents from all offices. With the help from the regional manager, we
gathered the email of the seven respondents. We then sent out a request via email where we
stated and asked if they still were interested to participate in our research (see appendix 2).
After receiving knowledge that they wanted to participate we sent out a Teams meeting
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invitation of the time which they suggested in regard to the suggested timetable (see appendix
2).
4.5 ETHICAL ASPECT
When constructing qualitative research in relation to the data collection method, it was
important for us to consider the ethical aspects of data collection and the research as a whole.
We further think it is important to consider the ethical aspect to avoid any conflicts,
misunderstandings, and wrongful use of gathered information. As Bell and Bryman (2007, p.
71) states, there are eleven ethical standpoints that need to be considered when collecting
research data. Although, in line with what previous researchers have mentioned regarding
ethical principles, such as Collis and Hussey (2014), Saunders et al. (2019) we found that the
most relevant ethical aspects in regard to this research are: informed consent, anonymity and
confidentiality (Bell and Bryman, 2007. p, 71). We have in this research made sure that these
ethical principles have been fulfilled to the best of our abilities and that the respondents felt
transparency and acceptance of publication of our research.
To make sure and avoid ethical issues regarding participation in our research, we provided
sufficient information about the research purpose and how their participation would be helpful.
We informed them that the participation was voluntary, and they could withdraw from the study
at any time. Further, we informed the respondents about the approximate length of the
interview, how the data would be collected and handled. We also provided our contact
information if they had any questions before or after the interview, in order to make sure the
respondents felt informed. All our actions were made to gain sufficient and informed consent
based on recommendations from Saunders et al. (2019, p. 263-266). To put informed consent
in relation to our research and collaborating with the researched organization, we made it clear
when first meeting the respondents that the information that they are giving us will only be used
for the purpose of the research and nothing else.
It is important and a principle when doing research to make sure that the respondents have the
opportunity, as well as choice, to be anonymous. In relation to anonymity, confidentiality is an
aspect that should be presented to the respondent before the interview to protect the person
being interviewed (Collis and Hussey 2014, p. 32). Collis and Hussey (2014) further argue that
this can lead to higher quality in questions answered as well as encourage freedom to speak
freely and openly. Since our research question and area is regarding a certain role within a
company, it is important according to Collis and Hussey (2014, p. 33) that anonymity and
confidentiality can be approved and at the same time be clear when publishing the research.
They argue that this can be done through coding the role with a number or letter, e.g., a, b, c
and 1, 2, 3. We have in this study chosen to present the respondents in number, to keep them
anonymous.
4.6 INTERVIEWS
Before conducting interviews, it is important to gather background information such as location,
social, political and economic influences in order to understand the respondent’s context to the
research (Collis and Hussey, 2014, p. 130). In our case, it was important to gather background
information to understand the difference in cultural background of the respondents in relation
to our assumption of cultural differences. To further understand the organization researched in
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relation to our research area, we have read annual and interim reports as well as other
information about the organization to better understand the context the respondents are working
in. Further, it gave us a better understanding about the company's operations and their business
units, which made it easier to understand the context in which the respondents are acting within.
4.6.1 Semi-structured
When it comes to different types of interviews Saunders et al. (2019, p. 437) states that
structured interviews are often referred to quantitative research and often used to collect
quantifiable data. If we would have used structured interviews for this research, we would have
read out each question from our interview guide exactly as it was written and in the same tone
of voice, to not indicate any bias. We would not have any chances to ask about anything outside
our interview guide or ask if the respondent would add something or elaborate their answers.
To conduct interviews in such a way would not be, according to us, reasonable for this study.
The opportunity letting the respondents elaborate their answers and have a discussion was of
great importance for our research.
On the other hand, according to Collis and Hussey (2014, p. 133-135) semi-structured
interviews or unstructured interviews are suitable in a subjective approach. In an unstructured
interview none of the questions are prepared in advance but evolve during the interview. It is
also time consuming and can be problematic to analyse the collected data because interviews
can vary from one respondent to another, and topics can change as well as new one be revealed.
We thereby considered an unstructured interview as a non-valid option, because of the limited
time we have. Furthermore, an unstructured interview could be more challenging, and it would
be difficult to find answers.
Based on our research area, we sought it more suitable to conduct semi-structured interviews.
Semi-structured is often referred to as qualitative research interviews (Saunders et al. 2019, p.
437). Based on our mentioned interpretivist/subjective approach, semi-structured interviews
gave us the opportunity to be more flexible and contingent on what each respondent said. In
context to our study, we formulated a pre-planned interview guide, although it was important
for this research to be flexible regarding questions. By not conducting structured interviews we
could include and find data of unique importance, through e.g., follow up questions that came
to mind during the interviews. This is further in line with a semi-structured interview approach.
When creating the interview guide (see appendix 1) we had to consider what type of question
we could ask the respondents to answer our research question and thereby hopefully fulfil our
research purpose. We sought it therefore appropriate to first ask the respondents about their
view on motivation in general. To understand what can motivate the salesforce in the future we
wanted to know different aspects of motivation and how these aspects impacted motivation.
The first aspect we formulated in the interview guide was about culture, then leadership and
finally the aspect of what would motivate them in the future. We chose to have two parts in our
interview guide, part one included questions about motivation in general as well as how the
different aspects impacted motivation before Covid-19. Further, part two included questions
about the aspects impact on motivation during Covid-19 and future motivation.
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4.6.2 Conducting interview
When we first met with the respondent, we started with small talk in order to make them feel
relaxed as well as intrigued to start the interview. Before formally starting the interview, we
asked for permission to record the interview. Cassell (2015, p. 42) argues for the importance of
researcher/s to ask for permission to record the interview. Even though we have asked them in
an email beforehand, the respondent might have changed his or her mind coming up to the
interview, it is important to add that we made it clear to the respondents that they were going
to be anonymous and anything they said will not be connected to them personally.
Regarding the practical part of the interviews, we chose to have one researcher to ask the
questions and be interactive with the respondent while, if we got permission from our
respondents, one researcher took notes and recorded the interview in an audio file. The notes
that were taken during the interviews, were e.g., follow-up questions who came up during the
interviews or other important things we considered could be useful. Another important aspect
of the interview process is the time scheduled (Cassell, 2015, p. 43). We had an idea of how
long the interviews would take, we assumed our respondents had limited time and we wanted
to respect the limited time they had. It showed during the interview that our planned time of
roughly 30 minutes was correct, although some of the respondents talked more than others
which made them move away from the question asked. When we noticed that the respondents
started to move away from the main area of focus, we asked in a polite way if they could answer
the question or move their focus towards the question. As we interviewed more people, we
realized that we moved away from asking questions directly from our interview guide and the
interview became more of a conversation where the respondents answered several questions
within the same sentence or phrase. This made it easier to talk and have a fluent conversation
with the respondents and that made them talk more openly as well as freely.
During all the interviews, we as researchers had our camera on so the respondents could see us
as researchers. Although we had the camera on, four of the respondents did not have a camera
which, according to us, did not affect the interview or the way they answered our questions. It
is worth mentioning that having the camera on was not something we mentioned to the
respondents and the ones that had their camera on was on their own initiative. We as researchers
experienced that interviewing respondents with the camera on gave us a better understanding
of their answers since we could see their facial expression, if they looked confused or happy
about what was discussed. According to us this led to a more fluent and better conversation
overall. After we ended the recordings of the interviews, we had a short discussion with the
respondents and asked what they thought about the interview. Some of the respondents gave
interesting information in regard to the researched area as well as the work conditions within
their region. This led us to asking more questions outside the interview guide, although the
conversations were interesting, they did not contribute to answering our research question.
