Tensions Raised by TQM Demands Upon Work Design in Technologically Controlled Environments: The Case of a Call Centre

Work design is an essential component of the operations strategy of any organisation. Total Quality Management (TQM) calls for the adoption of certain behaviours and attitudes which place conflicting demands upon employees. Such conflicts are particularly relevant in service organisations, which expect frontline employees to be able to deliver a highly consistent service while customising it to each customer. Combining such competencies becomes even more difficult when cost-saving measures are added to this scenario. This paper discusses the tensions raised by TQM implementation upon work design in contexts where technology plays an important role in service delivery. Call Centres have adopted complex technologies which tend to direct customers towards well-defined problem categories and within each of them contribute to highly standardised answers. Consequently, customer expectations of individual care might well not be met. These issues are studied using a large Portuguese telecommunications company, where questionnaire surveys were administered to both service users and frontline employees of a Call Centre. The questionnaires use the job description model proposed by Hackman and Oldham (Work redesign. Addison-Wesley, 1980) and, in the customers’ case, the assessment of some service quality determinants is also made. The findings show that customers and employees share the perception that the task is highly significant to the organisation’s success. Overall, customers consider that the five dimensions of the job are more fulfilled, than employees do. There is a need to redesign the job in terms of more autonomy and feedback if employee and customer satisfaction are to be enhanced.