IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/brjirl/v44y2006i1p99-124.html

Human Resource Management and Performance in UK Call Centres

Author

Listed:
  • Stephen Wood
  • David Holman
  • Christopher Stride

Abstract

Using data from a sample of 145 UK call centres, the authors test the core propositions of the strategic human resource management (SHRM) approach that: (a) there are coherent links through the SHRM chain from strategy, through operational requirements, to work design and human resource management, and (b) the fit between the human resource practices and market factors determines organizational performance. Little support for these hypotheses is found as only (a) a few direct relationships between the elements of the SHRM chain are found, and (b) direct relationships, rather than those moderated by market factors, are found between human resource practices and performance. But key operational requirements are linked to work design, which is itself related to a limited number of human resource practices. The direct effects of work design on key performance indicators are more pronounced than those of human resource practices.

Suggested Citation

  • Stephen Wood & David Holman & Christopher Stride, 2006. "Human Resource Management and Performance in UK Call Centres," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 44(1), pages 99-124, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:brjirl:v:44:y:2006:i:1:p:99-124
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8543.2006.00489.x
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8543.2006.00489.x
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/j.1467-8543.2006.00489.x?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Paul Osterman, 1994. "How Common is Workplace Transformation and Who Adopts it?," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 47(2), pages 173-188, January.
    2. John Godard, 2004. "A Critical Assessment of the High‐Performance Paradigm," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 42(2), pages 349-378, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Al Shobaki, Mazen J. & Abu Naser, Samy S. & Abu Amuna, Youssef M. & El Talla, Suliman A., 2017. "The Efficiency of Information Technology and its Role of e-HRM in the Palestinian Universities," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 1(5), pages 36-55.
    2. Caroline Lanciano-Morandat & Hiroatsu Nohara & Robert Tchobanian, 2009. "Les centres d'appel en France: mobilisation et mobilité des salariés face à un système hybride de travail," Post-Print halshs-00433051, HAL.
    3. David Holman & Stephen Frenkel & Ole Sørensen & Stephen Wood, 2009. "Work Design Variation and Outcomes in Call Centers: Strategic Choice and Institutional Explanations," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 62(4), pages 510-532, July.
    4. Bill Harley & Belinda C. Allen & Leisa D. Sargent, 2007. "High Performance Work Systems and Employee Experience of Work in the Service Sector: The Case of Aged Care," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 45(3), pages 607-633, September.
    5. Almudena Cañibano & David Marsden, 2009. "Participation in Organisations: Economic Approaches," CEP Discussion Papers dp0945, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    6. Daniel Nyberg & Graham Sewell, 2014. "Collaboration, Co-operation or Collusion? Contrasting Employee Responses to Managerial Control in Three Call Centres," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 52(2), pages 308-332, June.
    7. Argyro Avgoustaki & Hans T. W. Frankort, 2019. "Implications of Work Effort and Discretion for Employee Well-Being and Career-Related Outcomes: An Integrative Assessment," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 72(3), pages 636-661, May.
    8. Mazen M. Al Shobaki & Samy S. Abu Naser & Youssef M. Abu Amuna & Suliman A. El Talla, 2017. "The Efficiency of Information Technology and its Role of e- HRM in the Palestinian Universities," Post-Print hal-01572642, HAL.
    9. Danielle D. van Jaarsveld & Yoshio Yanadori, 2011. "Compensation Management in Outsourced Service Organizations and Its Implications for Quit Rates, Absenteeism and Workforce Performance: Evidence from Canadian Call Centres," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 49(Supplemen), pages 1-26, June.
    10. Vânia Carvalho & Maria Chambel, 2014. "Work-to-Family Enrichment and Employees’ Well-Being: High Performance Work System and Job Characteristics," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 119(1), pages 373-387, October.
    11. Danielle D. Van Jaarsveld & Hyunji Kwon & Ann C. Frost, 2009. "The Effects of Institutional and Organizational Characteristics on Work Force Flexibility: Evidence from Call Centers in Three Liberal Market Economies," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 62(4), pages 573-601, July.
    12. Xiangmin Liu & Danielle D. van Jaarsveld & Yoshio Yanadori, 2022. "Customer aggression, employee voice and quit rates: Evidence from the frontline service workforce," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 60(2), pages 348-370, June.
