Managing the duality: managerial challenges in an ICT-intensive ‘professionalised services’ model

Abstract

This paper unites two streams of enquiry: ‘managerial work’ and ‘professional services call centres’. The ‘role of the manager’ is an under researched area in call centre studies though the ‘managerial regime’ has been frequently invoked while describing the info-normative control mechanisms. Additionally, there is a paucity of discussion on professional services call centres since much of the commentaries are situated in the context of mechanistic or mass-customised service delivery models. A call centre employing professionals is distinctive in its nature. A professional workforce is required to work in an information communication technology (ICT)-dominated ecosystem where their autonomy and discretion is constrained. This paper captures the voice of the General Manager (GM) of a health contact centre (HCC) and critically examines the impact of the work organisation on the managerial role. This case study sheds light on the key competencies of the GM who is required to negotiate the duality of the work organisation – preserving the established practices of the nursing workforce and transitioning them into the efficiency-driven environment of a call centre.

Keywords:

• call centre
• general manager’s role
• health contact centre
• professional workers
• work organisation

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sangita De

Dr Sangita De is Sessional Lecturer at Griffith University, Australia. Her research interests include the relationship between work organisation and managerial work, call centres and the role of management, and the study of future workplaces and professional workforce. She is also keenly interested in the area of cross-cultural studies, and currently teaching International Human Resource Management.