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Table 2. Overview over conducted interviews
4.7 MANAGING OF EMPIRICAL DATA AND DATA ANALYSIS
All of our interviews were held in Microsoft Teams, and we used Microsoft software for
recording, which included both video and audio. The recording gave us visual data if the
respondents had their camera on and gave us the possibilities to go back and analyse body
language or the respondents' expressions more closely if we wanted or needed it. After the
interviews we transcribed them through Microsoft Office 365 transcription service, which is
included in the student account at Umeå University. The file was over 200mb, which meant that
we had to process the file in two or three parts. When all parts were transcribed, we put all data
in the same document and analysed our transcripts. When presenting the data, we referred to
the transcript as one part for each respondent. Bryman (2012, p. 484) states that transcription is
very time consuming, which we did not experience since using Office 365 saved us a lot of time
and we could focus more on analysing the transcripts. We decided to transcribe our recordings
because it is easier to analyse the empirical data when it is transcribed, than if we only had the
audio file (Bryman 2012, p. 482). Although the software was not perfect, we had to make
manual adjustments where the software did not transcribe the audio correctly. When we
analysed the transcripts, we noticed missing words and misinterpretations from the software.
An example of this is when the software translated “Gunnebo” into “Gazebo” and “Google”.
We informed the respondents that the transcribed and video files will be sent to them if asked
for. The files were deleted before the publication of the thesis and there was no request from
the respondents to view or look into the files before publication. Further regarding the
quotations mentioned in chapter 5, it was discussed before each interview that any citations
from the respondents would be anonymous and thereafter, we got their approval.
4.8 DATA ANALYSIS
This research is presented and analysed in relation to a thematic approach, which is widely used
in analysing qualitative data according to Braun & Clarke (2006, p. 77). It is further used to
recognize and look for patterns in the respondents' answers, to later be put into the context of
the research (Braun & Clarke, 2006, p. 79). When analysing the transcripts, we colour coded
the respondents answers according to the following: motivation in general, culture aspect on
motivation, leadership aspect on motivation, the changed way of working due to Covid-19
aspect on motivation and future aspect on motivation.
When using colour codes, it became easier for us to analyse the data in relation to our research
question and purpose. When analysing the transcripts, after we colour coded the general themes,
23
we found certain patterns that came up frequently. The patterns will be presented in the
empirical data chapter and later discussed in the analysis chapter. We will analyse the empirical
data in relation to previous research as presented in the theoretical framework. Regarding the
ethical aspect of managing the transcripts, we have only used them for academic purposes and
the data was deleted when that purpose was fulfilled.
4.9 LITERATURE RESEARCH
In the search for scientific articles and statistics for our thesis, we have used several online
sources and research databases such as Google Scholar and Statista. We have also retrieved
articles and books from Umeå University Library. When evaluating our scientific article, we
have used peer-reviewed articles to increase the credibility of this study. We have further used
books from university courses regarding our research area, as well as scientific journals. Before
citing our sources in the thesis, we checked the author of our sources, to make sure the quality
of the source is not outdated in relation to the thesis. In case of any doubt, we cross-referenced
the information with other sources to make an educated guess of the source's relevance. Besides
using sources such as peer review articles and books, we have used internal material, official
annual reports, and interim reports from the researched organization to complement the peer-
reviewed articles.
When referencing our description of the research method, we have used literature regarding
constructing scientific research and gathered information on how we should design our research
as well as data collection. All sources used in this thesis have been chosen with care to provide
theoretical relevance and support for the research area.
When searching for articles in the Umeå University Library database and in Google Scholar,
we used keywords such as motivation, culture, leadership individually. In order to later combine
the different keywords to find extensive articles that combined different aspects that were of
interest in relation to our thesis. A few examples of combined words are; motivation and sales,
motivation and culture, leadership and motivation, communication and motivation, sales and
Covid-19.
4.9.1 Critical evaluation
The majority of the literature used to develop the theoretical framework is researched in
Western societies. Since our research context is the Middle East and most of our presented
theories are not based in that region, we consider it is important to highlight the cultural
differences. Thereby, we consider it can influence the theories results compared to if the
research would be made in the Middle East. Although, since our research was based in a
multicultural environment, we found it applicable to use the mentioned theories, even though
most of them are based on Western societies.
The chosen literature includes research from a wide timeframe, from 1964 to 2021. When it
comes to our research area and to give a theoretical background, we came to the conclusion that
earlier presented motivational theories are still relevant to use, because motivation is very
individual (Vroom, 1964; Churchill et al., 2000) and it is to our knowledge that time does not
affect individual motivation.
Furthermore, when it comes to theories about culture, leadership, and new ways of working we
consider it to be more appropriate to find theories that are closer in time to this research. Since
24
our societies are changing and Covid-19 is an example of that, we used research published close
in time to our research. Based on what has been discussed, we considered our theories as
relevant, up to date and useful in relation to our research.
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5 DESCRIPTION AND PRESENTATION OF EMPIRICAL
FINDINGS
This chapter presents the empirical findings from the conducted interviews. This chapter will
include; description of the findings in relation to our/the research, description of respondents
and the results of the empirical findings regarding motivation in general, culture-, leadership-
and future aspects of motivation.
All the respondents are working at the organization researched and have responsibilities within
sales and with a title of Sales Director. We have previously mentioned that we will present our
seven respondents as salesforce, due to the anonymous criteria we have kept their exact position
in the company anonymous. All respondents are working in the Middle East region and the
respondents are based in Dubai, Riyadh, Muscat, and Istanbul. Further, all of the respondents
come from different countries and amongst them three different regions, e.g., Middle East. All
have more than ten years’ experience within sales and working in these business units: Entrance
Control, Safe Storage and Cash Management. Further, the salesforce has been working together
in the organization for an extended period of time, most of the respondents more than ten years.
All of them work in different forms of sales teams, which includes both internal and external
parties.
5.1 EMPIRICAL FINDINGS REGARDING MOTIVATION IN GENERAL ASPECT
ON SALESFORCE MOTIVATION
When the interviewees were asked about their definition and interpretation of motivation, every
respondent gave their own opinion and they defined it in different ways. Based on the empirical
data, everyone agreed that motivation is very important, as respondent one stated:
- “Motivation is everything.”
Further, all the respondents had similar answers when asked about motivation and they
elaborated that motivation is personal and everyone is different, although it was stated several
times during the interviews that it is important to understand the different values amongst the
salesforce. Respondent two added that motivation is a difficult topic, and everybody talks about
motivation, but it is complicated and hard to implement. When we asked the respondents about
how often they would want to have meetings about development plans and motivation in
general. All the respondents mentioned that the company has an impact plan where they have
4-5 meetings per year to talk about internal development. Except for the impact plan, some
respondents mentioned they have fixed meetings every week, some never (except the impact
plan) and some have unplanned meetings and talk about general things about development.
When we continued the conversation about motivation respondent five explained the
importance of motivation in relation to salesforce, the following statement was made:
- “It plays really an important role in enhancing the performance and the activity for any
company, especially for the salesforce because they are the front office for any
organization.”
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It was further discussed that some people need to be motivated to achieve good performance.
Although, this is one example of how a person within salesforce can be motivated, as
respondent four stated:
- “I mean that the obvious one is, people are always motivated by financial rewards and.
I'm not 100% motivated by that.”
When it comes to reward for effort and good performance, our respondents highlighted above
all, financial appreciation, recognition for success and accomplishment. They wished this for
themself and for their team to create a good environment and through that become motivated.
The one thing all the respondents found motivating is to make sales and achieve sales targets.
