Salesperson’s spiritual response to job burnout: the role of karma and the moderating impact of thought self-leadership

Purpose In this conceptual paper, anchoring on the Hindu philosophical doctrine of karma, this study models the impact of salesperson’s karma orientation (KO) (a relatively new construct), in alleviating his/her job burnout. This study also explores the moderating impact of thought self-leadership (TSL). Design/methodology/approach This study theorizes the impact of KO on salesperson’s burnout by integrating the job demand–resource model with spirituality and TSL literatures. Findings Using multi-dimensional construct of KO, this study proposes several research propositions to theorize the impact of each of the four dimensions (i.e. work as selfless action, work as duty towards others, detachment from work-related rewards and equanimity under environmental influences) on three aspects of job burnout (i.e. emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment). Additionally, this study also theorizes the moderating impact of TSL on the above-mentioned relationships. Practical implications Organizations can adopt the karma doctrine for designing new sales jobs that provide higher meaningfulness and a greater sense of purpose to their salespeople, going beyond extrinsic rewards such as money. Higher KO among the business to business salespersons would lead them to derive higher intrinsic motivation to make karmic investments with their customers knowing that their good deeds with customers would eventually lead to good rewards for themselves, reducing their burnout, while also enhancing their well-being. Originality/value The paper makes an original theoretical contribution by theorizing the impact of Hindu philosophy of karma on salesperson’s job burnout, and hence well-being and eventual impact on organizational effectiveness.