Esoteric Story of the Relationship between Transformational Leadership Style of the Field Managers and Salespersons’ Performance: Evidence from the Pharmaceutical Sector

Purpose: In this unbendable competitive environment, pharmaceutical firms need to use the most appropriate field managers’ leadership style that is best suited for their sales force effectiveness, this study aims to highlight the prominence of the transformational leadership style of field managers and the significance of the salespersons’/medical representatives’ performance in an outbound pharmaceutical selling context and how work meaningfulness and work engagement can affect the performance of salespeople by using the mediating mechanism. Theoretical Framework: A theoretical model was developed by integrating Self-Concept Theory and Social Learning Theory to test seven hypotheses. Design/Methodology/Approach: A quantitative and cross-sectional study was conducted. A self-administered survey was used to collect data from 350 salespeople/medical representatives from 20 pharmaceutical firms (national and international). AMOS-22 and SPSS-24 were used to test the seven hypothesized relationships. Findings: The results supported five hypotheses and demonstrated that the transformational leadership style of field managers positively influences salespersons’ performance. Implications/Originality/Value: This research added to the advancement of knowledge in leadership and sales management of pharmaceutical firms.