Further, it was mentioned by all of the respondents that the pandemic has not affected their
motivation in a major way. It was stated by all the respondents that it is extremely important as
well as, motivating to meet customers face-to-face since it gives them motivation to interact
and makes good sales with the customer. In relation to the changes the pandemic has created
respondent two commented:
- “It was a bit tough, because we are used to travel to meet face-to-face with customers
and then all of the sudden you cannot.”
The respondents highlighted that interaction with customers is important in sales and because
of Covid-19 they had to change their way of working because of closed borders and lockdowns
in their working area. The one common motivational factor for all respondents was to go back
to the office and meet colleges face-to-face again.
Change in an organization can be motivating and demotivating, according to the respondents,
although it is based on the distribution of information about the change or changes. If there is
good communication about changes, it will be to some respondents be motivating and if not,
they become demotivated. Although, for some of the respondents this does not affect their
motivation at any level. It was once again stated by all the respondents that motivation is
different for each employee.
5.2 EMPIRICAL FINDINGS REGARDING CULTURAL ASPECT ON SALESFORCE
MOTIVATION
When we asked “Since Gunnebo Middle East is a region that has a multicultural background,
has that been a positive aspect for motivation?”, all the respondents answered that it has had a
positive impact on their motivation. All the respondents explained why it has a positive impact.
For instance, three of the respondents elaborated that learning and handling people from
different cultures have a positive impact on their motivation. Further, it was discussed by all
the respondents the importance of knowing and understanding different cultures as well as
dealing with culture differences. When we later discussed the cultural differences, an example
was given about the difference in Syria and Egypt. Both countries speak Arabic but in different
ways, which can lead to miscommunication, the respondent one stated:
- “Without knowing this, you are saying it so it can create some awkward situation.”
Although, with help from the multicultural influence it helps one understand what can be
offensive in e.g., Syria but not in Egypt. Furthermore, in relation to the importance of knowing
other cultures, respondent three highlighted that it is possible to lose clients if you do not
27
understand their culture or values. Besides understanding the importance of national culture
when interacting with clients and new clients. It was discussed by two of the respondents that
is also important to understand the cultural differences in how to motivate your team, As
respondent two stated:
- “You know, know how to motivate your team taking into account the cultural
differences.”
Regarding organizational culture it was mentioned by five of the respondents that the
employees are like a family and work closely together. Further, four of the respondents
described the environment as open and it is easy to, when in the office, walk to a colleague and
solve a problem there and then. As respondent one stated:
- “You can solve a lot of things quickly and you can remember things more in office than
when you are at home.”
It was further argued that it is important for employees' motivation to know the possibility of
going to meet someone face-to-face, to solve a problem and that people´s doors are open. It was
elaborated that the organization culture in the Middle East is based on achieving goals and not
failing to achieve them, respondent two mentioned that it can be demotivating to not get
recognition for achieving goals and punished for failure. On the other hand, respondent three
and seven mentioned that it is motivating to have consequences for failure and failure are not
acceptable. In relation to this, it was mentioned amongst two of the respondents that the
reputation of the company is important, and it is motivating to keep building and holding a good
reputation. Further, regarding the culture and aspects of failure in the Middle East, it was stated
that it is motivating to make good sales.
When interviewing the respondents, communication was one aspect that always came up and it
came up frequently. When talking and having discussions about communication, every
respondent described that there is open communication within the company and that it is easy
to communicate if needed. It was further explained that good communication is important,
especially when it comes to motivation. Communication is important, and four of the
respondents mentioned the importance of small talk and how that has and can have a positive
impact.
5.3 EMPIRICAL FINDINGS REGARDING LEADERSHIP ASPECT ON
SALESFORCE MOTIVATION
It is according to all of the respondents the leader's role to keep their team motivated and make
sure that everyone is on board with the set goals. Besides being responsible for motivation, a
leader needs to be, according to respondent one, a mentor and channel for the team, e.g., what
is happening at the company and needs to know information. Respondent one defined the role
as,
- “I mean first of all you have to be, I believe passionate towards your work and towards
your team. Secondly, you have to be like a mentor to your team.”
The role of a leader was further defined by a respondent four and respondent six as:
- “I try to be fair and honest with people, you try to set a good example by the things that
you do yourself.”
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- “Uh, this is all putting a lot of pressure on people definitely, and they would like to
discuss or, you know, express their concerns so you know as a leader one should listen
to his employees. And, uh, you know, give them whatever comfort he can give. Yeah,
and support them with their issues.”
It was further discussed, if you do not motivate your team frequently as a leader the motivation
amongst the employees will go down, as well as their performance. To achieve and do this,
respondent one mentioned it is up to the leader to think outside the box to be able to handle
important- and extraordinary situations. It was agreed amongst all of the respondents the
importance of having a good relationship with customers and colleagues. The relationship with
employees is especially important and according to respondent one:
- “I mean your employee if he has any issues you need to be able to help even in personal
issues you need to also to be able to give advice on this level.”
Having a relationship and helping employees outside the workplace are important and were
mentioned by three of the respondents, especially during hard times such as the pandemic. Even
though it was mentioned by four of the respondents that the pandemic is temporary, and they
knew that at some point it will go back to normal. Further, it was discussed with all the
respondents how important the relationship with the employees is and how a leader can create
and maintain a good relationship. As an example, respondent four mentioned it is important to
be fair and reasonable. When asked about the leadership aspect of motivation and in relation to
the pandemic, respondent four answered:
- “Give still give clear instructions. I mean we were not seeing people face to face, but
you still need to be clear in what you're doing. They need to communicate with the guys
and girls. Honestly, I'll tell them what's happening. Tell them why things are
happening.”
Communication and leadership were discussed amongst all the respondents, and all agreed that
it is important to have good conversations and communication with employees and customers.
5.4 EMPIRICAL FINDINGS REGARDING THE CHANGED WAY OF WORKING
ASPECT ON SALESFORCE MOTIVATION
It was pointed out by all the respondents that is motivating to be able to have more face-to-face
interaction, although in combination of being able to communicate more efficiently through
digital tools, it is according to respondent two:
- “The positive thing is that the people now are being used more to use technology and
being more flexible.”
With different communication internally and externally with customers and colleagues, it is
more important to have face-to-face meetings with customers than colleges, especially when
seeking out and contacting new customers. It was discussed that the company's customers are
in general making big purchases and according to all the respondents it is important to have
good relationships with them. During the conversation it was mentioned by two of the
respondents that it is exciting with new challenges, but it can be demotivating if there is a
challenge they cannot affect.
29
When we continued to talk about future motivation, four of the respondents mentioned that it
is important to gain new knowledge and perspective, to keep the company moving forward and
that itself is motivating. It was further explained by three of the respondents that it would be
good to develop personal skills and traits in different areas of the salesforce, as well as sending
out people to gain knowledge about new products. Respondent three stated:
- “And of course, when the management they assign us for some special training to gain
your knowledge and talent.”
It was also discussed with respondent one, how it would be motivating to gain new talent
through recruitment and headhunting potential future personnel from universities. Respondent
one elaborated the reason for bringing in new recruits:
- “Because young people come with the you know with the most innovative ideas.”
Further, it was mentioned by two of the respondents that it would be motivating in the future to
be in front of the market through new and creative innovative ideas. In relation to being
motivated by being in front of the market, three of the respondents mentioned that they become
more motivated when they see a project or sales go from start to finish and the project itself is
motivating, as respondent four stated:
- “I've always been motivated by the job in itself. I like to get involved in some of the
projects. I like to develop the relationships with customers.”
When we asked the respondents, what they want to do or experience to become more motivated
in the future or to motivate their team, respondent one answered:
- “I would, I mean love to motivate my team more and more. And of course, that means
financially motivated them because they will produce more and it's no brainer that the
more you are motivated the more you will be giving your company.”
