The conditional effect of leader’s improvisational behavior on agility in sales teams: the role of team members and team characteristics

PurposeWhile previous research highlights the role of leader improvisational behavior in fostering agility, limited attention has been given to the boundary conditions that influence its effectiveness. Drawing on the substitutes for leadership framework, this study aims to investigate how team members’ improvisational behavior and team size moderate the relationship between leader improvisational behavior and employee agility. Moreover, the author analyzed the impact of employee agility on customer agility in a sales team.Design/methodology/approachMultisource survey data were collected from sales teams within an auto leasing company in Thailand. To minimize common method bias, the author obtained matched responses from 273 team members and 55 team leaders. Data analysis was conducted using partial least squares structural equation modeling.FindingsThe analysis shows that leader improvisational behavior enhances employee agility, which, in turn, affects the sales team’s customer agility. However, moderation analysis reveals that this effect is contingent upon contextual factors within the team. Specifically, the impact of leader improvisational behavior is present only when team members do not exhibit improvisational behavior and when team size is large.Practical implicationsSales managers should train leaders to adjust their improvisational style according to team size and member capabilities to sustain productivity under dynamic conditions. Leadership development programs can incorporate situational decision-making exercises that prepare leaders to respond effectively to rapid technological change. Organizations may also design leadership deployment strategies that place improvisational leaders where their influence best enhances both team agility and long-term productivity.Originality/valueThis study offers a novel integration of social learning and substitutes-for-leadership theories to explain the conditions under which leader improvisation effectively promotes employee agility. This study also identifies specific situations where such influence becomes limited, particularly in small teams or when team members are already improvisational.