Negative Antecedents of Affective Commitment of Filipino Call Center Workers
Keywords:
Call center, Affective commitment, Perceived customer unfriendliness, Emotional dissonance, Perceived stress, Leader-member exchange
Abstract
The study's primary purpose is to provide empirical information about the effects of perceived customer unfriendliness, emotional dissonance, and perceived stress on Filipino call center workers' affective organizational commitment. Also, the study aims to show how leader-member exchange (LMX) mediates the relationships between the three posited antecedents and affective commitment. The study proposed a hypothesized model based on insights from the literature. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used in testing the hypotheses using a dataset from a sample of 689 Filipino call center workers. The results revealed that emotional dissonance and perceived stress are consequences of perceived customer unfriendliness. They, in turn, have adverse effects on affective commitment. The results also indicated that LMX fully mediates the impact of perceived customer unfriendliness on affective commitment and partially mediates the stress-commitment relationship. The findings' discussion highlights the importance of stakeholders' intervention programs in reducing workers' emotional dissonance and perceived stress and implies that quality LMX initiated by the leaders may help reduce the adverse effects of customer-related stressors and psychological strains on the affective commitment of the call center workers.References
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Albrecht, S. L. and Andreetta, M. (2011), “The influence of empowering leadership, empowerment and engagement on affective commitment and turnover intentions in community health service workers: Test of a model”, Leadership in Health Services, Vol. 24 No. 3, pp. 228-237.
Brunetto, Y., Shriberg, A., Farr‐Wharton, R., Shacklock, K., Newman, S. and Dienger, J. (2013), “The importance of supervisor–nurse relationships, teamwork, wellbeing, affective commitment and retention of North American nurses”, Journal of Nursing Management, Vol. 21 No. 6, pp. 827-837.
Budhwar, P.S., Mellahi, K. and Hashim, J., (2010), “Human resource management practices on organisational commitment”, Personnel Review, Vol. 39 No. 6, pp. 785-799.
Castanheira, F. and Chambel, M. J. (2010), “Reducing burnout in call centers through HR practices”, Human Resource Management, Vol. 49 No. 6, pp. 1047-1065.
Cohen, S., Kamarck, T. and Mermelstein, R., (1983), “A global measure of perceived stress”, Journal of Health and Social Behavior, Vol. 24 No.4, pp.385-396.
Dormann, C. and Zapf, D. (2004), “Customer-related social stressors and burnout”, Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, Vol. 9 No. 1, pp. 61-82.
Dulebohn, J. H., Bommer, W. H., Liden, R. C., Brouer, R. L. and Ferris, G. R. (2012), “A meta-analysis of antecedents and consequences of leader-member exchange: Integrating the past with an eye toward the future”, Journal of Management, Vol. 38 No. 6, pp. 1715-1759.
Eisenberger, R., Karagonlar, G., Stinglhamber, F., Neves, P., Becker, T. E., Gonzalez-Morales, M. G. and Steiger-Mueller, M. (2010), “Leader–member exchange and affective organizational commitment: The contribution of supervisor's organizational embodiment”, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 95 No. 6, pp. 1085-1103.
Errighi, L., Bodwell, C. and Khatiwada, S. (2016), “Business process outsourcing in the Philippines: challenges for decent work”, available at: http://ilo.org/asia/ publications/WCMS_538193/lang--en/index.htm (accessed 27 August 2019).
Fazio, J., Gong, B., Sims, R. and Yurova, Y. (2017), “The role of affective commitment in the relationship between social support and turnover intention”, Management Decision, Vol. 55 No. 3, pp. 512-525.
Flint, D., Haley, L. M. and McNally, J. J. (2013), “Individual and organizational determinants of turnover intent”, Personnel Review, Vol. 42 No. 5, pp. 552-572.
Friginal, E. (2013), “Evaluation of oral performance in outsourced call centres: An exploratory case study”, English for Specific Purposes, Vol. 32 No.1, pp. 25-35.
Goussinsky, R. (2011), “Customer aggression, emotional dissonance and employees' well-being”, International Journal of Quality and Service Sciences, Vol. 3 No. 3, pp. 248-266.
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Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J. and Anderson, R. E. (2010), Multivariate Data Analysis (7th ed.), Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.
Hechanova, R. (2013), “The call center as a revolving door: a Philippine perspective. Personnel Review”, Vol. 42 No. 3, pp. 349-365.