It was discussed here that employees get motivated in different ways and according to all the
respondents it is important to understand their values for how to approach motivation in the
future. All the respondents mentioned the reasons for being motivated, e.g., financial,
recognition and/or accomplishment. Further, it was stated the reasons for being motivated has
not changed from before the pandemic to during the pandemic and it will most likely not change
after the pandemic.
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5.5 EMPIRICAL FINDINGS SUMMARY
To summarize the respondents' answers stated above regarding the four aspects of motivation,
all of the respondents saw motivation as something individual and the ways they become
motivated has not changed from before and during the pandemic. They all see culture as an
important aspect when it comes to motivation, and it can play a role in their performance. It
was further discussed by all the respondents that communication is important on all levels
throughout the organization and that it is a key aspect for future development. Lastly, face-to-
face interaction is something important for all the respondents and it is something they value as
well as the use of technology.
Figure 3. Empirical summary. The figure on the left side shows, according to the respondents,
that different aspects have an impact on their motivation. The right side of the figure shows that
the aspect of salesforce motivation has not in general changed from before Covid-19, although
as shown in the green square the respondents expressed an addition regarding the effects a
changed way of working during Covid-19 has affected the degree of their motivation.
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6 ANALYSIS
This chapter concludes analysis of the empirical findings presented above in relation to the
theoretical framework presented in chapter four. This chapter will include analysis of:
motivation in general, culture-, leadership- and future aspects of motivation. The analysis is
based on our summary of what all the respondents have answered.
In the table down below, we present the structure in which we will present our findings in
relation to previous theories and the similarities we find between them. We will in this chapter
analyse the relation between our empirical data and previous theories regarding the four
different aspects presented. We will start the chapter with analysis of motivation in general
aspect on salesforce motivation, then cultural aspect on motivation, followed by leadership
aspect on motivation and lastly the changed way of working due to Covid-19 aspect on
motivation.
Table 3. Analysis structure. The green boxes presented above can, according to us, have an
influence on motivation compared to what has been mentioned in previous presented theories,
which will be discussed further below. The white boxes show different aspects mentioned by
previous research, which we will discuss in relation to our empirical findings further below.
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6.1 ANALYSIS REGARDING MOTIVATION IN GENERAL ASPECT ON
SALESFORCE MOTIVATION
According to Vroom (1964), Shipley and Kiely (1988) and Churchill et al., (2000), it is
important to understand how different individuals become motivated in order to implement
motivation in an efficient and correct way. All the researchers presented motivational factors,
which were similar to what we presented in our empirical data. Even though Vroom, (1964),
Shipley and Kiely (1988), Churchill et al., (2000) research regarding motivation are relatively
old, we can still see similarities with our empirical data. The respondents mentioned that they
become motivated by factors such as financial, recognition, accomplishing and achieving sales
targets. All the respondents mentioned that financial appreciation is always important.
However, we also found that at some point, money does not fulfil any satisfaction for the
salesforce motivation. Respondent two stated:
- “There's a point where the money doesn't matter anymore.”
To create an understanding of motivation and how it can change based on personal lives as well
as through time. Shipley and Kiely (1988) recommend managers to implement a periodic
review with employees to understand what motivates the individual. They argue for the
importance of knowing that there are different ways of motivating people. Churchill et al.,
(2000) argues when it comes to salesforce motivation that managers need to understand what
kind of rewards that motivates the employee to get more motivated and makes it worth putting
in extra effort and greater performance.
Regarding the respondents’ answers when asked about meetings, some of the respondents have
weekly meetings where they talk about general things to understand the person they are working
with better if something happened professionally or privately, while some have unscheduled
meetings and some only have official meetings through the impact plan. Further, we found that
the respondents who work within salesforce understand their colleagues better, based on the
time they have been working in a team.
Vroom, (1964) and Churchill et al., (2000) are mainly focusing on rewards as a motivating
factor for good performance. Based on our empirical findings, face-to-face interaction is
motivating in another way, since it can create motivation for the employees. Further, it was
mentioned by all the respondents that face-to-face interaction is important, since it can create a
better relationship with customers as well as colleagues, which is an aspect we cannot find any
relation to in the theories (Vroom, 1964; Churchill et al., 2000). On the other hand, from our
standpoint, we can see a connection between the respondents' desire for face-to-face interaction
and organizational culture. If they have the desire to meet people at e.g., the office, we can
assume that the organizational environment is desirable, and the culture of the organization
researched is strong. Further, in relation to Muizu and Sari (2019) organizational culture can
directly affect the motivation of the employees.
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6.2 ANALYSIS REGARDING CULTURAL ASPECT ON MOTIVATION
According to Vroom, (1964) and Churchill et al., (2000) regarding how to motivate the
employee, performance is a key factor to be able to get the individual desired outcome or
reward. It was discussed by all the respondents the importance of understanding the differences
in national culture. To get a better understanding what that mean, respondent three gave an
example of the importance:
- “In some countries, if you shake your hand in a different way than the way they like it,
or they used to do it, it could be offensive and then we lose the client.”
As a result of that behaviour, it will affect the employee possibilities for sales and lead to worse
results or performance. Further, based on the empirical data and the presented theories Vroom,
(1964), Churchill et al., (2000) we do not see a direct connection between misunderstanding of
national culture and salesforce motivation. However, Vroom, (1964) and Churchill et al., (2000)
discussed the relationship between performance and motivation. Based on that, in relation to
the respondent's three statements regarding the importance of understanding cultural
differences, it can have an impact on an individual's performance and later motivation. If we
put this in relation to Churchill et al., (2000), poor performance will lead to worse opportunities
to be rewarded, which can have an impact on the individual’s satisfaction and at a later stage
affect their motivation.
To create a better understanding of the cultural aspect of motivation it is important to understand
the many different nationalities and cultures existing within the researched organization. Based
on our empirical data, during the interviews we realized the extent of the multicultural
environment and its relationship regarding motivation. Therefore, based on the empirical
findings and Hohenberg and Homburg (2016), national culture is an important aspect when it
comes to motivation. In relation to motivating the salesforce a few of the respondents mentioned
that it is important to take local differences in account in how to motivate employees. Further,
Hohenberg and Homburg (2016) argues that national cultures affect the effectiveness of
different motivation factors and managers must take that into consideration in how to motivate
their employees, which is the same as our empirical data findings. Further, our findings also
show that it is motivating to work in a multicultural environment and learn from other cultures
through colleagues and customers.
Based on the interviews we have had with the respondents, we would define the organizational
culture at the company as strong, clear, but also strict. According to one of the respondents,
failure is not acceptable and when someone succeeds it is taken for granted. On the other hand,
it was further defined as another way it is motivating to work towards high demands. All the
respondents discussed the organization culture in a similar way, which leads us to our
perception of the organizational culture.
According to Muizu and Sari (2019) strong culture can have a positive impact on motivation
and on the other hand So et al. (2018) argues that an organizational culture has no effect on
motivation. The theories shows that organizational culture can have different effects on
motivation, from our standpoint outside the organization it is difficult for us to make a correct
assumption regarding the organizational culture based on our interviews.
All of the respondents mentioned the communication within the organization and the
importance of it. Further, it was described as open and easy to communicate within the
34
organization. In relation to So et al., (2018) where they state that organizational communication
had a significant influence on employees’ motivation. Our empirical data shows that there is
good communication locally within the researched organization and that itself can have a
positive impact on employees' motivation. Although, we found that communication can be
demotivating if there is a lack of communication from top management outside our researched
region.
6.3 ANALYSIS REGARDING LEADERSHIP ASPECT ON MOTIVATION
According to Longenecker and Mallin (2019) communication is the one of the most important
aspects of being a good leader and that a leader needs to share information to the employees.