    13. Diogo Gonçalves-Candeias & Maria José Chambel & Vânia Sofia Carvalho, 2021. "Is Stress in Contact Centers Inevitable?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-17, March.
    14. Sharda, Kirti, 2011. "Back to the Drawing Board: Exploring Gestalts of Work Design in BPO Firms," IIMA Working Papers WP2011-02-04, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, Research and Publication Department.
    15. Jae Eun Lee & Rosemary Batt & Lisa M. Moynihan, 2019. "Strategic Dilemmas: How Managers Use HR Practices to Meet Multiple Goals," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 57(3), pages 513-539, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Adam Seth Litwin, 2013. "Not Featherbedding, but Feathering the Nest: Human Resource Management and Investments in Information Technology," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(1), pages 22-52, January.
    2. Annalisa Cristini & Tor Eriksson & Dario Pozzoli, 2013. "High-Performance Management Practices and Employee Outcomes in Denmark," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 60(3), pages 232-266, July.
    3. Riccardo Leoni, 2013. "Organization of work practices and productivity: an assessment of research on world- class manufacturing," Chapters, in: Anna Grandori (ed.), Handbook of Economic Organization, chapter 17, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    4. Alberto Bayo-Moriones & Pedro Ortín-à ngel, 2006. "Internal Promotion versus External Recruitment in Industrial Plants in Spain," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 59(3), pages 451-470, April.
    5. Jaap Paauwe, 2009. "HRM and Performance: Achievements, Methodological Issues and Prospects," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(1), pages 129-142, January.
    6. Pruneda, Gabriel, 2014. "Employee coverage of high-performance work systems in Spain: a comparative analysis before and during economic retrenchment," MPRA Paper 83909, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Jaren Haber, 2016. "Institutionalized Involvement: Teams and Stress in 1990s U.S. Steel," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(4), pages 632-661, October.
    8. Wenchuan Liu & James P. Guthrie & Patrick C. Flood & Sarah Maccurtain, 2009. "Unions and the Adoption of High Performance Work Systems: Does Employment Security Play a Role?," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 63(1), pages 109-127, October.
    9. Alba Manresa & Andrea Bikfalvi & Alexandra Simon, 2018. "The Use And Determinants Of Training And Development For Creativity And Innovation," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 22(07), pages 1-28, October.
    10. Chiaki Moriguchi, 2005. "Did American Welfare Capitalists Breach Their Implicit Contracts during the Great Depression? Preliminary Findings from Company-Level Data," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 59(1), pages 51-81, October.
    11. Rupietta, Christian & Backes-Gellner, Uschi, 2019. "Combining knowledge stock and knowledge flow to generate superior incremental innovation performance — Evidence from Swiss manufacturing," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 209-222.
    12. Ariel C. Avgar & Niti Pandey & Kiwook Kwon, 2012. "Discretion in Context: A Moderated Mediation Model of the Relationship between Discretion and Turnover Intentions," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(1), pages 106-128, January.
    13. Dean Stroud & Peter Fairbrother & Claire Evans & Joanne Blake, 2018. "Governments matter for capitalist economies: Regeneration and transition to green and decent jobs," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 39(1), pages 87-108, February.
    14. David H. Autor & Frank Levy & Richard J. Murnane, 2002. "Upstairs, Downstairs: Computers and Skills on Two Floors of a Large Bank," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 55(3), pages 432-447, April.
    15. Bauer, Thomas K. & Bender, Stefan, 2004. "Technological change, organizational change, and job turnover," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 11(3), pages 265-291, June.
    16. Larry W. Hunter, 2000. "What Determines Job Quality in Nursing Homes?," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 53(3), pages 463-481, April.
    17. George Saridakis & Yanqing Lai & Stewart Johnstone, 2020. "Does workplace partnership deliver mutual gains at work?," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 41(4), pages 797-823, November.
    18. Maddy Janssens & Chris Steyaert, 2009. "HRM and Performance: A Plea for Reflexivity in HRM Studies," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(1), pages 143-155, January.
    19. Hakenes, Hendrik & Katolnik, Svetlana, 2017. "On the incentive effects of job rotation," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 424-441.
    20. Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld & Thomas Kochan, 2004. "Taking Stock: Collective Bargaining at the Turn of the Century," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 58(1), pages 3-26, October.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:brjirl:v:44:y:2006:i:1:p:99-124. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/lsepsuk.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.