Hilario, P. V. (2009), “Impact of Emotional Labor on Philippine Call Center Workplace Well-being and Tenure”, DLSUD COE GS Graduate Journal, Vol. 14 No. 1, pp. 14-27.
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Jabutay, F.A. and Rungruang, P. (2020), "Turnover intent of new workers: social exchange perspectives", Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration, Vol. 13 No. 1, pp. 60-79.
Jonker, C. (2012). Measures of emotion work: factor structure and group differences in a care-giving population in South Africa. Journal of WEI Business and Economics, Vol. 1 No. 1, pp. 39-58.
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Meyer, J. P., Stanley, D. J., Herscovitch, L. and Topolnytsky, L. (2002), “Affective, continuance, and normative commitment to the organization: A meta-analysis of antecedents, correlates, and consequences”, Journal of Vocational Behavior, Vol. 61 No. 1, pp. 20-52.
Mikolajczak, M., Menil, C., & Luminet, O. (2007). Explaining the protective effect of trait emotional intelligence regarding occupational stress: Exploration of emotional labour processes. Journal of Research in personality, 41(5), 1107-1117.
Montecillo, P. (2012), “Wellness wake-up call for ‘sleepless’ BPO agents”, available at: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/169865/wellness-wake-up-call-for-sleepless-bpo-agents (accessed 22 August 2019).
Nelis, D., Quoidbach, J., Mikolajczak, M., & Hansenne, M. (2009). Increasing emotional intelligence:(How) is it possible?. Personality and individual differences, 47(1), 36-41.
Newton, C., Teo, S.T., Pick, D., Ho, M. and Thomas, D. (2016), “Emotional intelligence as a buffer of occupational stress”, Personnel Review, Vol. 45 No. 5, pp.1010-1028.
Nunnally, J. C. (1978), Psychometric Theory, Mcgraw-Hill, Hillsdale, NJ.
Ramalho Luz, C.M.D., Luiz de Paula, S. and de Oliveira, L.M.B. (2018), "Organizational commitment, job satisfaction and their possible influences on intent to turnover", Revista de Gestão, Vol. 25 No. 1, pp. 84-101.
Ruppel, C., Sims, R., and Zeidler, P. (2013), “Emotional labour and its outcomes: a study of a Philippine call centre”, Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration, Vol. 5 No. 3, pp. 246-261.
Scandura, T. A. and Graen, G. B. (1984), “Moderating effects of initial leader–member exchange status on the effects of a leadership intervention”, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 69 No. 3, pp. 428-436.
Sharma, J. and Dhar, R. L. (2016), “Factors influencing job performance of nursing staff: mediating role of affective commitment”, Personnel Review, Vol. 45 No.1, pp. 161-182.
Slaski, M., & Cartwright, S. (2003). Emotional intelligence training and its implications for stress, health and performance. Stress and Health, 19(4), 233-239.
Sprigg, C. A. and Jackson, P. R. (2006), “Call centers as lean service environments: Job-related strain and the mediating role of work design”, Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, Vol. 11 No. 2, pp. 197-212.
Thanacoody, P., Newman, A. and Fuchs, S. (2014), “Affective commitment and turnover intentions among healthcare professionals: The role of emotional exhaustion and disengagement”, The International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol. 25 No. 13, pp. 1841-1857.
Walsh, G. (2011), “Unfriendly customers as a social stressor–An indirect antecedent of service employees’ quitting intention”, European Management Journal, Vol. 29 No. 1, pp. 67-78.
Wat, Dennis, and Margaret A. Shaffer (2005), "Equity and relationship quality influences on organizational citizenship behaviors: The mediating role of trust in the supervisor and empowerment", Personnel Review, Vol. 34, No. 4, pp. 406-422.
Watson, D. and Clark, L. A. (1984), “Negative affectivity: the disposition to experience aversive emotional states”, Psychological Bulletin, Vol. 96 No. 3, pp. 465-490.
Wayne, S. J., Shore, L. M. and Liden, R. C. (1997), “Perceived organizational support and leader-member exchange: A social exchange perspective”, Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 40 No. 1, 82-111.
Wegge, J., Van Dick, R. and Von Bernstorff, C. (2010), “Emotional dissonance in call centre work”, Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 25 No. 6, pp. 596-619.
