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Dissertation
To be or not to be different: the rise of new commercial models and the struggle for relevance of traditional pharmaceutical sales representatives
Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.), Drexel University
May 2025
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00010956
Abstract
"Those who have a why to live can bear almost any how" Viktor Frankl (Frankl, 1959). This dissertation explores the lived experiences of pharmaceutical sales representatives in the United States, who navigate a profession threatened by obsolescence due to systemic transformations, declining physical access to customers, and increasing regulatory and compliance constraints. Supported by a constructivist grounded theory methodology, this study develops an emergent theory of Tenacious Persisting--a dynamic process through which sales representatives engage in identity reconstruction, meaning-making, adaptive skill acquisition, and myth-making to maintain relevance, purpose, and performance in a rapidly changing commercial landscape. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with U.S.-based pharmaceutical sales professionals using a semi-structured format and analyzed through iterative coding employing in vivo, focused, and theoretical coding techniques. Sixteen focused codes emerged and were integrated into six aggregate dimensions, culminating in a comprehensive theoretical framework that captures both the psychological and strategic adaptations employed by sales representatives in the field. The study contributes theoretically by extending identity theory through the concept of Tetradic Re-Anchoring, enriching competence theory with an evolving view of self-directed skill development and reframing traditional models of professional obsolescence by introducing Tenacious Persisting as a viable path for in-role endurance and reinvention. Furthermore, it incorporates insights from Joseph Campbell's myth-making and Viktor Frankl's meaning-making, highlighting how symbolic narratives and existential purpose serve as powerful coping mechanisms for professionals in distress. Practically, this research offers implications for sales representatives, hiring managers, and pharmaceutical organizations. It calls for a redefinition of commercial roles, the restructuring of training and competency models, the redesign of performance evaluation systems, and the cultivation of organizational cultures that support resilience and adaptive learning.
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Details
- Title
- To be or not to be different
- Creators
- Marcelo Santoro
- Contributors
- Rajiv Nag (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- xi, 136 pages
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Bennett S. LeBow College of Business; Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 991022054940104721