This aspect is coherent with the empirical data and has proven to be one of the most important
aspects of leadership within the organization. As an example of that is respondent two
statement, when we asked about important characteristics for a leader:
- “I think the number one is communication. There's never enough communication so it's
important you know, communicate everything, good news, bad news and also share
what's going on within the team.”
If there is good communication between the employees and it is, to our perception based on the
interviews, motivating for the salesforce that there is good communication. It was mentioned
by all the respondents that there is good communication throughout the organization, between
the employees and for the most part information within the researched organization.
Furthermore, the relationship between leader and employees was discussed. It was important,
according to our empirical data, to help the employees at work, but also outside of work. In an
employee and employer relationship the leader needs to be fair, reasonable and create better
relations, it was discussed the importance of how face-to-face interaction can help to create a
better relationship. It is important to build a strong relationship with the employees as a leader
in order to work efficiently and it is also important to make sure that there is a feeling of a
permanent relationship as well as security (Chadi et al., 2015). Chadi et al. (2015) further argued
that the work environment needs to be normalized and feel that nothing is unfamiliar. If we put
the context of Chadi et al. (2015) in relation to the empirical data, we saw that a sense of security
and strong relationship exists within the company through the time they have been working
together. The relationship has grown throughout the years of working together as a team.
Although the pandemic has changed the way of working and the work environment, it was
mentioned that the pandemic is temporary, and they knew that at some point it was going to be
normal again.
To create a better understanding of the leadership aspect of motivation within the organization
researched, it is important to understand the role of a leader and the responsibilities they have.
When talking to the respondents regarding the role and/or characteristics of a leader, respondent
one stated:
- “In years of work, that means you have a really good exposure to the business. That
means you can give good advice to your team and you need to motivate your team.”
Further, it was mentioned that it is important for a leader to listen, give clear instructions, set
up clear goals and motivate the employees. It was also discussed that a leader is someone that
has the responsibility of a group and has to make sure they are achieving the sales goals that
35
have been set up or planned. It was further elaborated that it is really important for a leader to
make sure the set goals are reached, and they are executed in a good way, because of the value
of the products being sold. Some of the respondents continued to argue that it is important to
be clear, honest and have good communication with employees outside one's own field, it was
mentioned that it is important because of the need to know why things are happening. We stated
in the theoretical framework that Rosari (2019) mentions that motivating the employees is up
to the leader of the group. Further, according to Kotter (1988, p. 16) definitions of the role of a
leader, a leader should move a group to achieve goals in a non-coercive way.
Rost (1993, p. 124) on the other hand, defines it as a person whom is influential for the followers
so they can move towards a common goal. Košičiarová et al. (2021) further elaborates the
importance of the leadership role, which is to motivate in order to achieve the goals that have
been set up. We can see that there are similarities in the empirical data and the used theories,
although it is to our understanding that the respondent’s perception of the role of a leader is not
coherent with Kotter (1988) and Rost (1993) definition of a leadership. As mentioned by Kotter
(1988) wants to achieve goals in a non-coercive way, which we found out is not the case with
regards to the culture of the organization researched. Although the theories do not match the
empirical data directly, there is a clear relation between the theory of achieving goals and
making sure they are met, and the empirical data collected.
6.4 ANALYSIS REGARDING THE CHANGED WAY OF WORKING DUE TO
COVID-19 ASPECT ON MOTIVATION
When it comes to the future of motivation and based on our empirical data all the respondents
mentioned the use of technology as something they believe will be more useful in the future
and in a post Covid-19 environment. Further, based on our empirical data face-to-face
interaction is very important and can be a positive aspect regarding motivation for the salesforce
post-pandemic. However, the respondents believed that usage of technology can replace some
internal travelling, but meeting customers face-to-face is still extremely important to make
relationships and to make sales. Respondent two stated:
- “We did the Teams meeting, but it's not exactly the same.”
Further, to understand why face-to-face interactions are important, their customers are making
big purchases, there are long sales cycles and the respondents emphasized that it is important
to make trust and have a good relationship with the customers.
Rangarajan et al., (2021) argues that the future of sales will include more use of digital
technologies, such as specific sales tools to work more efficiently. In relation to Rangarajan et
al., (2021) and our respondents, both emphasize the importance of face-to-face or salesperson-
customer interaction and both consider that the future of sales will include more technology.
One interesting aspect from our standpoint, that differs between Rangarajan et al., (2021) and
our empirical data is that the respondents mentioned above all video meetings as useful and not
any specific sales tool. Furthermore, specific sales tools can make the sales process more
effective (Rangarajan et al., 2021). On the other hand, usage of technology for video meetings
is not always good according to Rangarajan et al., (2021), due to lack of face-to-face interaction
it can have a negative effect on salespeople's productivity and emphasized that companies must
understand the importance of it. Respondent six stated the challenges:
36
- “When it comes to new customers, acquiring new customers, then this is a challenge,
this is a handicap, definitely.”
Furthermore, in relation to what we discussed above and the relationship between performance
and motivation (Churchill et al., 2000). Rangarajan et al., (2021) mean that lack of customer
interaction can lead to decreased productivity or performance. Decreased performance will
likely have a negative impact on the salesforce motivation (Churchill et al., 2000). On the other
hand, more usage of technology and smarter way of working can help the salespeople to work
more efficiently and contribute to a better performance and later to a higher motivation
(Churchill et al., 2000).
Based on our empirical data, we found that the salesforce would like to develop personal skills
and traits in different areas of sales and about products to be able to perform better. Rangarajan
et al., (2021) argue that the digital transformation will involve new capabilities, through
educating and training the salesforce. Further, that could likely result in a positive way for a
sales organization's outcomes post-pandemic and in the future. Based on the respondents'
answers, they consider it motivating to gain more knowledge. Together with Rangarajan et al.,
(2021) meanings, it has many positive aspects with upskilling and smarter ways of working.
Training for the salesforce can have a positive effect on the motivation, the individual
performance as well as for the company’s sales and success (Churchill et al., 2000; Rangarajan
et al., 2021).
Further, we found that it can be motivating to work for a successful company and motivating
to develop the company in the future. An example of that is respondent one:
- “I want to go ahead. Other companies we used to be in front of others. Sometimes you
are followers which I don't like. I want to be in front with my products.”
If companies are successful and create that feeling for the salesforce it can be motivating.
Further, higher motivation will lead to higher effort and better performance (Churchill et al.,
2000). That would create motivation in another way than motivation directly with rewards for
better performance (Vroom, 1964; Churchill et al., 2000).
6.5 ANALYSIS SUMMARY
To summarize, through our research we have got a better understanding about motivation in
general, different aspects of culture in relation to motivation, leadership's impact on motivation
and what factors can be important to work with post-pandemic or in the future to get a motivated
salesforce within the security-sector. Based on our research, we can see that the motivation for
the salesforce have not changed majorly before and during the pandemic. To create a better
understanding of what we discussed above, we have in the figure down below put our empirical
findings and presented theories in relation to Churchill et al., (2000) salesforce model, which
was presented in the theoretical framework. We consider the model is suitable to discuss and
show how different aspects affect the salesforce motivation.