Wilk, S. L. and Moynihan, L. M. (2005). Display rule" regulators": the relationship between supervisors and worker emotional exhaustion. Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 90 No. 5, pp. 917-927.
Zapf, D., Isic, A., Bechtoldt, M. and Blau, P. (2003), “What is typical for call centre jobs? Job characteristics, and service interactions in different call centres”, European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, Vol. 12 No. 4, pp. 311-340.
Abraham, R. (1999), “The impact of emotional dissonance on organizational commitment and intention to turnover”, Journal of Psychology, Vol. 133 No. 4, pp. 441-455.
Albrecht, S. L. and Andreetta, M. (2011), “The influence of empowering leadership, empowerment and engagement on affective commitment and turnover intentions in community health service workers: Test of a model”, Leadership in Health Services, Vol. 24 No. 3, pp. 228-237.
Brunetto, Y., Shriberg, A., Farr‐Wharton, R., Shacklock, K., Newman, S. and Dienger, J. (2013), “The importance of supervisor–nurse relationships, teamwork, wellbeing, affective commitment and retention of North American nurses”, Journal of Nursing Management, Vol. 21 No. 6, pp. 827-837.
Budhwar, P.S., Mellahi, K. and Hashim, J., (2010), “Human resource management practices on organisational commitment”, Personnel Review, Vol. 39 No. 6, pp. 785-799.
Castanheira, F. and Chambel, M. J. (2010), “Reducing burnout in call centers through HR practices”, Human Resource Management, Vol. 49 No. 6, pp. 1047-1065.
Cohen, S., Kamarck, T. and Mermelstein, R., (1983), “A global measure of perceived stress”, Journal of Health and Social Behavior, Vol. 24 No.4, pp.385-396.
Dormann, C. and Zapf, D. (2004), “Customer-related social stressors and burnout”, Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, Vol. 9 No. 1, pp. 61-82.
Dulebohn, J. H., Bommer, W. H., Liden, R. C., Brouer, R. L. and Ferris, G. R. (2012), “A meta-analysis of antecedents and consequences of leader-member exchange: Integrating the past with an eye toward the future”, Journal of Management, Vol. 38 No. 6, pp. 1715-1759.
Eisenberger, R., Karagonlar, G., Stinglhamber, F., Neves, P., Becker, T. E., Gonzalez-Morales, M. G. and Steiger-Mueller, M. (2010), “Leader–member exchange and affective organizational commitment: The contribution of supervisor's organizational embodiment”, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 95 No. 6, pp. 1085-1103.
Errighi, L., Bodwell, C. and Khatiwada, S. (2016), “Business process outsourcing in the Philippines: challenges for decent work”, available at: http://ilo.org/asia/ publications/WCMS_538193/lang--en/index.htm (accessed 27 August 2019).
Fazio, J., Gong, B., Sims, R. and Yurova, Y. (2017), “The role of affective commitment in the relationship between social support and turnover intention”, Management Decision, Vol. 55 No. 3, pp. 512-525.
Flint, D., Haley, L. M. and McNally, J. J. (2013), “Individual and organizational determinants of turnover intent”, Personnel Review, Vol. 42 No. 5, pp. 552-572.
Friginal, E. (2013), “Evaluation of oral performance in outsourced call centres: An exploratory case study”, English for Specific Purposes, Vol. 32 No.1, pp. 25-35.
Goussinsky, R. (2011), “Customer aggression, emotional dissonance and employees' well-being”, International Journal of Quality and Service Sciences, Vol. 3 No. 3, pp. 248-266.
Graen, G. B. and Uhl-Bien, M. (1995), “Relationship-based approach to leadership: Development of leader-member exchange (LMX) theory of leadership over 25 years: Applying a multi-level multi-domain perspective”, The Leadership Quarterly, Vol. 6 No. 2, pp. 219-247.
Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J. and Anderson, R. E. (2010), Multivariate Data Analysis (7th ed.), Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.
Hechanova, R. (2013), “The call center as a revolving door: a Philippine perspective. Personnel Review”, Vol. 42 No. 3, pp. 349-365.
Hilario, P. V. (2009), “Impact of Emotional Labor on Philippine Call Center Workplace Well-being and Tenure”, DLSUD COE GS Graduate Journal, Vol. 14 No. 1, pp. 14-27.
