The impact of intuition and deliberation on acquisition-retention ambidexterity and sales performance: comparing the Dual-Process and Uni-Process Models

• Published in: The Journal of personal selling & sales management Vol. 41; no. 1; pp. 56 - 69
• Main Authors: Vieira, Valter Afonso, Faia, Valter da Silva, Gabler, Colin B., Cardoso, Rosinaldo Nunes
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Routledge 01-01-2021; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: ambidexterity; deliberative; fit; Intuitive; Meta-analysis; Retail banking; sales; Salespeople; Systematic review
• ISSN: 0885-3134; 1557-7813
• DOI: 10.1080/08853134.2020.1845188

According to the Dual-Process Model, salespeople might utilize intuitive and/or deliberate judgments to make sales decisions. These two systems are distinct and used in isolation by the decision-maker. On the contrary, the Uni-Process Model suggests an alignment between the two styles of thinking based on common rules and principles, meaning they are integrated into one decision-making process. The processes happen simultaneously, not independently. We subscribe to this logic and test these two judgments according to salespeople's perception across three studies. First, we examine salespeople in the shoe industry, second salespeople working in the retail banking, and finally through a comprehensive meta-analysis. We investigate the effects of salespeople's intuition, deliberation, and 'intuition-deliberation alignment' on sales performance through the mediating mechanism of acquisition-retention ambidexterity, finding effects across each context. While this does provide evidence that the two judgments may work well separately, it strongly supports the use of the Uni-Process Model to explain and predict sales outcomes. Specifically, while both intuitive and deliberate judgment isolate increase sales performance through salespeople's ambidextrous behavior, the newly created intuitive-deliberative alignment construct suggests that sales performance is higher when salespeople's intuitive and deliberative judgements are both high rather than when both are low, and this effect goes through A-R ambidexterity.