Observed Issue Selling: The Effects of Role Models, Willingness to Issue Sell, and Inclusion in Decision Making

This study examines issue selling (an early component of the change process in which higher-level managers are influenced to pay attention to issues). Building on the conservation of resources model, social contextual factors (role models for issue selling and inclusion in decision making) are proposed to explain when and how issue selling occurs during the early stages of change. This research breaks new ground by examining issue selling behavior (as observed by supervisors) in conjunction with willingness to issue sell. Results based on a sample of 191 employee–supervisor dyads suggest that role models positively contributed to willingness to issue sell, which was positively related to issue selling when individuals perceived that they were involved in decision making. To increase the likelihood that employees will engage in issue selling to facilitate change, managers should provide exposure to issue selling role models and should increase employees’ perceived inclusion in decision making.