First, according to Kotter, (1998), Rosari (2019), Košičiarová et al. (2021) leaders have an
important role regarding motivating their group and the employees to achieve goals. Further, a
leader has an important role in understanding what motivates each individual to reach the
achieving sales targets (Vroom, 1964; Shipley and Kiely 1988; Churchill et al., 2000). Besides
leadership, according to Muizu and Sari (2019), So et al., (2018) strong organizational culture
37
and good organizational communication can influence salesforce motivation. Further, based on
our empirical data, face-to-face interaction with customers and colleagues and company success
can have a positive effect on salesforce motivation. As a result of higher motivation according
to Churchill et al., (2000) it will generate higher effort and lead to better performance. Our
empirical findings show further that salesforce within the organization researched would want
to work more with e.g., education and technology. In relation to their desires, Rangarajan et al.,
(2021) argue that the digital transformation will involve new capabilities, through educating
and training the salesforce. In addition to Rangarajan et al., (2021), Churchill et al., (2000)
argue for how managers can help their salesforce to be more efficient through training or a more
efficient way of working, which can lead to a better performance. In relation to salesforce effort
and performance both the respondents and Rangarajan et al., (2021) emphasize the importance
of salesperson-customer interaction. It was clearly stated by the respondents that lack of face-
to-face interaction can affect their way of communicating with existing and new customers as
well as their productivity. For the salesforce it can lead to poorer performance and likely could
have a negative impact on the motivation (Churchill et al., 2000). On the other hand, more usage
of technology can help the salespeople to work more efficiently and contribute to a better
performance and later to a higher motivation (Churchill et al., 2000).
Other findings we found from our study was the importance of understanding different national
cultures and what negative effects it can cause in the Middle East. We knew from theories that
national culture is important to understand and in relation to how to motivate the salesforce and
there can be differences (Hohenberg and Homburg, 2016). In addition to that, based on our
empirical data, misunderstanding of national culture can affect the salesforce performance and
the results for the company due to losing clients or potential clients. As a result, it will affect
the salesforce possibilities to achieve sales targets. Achieving sales targets are connected to the
salesforce performance. If the salesforce achieves the sales targets, their performance is good
and increases their possibilities to be rewarded, e.g., financially, recognition from the
manager/company and further feel satisfaction (Vroom, 1964; Churchill et al., 2000).
We have discussed different aspects from theories and empirical data that can have a positive
and negative affect on salesforce motivation. After putting our findings into context with
Churchill et al., (2000) salesforce model, we can see that different aspects can have a direct or
indirect effect on the salesforce motivation, effort, performance and to their possibilities to be
motivated and contribute to the organization sales. Furthermore, it is extremely important for
companies to understand that motivation is very individual and that individual’s value different
motivational factors as Vroom, (1964), Shipley and Kiely (1988), Churchill et al., (2000),
Hohenberg and Homburg, (2016) and our empirical data shown.
38
Figure 4. Analysis summary. The blue boxes above the Salesforce motivation figure (Jobber and
Lancaster, 2015. p. 396) shows the different aspects we have discussed above. The blue arrows
show our previous mentioned theories in relation to the Salesforce motivation figure. The red
arrows show our empirical findings relation to the Salesforce motivation figure, which has not
been mentioned in previous theories.
39
7 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
In this chapter we will answer the research question and present our conclusions. We will
present our conclusions from four aspects, motivation in general, culture, leadership and
changed way of working. After these conclusions we will answer our research question, based
on the four conclusions. Once the conclusions and the answer to our research question is
presented, we will give practical recommendations on how to further motivate salesforce in the
future. In the end of the chapter a description of the limitations of this study and suggestions
for further research.
7.1 CONCLUSION
We believe that this study can contribute to what an organization within the B2B security-sector
market can do/work with today to handle a post-pandemic phase. We have researched how
motivation can be of importance and how organizations can work post-pandemic. Further, we
have shown that e.g., leadership, culture and the Covid-19 pandemic can as well as have an
effect on motivation. The purpose of this research was to create new knowledge that will help
organizations develop as well as prepare for a post-pandemic way of approaching motivation
regarding salesforce. In order to answer our research question, we will below present our
conclusions regarding the four different aspects on salesforce motivation.
Motivation in general aspects on salesforce motivation
Previous research and our empirical data have shown, there is no difference when it comes to
the impact motivation in general has amongst salesforce. The motivational factors such as,
financial, accomplishment and/or recognition has an impact on the salesforce motivation. To
meet these motivational aspects, it is important to understand what each person becomes
motivated by and if that is not understood the salesforce can be demotivated. The impact is the
same as mentioned in previous research and it is still the fundamental aspect of salesforce
motivation.
Based on our study, we saw that face-to-face interaction impacts the salesforce motivation, in
the sense that it is motivating to meet colleagues and customers face-to-face. If it is not possible
to meet people face-to-face, it will impact the salesforce motivation in a negative way. Although
if there is a possibility of meeting face-to-face the salesforce will take the opportunity and that
will motivate the salesforce. To summarize the conclusion regarding this aspect, it is according
to us that meeting people face-to-face is crucial for the salesforce motivation and is something
which cannot change or be taken away. It is a fundamental way for the salesforce to become
motivated, even though it is not mentioned in any previous research. We therefore believe that
the pandemic has changed the perception of how salesforce value face-to-face interaction,
because of the forced changed way of working due to Covid-19. One could argue for the saying
of “You don't miss it, until it's gone”.
Culture aspects on salesforce motivation
Culture has an impact on motivation from two standpoints, which are national culture and
organizational culture. The way national culture impacts motivation is through the
understanding of a person's background, each is different and has different values within their
own national culture. Further, national culture can impact motivation in the sense of
40
misunderstanding different values amongst national cultures. If the understanding is poor the
possibility of achieving sales targets can be influenced in a negative way which could lead to
loss of business opportunity which would lead to a decrease in performance and thereby
motivation. Further, organizational culture can, according to previous research, have a positive
or no influence/impact on motivation. In our research we found that the organization researched
has a strong organizational culture which leads to a sense of security and affiliation for the
salesforce. Through this, it created “the knowledge that the pandemic is temporary, and they
will at some point go back to normal”. This leads us to the conclusion that the organizational
culture at the research organization has an indirect impact on motivation and it is important to
maintain and develop the strong culture to motivate salesforce further in the future.
Leadership aspects on salesforce motivation
Based on the strong organizational culture there is a sense of trust towards the leadership and
the relationship between employee and employer is strong as well as the communication.
According to previous research it is up to the leaders to understand and motivate the employees,
it is to our understanding that this exists within the research organization. Further, this
implements that leadership has an impact on motivation in the sense of understanding each
employee's values and creates reasonable sales targets for the salesforce. Since, the leadership
relationship and organizational culture is strong it creates a strong foundation to the possibility
to impact motivation further in the future. This would imply that when changes are implemented
the resistance of change will not appear in the same way as if there was no trust towards the
leadership nor if the organizational culture were weak. Since the salesforce at the research
organization has been working together for a long time, the understanding of the leadership
value and way of working is well known. This further indicates, according to us, there is great
relationship between employee and leadership, because of the common understanding of each
other’s values as well as demands.
Changed way of working due to Covid-19 aspects on salesforce motivation
The pandemic has changed the way of working within the researched organization, although it
has not changed the way the salesforce becomes motivation, but it has impacted the degree of
motivation. An example of the change in the degree of motivation is the possibility to have
face-to-face interaction, which has an impact on salesforce motivation in a negative way.
Although, since the salesforce know that the pandemic is temporary, they know that they would
at some point meet customers and colleagues again, which itself had a positive impact on
motivation. We believe that this would not benefit the salesforce in a positive way, long term.
The pandemic is one way of change, and it was a forced way of change. Since the world is
constantly developing and expanding, it will, according to us, not be suitable to go back to old
ways of working, but to embrace the changes and build a culture of constant adaptation and
strive to become more compatible as well as in line with new ways of working in the future.
According to previous research as well as our study, the changed way of working during the
pandemic has created the possibility to increase use of digital communication and sales tools.
We see the possibility to use the changed way of working to impact salesforce motivation in a
positive way and increase the degree of salesforce motivation.
How can B2B companies within the security sector increase salesforce motivation in the future
based on the changed way of working due to Covid-19?
