When Reaching Our Potential Predicts Low Values: A Longitudinal Study about Performance and Organizational Values at Call Centres

Danilo Garcia, Trevor Archer

Centre for Ethics, Law and Mental Health (CELAM), University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Departmet of Psychology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden..

DOI: 10.4236/jssm.2012.54037                

Abstract

The present study was executed using data from a call centre in Sweden in which agents answered questions regarding financial advice. The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship of call centre agents’ perceptions about the work climate and the organizational values to their performance, as measured by the organization. In Study 1, agents (N = 106) reported their experience about the work climate and organizational values. Performance (i.e., percent of time on the phone for each work day) was then assessed for the next six consecutive months. In Study 2, agents’ perceptions of organizational values were measured among a new sample (N = 262) from the same call centre. Performance was measured during the next two consecutive years. With regard to the working climate, workers’ autonomy was negatively related to their own performance. The results show also a negative relationship between organizational values and performance during the two following years. Agents seem to maintain high productivity levels at the cost of organizational core values, perhaps due to the visible and rewarding nature of productivity.

Keywords

Call Centre; Organizational Values; Performance; Time Schedule

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	J. C. Collins and J. I. Porras, “Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies,” Harper Collins, New York, 1994.
[2]	N. McGaw and L. Fabish, “Put Your Values to Work,” Harvard Management Update, 3-4 January 2006.
[3]	M. L. Gruys, S. M. Stewart, J. Goodstein, M. N. Bing and A. C. Wicks, “Values Enactment in Organizations: A MultiLevel Examination,” Journal of Management, Vol. 34, No. 4, 2008, pp. 806-843. doi:10.1177/0149206308318610
[4]	P. M. Lencioni, “Make Your Values Mean Something,” Harvard Business Review, Vol. 80, No. 7, 2002, pp. 113117.
[5]	P. Taylor and P. Bain, “An Assembly Line in the Head: Work and Employee Relations in the Call Centre,” Industrial Relations Journal, Vol. 30, No. 2, 1999, pp. 101117. doi:10.1111/1468-2338.00113
[6]	P. Taylor, G. Mulvey, J. Hyman and P. Bain, “Work Organization, Control and the Experience of Work in Call Centres,” Work, Employment and Society, Vol. 16, No. 1, 2002, pp. 133-150. doi:10.1177/09500170222119281
[7]	J.-S. Boudrias, L. Brunet, A. J. S. Morin, A. Savoie, P. Plunier and G. Cacciatore, “Empowering Employees: The Moderating Role of Perceived Organizational Climate and Justice,” Canadian Journal of Behavioral Science, Vol. 42, No. 4, 2010, pp. 201-211. doi:10.1037/a0020465
[8]	A. Neal, M. A. West and M. G. Patterson, “Do Organizational Climate and Competitive Strategy Moderate the Relationship between Human Resource Management and Productivity?” Journal of Management, Vol. 31, No. 4, 2005, pp. 492-512. doi:10.1177/0149206304272188
[9]	A. Mikkelsen, P. ?. Saksvik and H. Ursin, “Job Stress and Organizational Learning Climate,” International Journal of Stress Management, Vol. 5, No. 4, 1998, pp. 197209. doi:10.1023/A:1022965727976
[10]	C. A. Sprigg and P. R. Jackson, “Call Centers as Lean Service Environments: Job-Related Strain and the Mediating Role of Work Design,” Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, Vol. 11, No. 2, 2006, pp. 197-212. doi:10.1037/1076-8998.11.2.197
[11]	D. Bartram, J. Foster, P. A. Lindley, A. J. Brown and S. Nixon, “Learning Climate Questionnaire (LCQ): Background and Technical Information,” Employment Service and Newland Park Associates Limited, Oxford, 1993.
[12]	D. Garcia, A.-C. Andersson-Arntén and T. Archer, “Exercise Frequency, Learning Work Climate, Sleeping Problems, Positive and Negative Affect,” XXX International Congress of Psychology, Cape Town, 22-27 July 2012.
[13]	D. Garcia, T. Archer, P. Rosenberg and S. Moradi, “The Happy Worker: Exercise and Thoughts about Performance leading to Positive Emotions,” 6th European Conference on Positive Psychology, Moscow, 26-29 June 2012.
[14]	D. Garcia, P. Rosenberg, T. Archer and S. Moradi, “Exercise Frequency Predicts Performance among WhiteCollar Workers,” 24rd Association for Psychological Science Annual Convention, Chicago, 24-27 May 2012.
[15]	D. Garcia, T. Archer, S. Moradi and B. Ghiabi, “Waiting in Vain: Managing Time and Customer Satisfaction at Call Centres,” Psychology, Vol. 3, No. 2, 2012, pp. 213216. doi:10.4236/psych.2012.32030