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Training and development roles and structures in European call centers: the Influence of strategic choice, Institutional and coevolutionary processes

Garavan, Thomas N; Cross, Christine; Wilson, John; Carbery, Ronan

Authors

Thomas N Garavan

Christine Cross

John Wilson

Ronan Carbery



Abstract

The global call center sector has emerged as a vibrant and economically successful industry in recent decades. Training and development of employees is acknowledged as a key component of call center strategy in facilitating the utilization of new technologies, enhanced customer service, and profitability. Relatively little is, however, known concerning how training roles and structures are configured in call centers. Here, we explore competitive, institutional, and coevolutionary drivers of training and development roles and structures in European call centers. Drawing on qualitative data gathered from 20 call centers and multiple respondents located across Europe we found greater evidence of variation than similarity, indicating the importance of strategic choice and coevolutionary influences. The findings highlight the importance of institutional processes in understanding the similarities observed. The interaction of institutional, strategic choice, and coevolutionary factors is, however, extremely complex and requires further investigation.

Citation

Garavan, T. N., Cross, C., Wilson, J., & Carbery, R. (2012). Training and development roles and structures in European call centers: the Influence of strategic choice, Institutional and coevolutionary processes. Thunderbird International Business Review, 54, 875-890. https://doi.org/10.1002/tie.21509

Journal Article Type Article
Publication Date 2012
Deposit Date Apr 17, 2014
Print ISSN 1096-4762
Electronic ISSN 1520-6874
Publisher Wiley
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 54
Pages 875-890
DOI https://doi.org/10.1002/tie.21509
Keywords Call center; employee training; strategic choice; coevolutionary influences;
Public URL http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/id/eprint/6821
Publisher URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/tie.21509


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