Managing BPO Service Workers in India: Examining Hope on Performance Outcomes

Authors

Gwendolyn M. Combs, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
Rachel Clapp-Smith, Purdue University CalumetFollow
Sucheta Nadkarni, Drexel UniversityFollow

Date of this Version

5-2010

Comments

Published in Human Resource Management 49:3 (May–June 2010), pp. 457– 476; doi: 10.1002/hrm.20355 Copyright © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Used by permission. http://www.interscience.wiley.com

Abstract

Much attention has been given to the explosion in business process outsourcing (BPO) operations in India. Little concern, however, has been paid to the performance of Indian service workers in these fast-paced and sometimes turbulent environments. Using a sample of 160 service workers from a privately held BPO firm in India, we examine the relationship between Indian service workers’ hope and their performance outcomes. Regression and structural equation model analyses indicated a significant positive relationship between Indian service workers’ levels of hope and their performance. These promising results highlight the importance of measuring and managing employee hope to maximize employee productivity and performance. By effectively developing and managing levels of employee hope, Indian BPO firms can effectively combat employee problems such as attrition, stress, and burnout that have plagued the BPO industry. Hope may also help mitigate the influence of aspects of Indian culture on human resource management practices in Indian BPOs.