Team functions in small call centres

Teams are an enduring feature of call centres. The literature highlights the multitude of different tasks performed by teams in the call centre context. In terms of service work teams are probably more prevalent in call centres than in other industry. However, the nature and function of teams can vary across call centres and even within the same call centre. One feature of teams in call centres that has not received much attention, and what differentiates call centre teams from other industries, is that teams are present in small call centres with less than 100 employees. The discussion of teams in the management literature is generally associated with productivity enhancement in large manufacturing organisations; especially around high performance work systems. In this paper we report on the nature and role of teams in three small call centres of less than 100 seats. The call centres are located in the consumer products and industrial products divisions. Using focus group interviews we examine the following questions: Why do small call centres need teams? How are the teams organised? What functions does the team perform? Are there elements of high performance work systems present? How much teamwork is there? The findings suggest that teams are central to work organisation and employee management in call centres and that teams offer considerable flexibilities in the deployment of labour.