41
Based on the answers given above face-to-face interaction is something every respondent has
missed during the pandemic, and was something everyone looked forward to having, both with
customers and colleagues. We do not see any major difference when it comes to how salesforce
becomes motivated. Although, we see a change in how the pandemic has made salesforce more
excited and motivated to meet customers and colleagues face-to-face again. This made us come
to the conclusion that face-to-face interaction is a basic need for the salesforce in the
organization researched, both when it comes to motivation and performance.
The combination of a strong organizational culture and leadership are important factors to
understand salesforce motivation, changes that happened due to Covid-19 and implement the
changed way of working in the future. According to previous research and our study, it is up to
the leaders to motivate the salesforce. Our conclusion based on our study is that the salesforce
can become more motivated by embracing the changed way of working due to Covid-19.
Through embracing the forced changes, we see that e.g., having more meetings internally and
being more flexible with working remotely could benefit the salesforce. The salesforce will
have more time to work with other assignments that they value, as well as other activities that
result in added value. This would then impact the organization in a positive way, through
decreased travel costs as well as time. Further, this would mean that the researched organization
will have more meetings online and work more remotely. It is important to acknowledge that
the face-to-face interaction within the organization will be less, but when there is face-to-face
interaction, it will be more valued.
If the companies encourage the salesforce to increase the use of digital communication tools
such as Teams more frequently internally within the organization. It can create more time and
flexibility for the salesforce to focus on aspects that make them motivated and time for activities
that can have a positive impact on performance and achieving targets, e.g., through increased
time spent on customer meetings. Further in relation to the world changing and developing, the
increased use of working and having meetings remotely, the organization will be prepared for
potential changes in the future that could require the extended use of technological tools as well
as the way of working remotely.
Furthermore, companies can also through implementing education programs motivate the
salesforce, which can include e.g., digital sales technologies and develop product knowledge.
Through the flexible way of working as well as the education programs, the salesforce will gain
more knowledge, skills, and thereby likely increase their performance. Through increased
performance, the chances of achieving sales targets or higher sales targets will increase.
Finally, the world is changing and expanding all the time, and organization within the security
sector needs to adapt and be in front of these changes. The same goes for when it comes to
motivating the salesforce in the future. Even though we see no unique difference in the way
salesforce became motivated the pandemic has brought new ways of working in a more efficient
way. It is, according to us, important to maintain the changes and use them in an effective and
productive way to both grow the company but also use the tools to motivate the salesforce even
further than before.
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Figure 5. Suggestions for increased motivation in the future. The figure on the left shows aspects
of motivation that affects the salesforce at the researched organization. The figure on the right
shows, based on the empirical data, what the researched organization can do to motivate the
salesforce further in the future based on the addition of the affects of Covid-19 changed way of
working.
7.2 PRACTICAL RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW TO IMPLEMENT FURTHER
MOTIVATION AMONGST SALESFORCE EMPLOYEES IN THE FUTURE.
Based on the conclusion above we hope to create an adaptable salesforce, ready to handle
situations and developments in their profession. It is therefore our suggestion that, to practically
implement the changes needed in order to motivate the salesforce further in the future, the
organization needs to:
1. The company needs to involve the salesforce in the process of maintaining and increasing
the changed way of working due to Covid-19. Companies need to communicate frequently with
the salesforce about the changes and present the positive outcome the changes will have as well
as what it would imply. The changes would imply that information will be distributed faster,
and the organization does not have to put in resources into physical meetings. Further, the
effects of the changes need to be presented in relation to the salesforce. The importance of the
changes needs to be explained and there needs to be constant communication between the
leadership and the salesforce in order to make sure the changes are increased at the right pace.
2. The organization needs to increase the amount of internal meetings and start to have more
meetings with customers remotely. It is important that the customer meetings are not affecting
the productivity or potential sales opportunities. Furthermore, we recommend the company to
encourage the salesforce to decide which meetings can be held remotely and which ones must
be face-to-face. This would then imply a more flexible work schedule for the salesforce and
more effort could be put into the meeting that has to be face-to-face. It further needs to be made
clear that they will still have face-to-face interaction with colleagues and customers, although
not as frequently as before the Covid-19 pandemic. The implementation of the changed way of
working will increase the salesforce knowledge and their technology experience. Through this
43
increase, they would in the future be more adaptable to the use of technologies, ways of
communication and how to work remotely in an efficient way.
3. When salesforce have created a more flexible way of working, the organization needs to
implement periodic review regarding the changes. During the periodic reviews, the organization
needs to follow up the process and together with the salesforce decide on developing the next
step in the process of changing the way of working. The organization needs to find a balance
between the amount of face-to-face interaction and working remotely. It is therefore, according
to us, important that the organization does not continue to work in the same way as they did
before the pandemic, nor during the pandemic. They need to learn and continue to use the tools
and way of working the pandemic has brought into the future in order to create efficiency as
well as productivity.
7.3 LIMITATIONS AND FURTHER RESEARCH
When conducting this research, we found out that being based in Sweden limited us when it
came to being able to perform interviews face-to-face. Based on the Covid-19 and the travel
restrictions as well as the time limitation of the research. We could not travel and meet our
respondents and have more interactive interviews. Further in relation to the time aspect of the
research, we were limited in the amount of time data we could collect and analyse.
Since all of our respondents where males, it would according to us be interesting to see further
research regarding salesforce motivation if all the respondents where all females. It would be
interesting to see if the results would change based on the gender of the respondents. We suggest
that the population should be within the B2B security-sector market, however the geographical
area of which the further research is conducted has less off importance in this case, i.e., the
respondents does not have to operate in the Middle East.
In this thesis we have only conducted research within one part of one company with only seven
respondents. It would therefore be interesting to see further research on a higher-level
conducting research regarding salesforce motivation amongst different industries as well as
regions to see if there is any difference in relation to the changed way of working due to Covid-
19. This would mean more time and resources could be put into the research and more in-depth
analysis and conclusion could be done. We therefore suggest further research regarding, a
quantitative study on how Fortune 500 companies can motivate local salesforces in the Middle
East, South America, and Asia? And if there are differences between the regions?
When doing research for this thesis, we found that motivation is something that needs to be
researched consecutively, this is not only relevant for salesforce, but also in general. Regarding
salesforce motivation, we would therefore recommend further research within the area to know
how to handle and/or to motivate the salesforce for a crisis or something outside the ordinary
happening in the company.
Another interesting aspect to conduct further research on is the customers perception on
salesforce performance before, during and after Covid-19 in the B2B market with shorter sales
cycles, which indicates shorter sales processes. This research would then be conducted in a
post-pandemic environment, although we do not know when this post-pandemic environment
is going to be, the research can still be planned and investigated further. Further based on our
study being based on the Middle East region and the importance of face-to-face interaction we
44
would suggest further research reading, how face-to-face interaction for salesforce post Covid-
19 can differ between different geographical regions such as Europe and the Middle East?
45
8 SOCIETAL ASPECTS AND TRUTH CRITERIA
In this chapter will we discuss different societal aspects and truth criteria in relation our
study.
8.1 SOCIETAL ASPECTS
From a societal aspect this study is, according to us, highly relevant, because a motivated
salesforce is important for a company's success. A successful or profitable company can create
jobs for society as well as generate resources for investments in research and development. As
a result of investment in R&D, companies can offer products and services to the wider market,
which the society and other companies can benefit from. It can lead to a more efficient way of
working for companies through solutions that companies are looking for and it can be easier to
make the buying decision if the salesforce is motivated and can demonstrate and explain for the
customers about the products.
