The Influence of Organizational Identification on Salesperson Performance Through Cultural Fit and Motivation in the FMCG Transition

Background: The transfer of sales force management from Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) as principal to a Coca-Cola Official Distributor (CCOD) changed reporting lines, work systems, supervision, compensation, and salespeople's psychological relationship with the organization. Objective: This study examines the effect of organizational identification on salesperson performance through the sequential roles of cultural fit and salesperson motivation during the transition. Methods: A quantitative explanatory design with a cross-sectional approach grounded in Social Identity Theory was employed. Data were collected th rough an anonymous five-point Likert-scale questionnaire from 162 salespeople selected through purposive sampling. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4 was used to evaluate the measurement and structural models. Semi-structured interviews with six former CCEP salespeople and internal sales data for comparable periods before and after the transfer served as contextual evidence. Results: Organizational identification positively and significantly affected cultural fit, cultural fit positively and significantly affected salesperson motivation, and motivation positively and significantly affected salesperson performance; all three hypotheses were supported. A supplementary analysis of specific indirect effects was also significant, although not formulated as separate hypotheses. Interviews emphasized identity continuity, comfortable working relationships, job security, supervision, bonuses, and incentives. Sales in the Malang area increased by 26.74% in the comparable period, although the aggregate data do not establish causality. Conclusion: Maintaining performance during a management transition requires identity continuity, cultural alignment, and a transparent motivational system.