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 co...

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Main Authors: McDonnell, A., Connell, Julia, Hannif, Z., Burgess, John
Format: Journal Article
Published: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing 2013
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/6015
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author McDonnell, A.
Connell, Julia
Hannif, Z.
Burgess, John
author_facet McDonnell, A.
Connell, Julia
Hannif, Z.
Burgess, John
author_sort McDonnell, A.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description 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.
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institution Curtin University Malaysia
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last_indexed 2025-11-14T06:09:42Z
publishDate 2013
publisher Wiley-Blackwell Publishing
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-60152017-09-13T14:39:54Z Voices from higher up the ladder: exploring the team leader role in call centres McDonnell, A. Connell, Julia Hannif, Z. Burgess, John training performance management call centres front-line employees line managers coaching team leaders 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 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/6015 10.1111/ntwe.12011 Wiley-Blackwell Publishing restricted
spellingShingle training
performance management
call centres
front-line employees
line managers
coaching
team leaders
McDonnell, A.
Connell, Julia
Hannif, Z.
Burgess, John
Voices from higher up the ladder: exploring the team leader role in call centres
title Voices from higher up the ladder: exploring the team leader role in call centres
title_full Voices from higher up the ladder: exploring the team leader role in call centres
title_fullStr Voices from higher up the ladder: exploring the team leader role in call centres
title_full_unstemmed Voices from higher up the ladder: exploring the team leader role in call centres
title_short Voices from higher up the ladder: exploring the team leader role in call centres
title_sort voices from higher up the ladder: exploring the team leader role in call centres
topic training
performance management
call centres
front-line employees
line managers
coaching
team leaders
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/6015