We believe this study can be of interest for other companies and other stakeholders as well to
gain knowledge and eventually start working more with questions regarding motivation for
their salesforce. We consider it can be useful for employees as well to use our study as an eye-
opener for themselves. Based on our pre-knowledge, theories and interviews, motivation is
important, but that is not what each employee is thinking about.
According to the salesforce in this study, business travel to meet customers has been important
before Covid-19 and they consider it will be the same in the future. Because face-to-face
interactions are above all necessary for sales performance, it is also motivating. Even though,
Covid-19 has impacted the way of working with digital communication tools such as Teams,
the technology cannot replace that physical interaction with customers according to our
respondents. Therefore, according to the salesforce, it is important and necessary to start
travelling again after Covid-19 to make sales. As a result of business travel and depending on
how they are travelling it can have a negative effect on the environment, through e.g., carbon
emissions. On the other hand, business travel generates revenues for companies within the
travel industry and creates jobs for the society.
In addition to that, we consider employees within the salesforce as one of the organization's
main resources. Therefore, is it very important to understand what they become motivated of
and to offer them a sustainable working environment, both in short as well as long term and
take advantage of their knowledge. This would indicate that the organization values their
employees and makes sure that they maintain motivation through their working career, and
maybe in their personal lives. If an employee is motivated, we consider the possibilities that
their working conditions are good and satisfied with the job. If the employee does not get fair
treatment, the chances are bigger that they become demotivated and later the productivity can
be affected which can affect company's sales.
Lastly, based on what we have discussed, and besides that this study can be of interest for
companies and their management in different industries. We believe it can be of interest for
shareholders or potential shareholders to companies, as well as for other stakeholders e.g.,
lenders. In the sense of investments or loans to companies who are directly involved with
salesforce or indirect influence of the salesforce work.
46
8.2 TRUTH CRITERIA
The quality criteria of this thesis are based on Lincoln and Guba (1986) four criteria that can be
used in an interpretivist study, we will further discuss these down below.
Credibility shows the confidence in the truth of our results and the confidence that the results
are true and credible (Lincoln and Guba, 1986). We consider this study to be trustworthy, as
mentioned in the method chapter our academic articles in this study are peer-reviewed and other
sources we have used have been double checked against other sources before we used them.
Regarding our empirical data collection, all respondents who participate in our study are held
anonymous and could cancel whenever they wanted. Because of the anonymity and that our
interviews were conducted individually with each of the respondents, we believe the
respondents have given their subjective view on our questions with no pressure from the
organization or from colleagues. However, we have not controlled any answers or nothing with
the company and believe it is not necessary, because this study is based on each respondent’s
individual opinion and thoughts.
Transferability is about the possibilities to transfer the results of this thesis to other contexts or
other situations that can be considered similar (Lincoln and Guba, 1986). Since this study is
about motivation within sales, we believe that our results can be used in a similar context.
Motivation is very individual and if we compare our theories with our findings, we find a lot of
similarities, even though some theories are old. Based on this, we believe transferability is
above all possible for companies within the security sector and in the B2B market, with longer
sales cycles. However, as long as the companies understand that there are many factors that can
affect the salesforce motivation, we believe it can be used in other contexts as well and in other
regions.
Dependability refers to how well the research processes are made, when it comes to systematic
and well documented. As well as the stability in the results over time (Lincoln and Guba, 1986).
We consider our research process systemic as systematic and well documented and would be
easy for others to follow and conduct. Regarding the future of sales and how well our results
will be relevant in the future, we do not know how the future of sales of the security sector or
B2B market will change. Based on that we see those old theories are still relevant today and we
believe that motivation for everyone will not change drastically in the coming years, therefore
we consider our results will be relevant for the coming years.
Confirmability refers to if the research process has been described fully and how much the
researchers have affected the results (Lincoln and Guba, 1986). We have been thinking about
making everything we can during this research process to be as objectively as possible when
handling our empirical data to avoid influences from ourselves or from other external parties
that are not part of this research. Further, to affect our empirical data as little as possible, as an
example is that we have been using a software for transcription. Besides it was time effective,
it was also more objectively according to us than if we only would take notes or transcribe all
the interviews by ourselves. Even though the software can make some errors that we later
corrected, we consider it useful to minimize our influences on the results.
47
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APPENDIX
APPENDIX 1: INTERVIEW GUIDE Introduction questions:
• To start this interview off, could you tell us a bit about yourself, for example
o What you work with and what type of role you have at Gunnebo.
o How long have you been working in sales?
o How long have you been in a manager position?
• Which roles are included in your team?
• Now we have a few specific questions that we would like to talk to you about, let's get
started so we do not waste too much of your time?
Part one:
1. You are a leader, can you share with us a few important characteristics for a leader
regarding motivation before the pandemic, as well as a few less important
characteristics?
2. Since Gunnebo Middle East is a region that has a multicultural background, has that
been a positive aspect for motivation?
3. Can you share with us a few of your most positive motivational aspects while working
in a multicultural environment before the pandemic, as well as a few less positive
aspects?
4. When it comes to meetings, how often would you like to have meetings and discuss
development plans as well as motivation?
o Less than once a year
o Once every few month
o Once every month
Part two:
5. You are a leader, can you share with us a few important characteristics for a
leader regarding motivation during the pandemic, as well as a few less important
characteristics?
6. Can you share with us a few of your most positive motivational aspects while
working in a multicultural environment during the pandemic, as well as a few less positive
aspects?
7. Have the sales activities changed during the pandemic?
o If yes, how has it changed?
o Do you find it productive and would like to work more and develop it in the
future?
8. If you were to decide, can you share two or three things that you would like to
do or experience to become more motivated in the future?
• If we have any final questions, is it okay if we contact you and ask the question
through email or maybe a phone call?
• If you have any questions for us or want to add something, please do not hesitate to
contact us through email or via a phone call
51
APPENDIX 2: LETTER TO RESPONDENTS
Dear respondent!
As you might already know we have been talking to FIRST NAME SURNAME on future sales
force motivation. NAME has selected you as respondent and therefore we hope to talk to you
as soon as possible. Below you will find some suggested time slots to meet via Microsoft
Teams, please respond to this email which time is most suitable and we will send you a meeting
on Teams. We are available to conduct these interviews at anytime, we are very flexible and
can hopefully suit your schedule. Although due to the thesis deadline we would appreciate the
interviews could be conducted before May 9th.
Our names are Anton Lundbäck and Mathias Särkimukka and we are two students from Sweden
studying at the University of Umeå: School of Business, Economics and Statistics. We are
currently writing our Bachelor thesis in Business Administration regarding motivation amongst
salesforce for the future in collaboration with Gunnebo Group Middle East and Jacob Touma.
We hope that you as a respondent will get new experiences and insight when it comes to
motivation, as well as to provide a positive impact on your way of working in the future.
We would greatly appreciate it if you could take time and participate in our research. The
interviews will be around 30 minutes, although we would like a meeting of a total 40 minutes
if there's anything else you would like to discuss. Since we cannot travel down to meet you in
person due to covid the interviews will be conducted via Teams. The audio will be recorded in
order to be transcribed and analysed, a copy of the transcript will also be sent to you should you
want it. It is important to us that you feel safe regarding audio recording, and we will thereby
not record the interview if you do not allow it. Your statements will be handled with integrity,
confidentiality and nothing that you say personally will be published. The recording of the audio
will be deleted before the submitted thesis.
If you have any questions regarding the research or us as researchers, do not hesitate to contact
us via email or phone. You can find our contact information below.
52
Best regards,
Anton Lundbäck & Mathias Särkimukka
Umeå School of Business, Economics, and Statistics
Contact information:
Anton Lundbäck
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +46705511832
Mathias Särkimukka
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: +46 73 08 23 253
Business Administration SE-901 87 Umeå www.usbe.umu.se
