Introduction : Call Centres, the Networked Economy and the Value Chain

In July 2006, members of Monash University’s Australian Centre for Research in Employment and Work (ACREW) joined with colleagues from King’s College London to hold a conference focused on ‘Socially responsive, socially responsible approaches to employment and work’ (DeCieri et al., 2006). One of the five conference streams was devoted to work and employment in call centres and was organized by the lead author of this introduction (Rainnie). This special edition of the JIR includes a number of articles from that stream.

Voices from higher up the ladder:Exploring the team leader role in call centres

This paper focuses on an under-researched employee category in the call centre literature-the team leader. The paper, drawing on data from nine Australian call centres, finds that the team leader role is integral to the effectiveness of call centres, yet it is a role that consists of considerable complexity and contradictions. The research demonstrates the critical role performed by team leaders: coach, mentor, trainer, performance evaluator, communicator and supervisor. It also shows team leaders as being far more positive about many of the features of the call centre work environment compared with those on the front line. However, there does appear to be a need for greater acknowledgement of their challenging role, the contradictions that are inherent in the job and the need, in many cases, for increased support being made available to assist. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

HRM systems of Indian call centres:an exploratory study

This paper initially highlights the rapid growth in the call centre (CC) sector in developing countries like India. It then makes a case for the investigation of human resource management (HRM) systems of call centres in India. The analysis is based on a two-phase empirical study. Phase one examines the nature and pattern of HRM systems and phase two the emerging issue of attrition in Indian call centres. A mixed research approach comprising in-depth interviews and questionnaire survey was adopted to conduct the investigation. Against the established norms of Indian organizations, the findings highlight the existence of formal, structured and rationalized HRM systems. Core reasons for the increasing levels of attrition are highlighted. The analysis further provides useful information both for academics and practitioners and opens avenues for future research.