Hu, L. T. and Bentler, P. M. (1999), “Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives”, Structural Equation Modeling: a Multidisciplinary Journal, Vol. 6 No. 1, pp. 1-55.
Jabutay, F.A. and Rungruang, P. (2020), "Turnover intent of new workers: social exchange perspectives", Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration, Vol. 13 No. 1, pp. 60-79.
Jonker, C. (2012). Measures of emotion work: factor structure and group differences in a care-giving population in South Africa. Journal of WEI Business and Economics, Vol. 1 No. 1, pp. 39-58.
Lee, D. (2015), “The Philippines has become the call-center capital of the world”, avalaibale at: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-philippines-economy- 20150202-story.html (accessed 11 August 2019).
Mayer, J. D., & Salovey, P. (1997). What is emotional intelligence? In P. Salovey & D. J. Sluyter (Eds.), Emotional development and emotional intelligence: Educational implications (pp. 3–31). New York: Basic Books.
Mercurio, R. (2018), “Philippines remains world’s call center capital”, available at: https://www.philstar.com/business/2018/05/31/1820097/philippines-remains-worlds-call-center-capital-ccap (accessed 11 August 2019).
Meyer, J. P., Stanley, D. J., Herscovitch, L. and Topolnytsky, L. (2002), “Affective, continuance, and normative commitment to the organization: A meta-analysis of antecedents, correlates, and consequences”, Journal of Vocational Behavior, Vol. 61 No. 1, pp. 20-52.
Mikolajczak, M., Menil, C., & Luminet, O. (2007). Explaining the protective effect of trait emotional intelligence regarding occupational stress: Exploration of emotional labour processes. Journal of Research in personality, 41(5), 1107-1117.
Montecillo, P. (2012), “Wellness wake-up call for ‘sleepless’ BPO agents”, available at: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/169865/wellness-wake-up-call-for-sleepless-bpo-agents (accessed 22 August 2019).
Nelis, D., Quoidbach, J., Mikolajczak, M., & Hansenne, M. (2009). Increasing emotional intelligence:(How) is it possible?. Personality and individual differences, 47(1), 36-41.
Newton, C., Teo, S.T., Pick, D., Ho, M. and Thomas, D. (2016), “Emotional intelligence as a buffer of occupational stress”, Personnel Review, Vol. 45 No. 5, pp.1010-1028.
Nunnally, J. C. (1978), Psychometric Theory, Mcgraw-Hill, Hillsdale, NJ.
Ramalho Luz, C.M.D., Luiz de Paula, S. and de Oliveira, L.M.B. (2018), "Organizational commitment, job satisfaction and their possible influences on intent to turnover", Revista de Gestão, Vol. 25 No. 1, pp. 84-101.
Ruppel, C., Sims, R., and Zeidler, P. (2013), “Emotional labour and its outcomes: a study of a Philippine call centre”, Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration, Vol. 5 No. 3, pp. 246-261.
Scandura, T. A. and Graen, G. B. (1984), “Moderating effects of initial leader–member exchange status on the effects of a leadership intervention”, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 69 No. 3, pp. 428-436.
Sharma, J. and Dhar, R. L. (2016), “Factors influencing job performance of nursing staff: mediating role of affective commitment”, Personnel Review, Vol. 45 No.1, pp. 161-182.
Slaski, M., & Cartwright, S. (2003). Emotional intelligence training and its implications for stress, health and performance. Stress and Health, 19(4), 233-239.
Sprigg, C. A. and Jackson, P. R. (2006), “Call centers as lean service environments: Job-related strain and the mediating role of work design”, Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, Vol. 11 No. 2, pp. 197-212.
Thanacoody, P., Newman, A. and Fuchs, S. (2014), “Affective commitment and turnover intentions among healthcare professionals: The role of emotional exhaustion and disengagement”, The International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol. 25 No. 13, pp. 1841-1857.
Walsh, G. (2011), “Unfriendly customers as a social stressor–An indirect antecedent of service employees’ quitting intention”, European Management Journal, Vol. 29 No. 1, pp. 67-78.
Wat, Dennis, and Margaret A. Shaffer (2005), "Equity and relationship quality influences on organizational citizenship behaviors: The mediating role of trust in the supervisor and empowerment", Personnel Review, Vol. 34, No. 4, pp. 406-422.
Watson, D. and Clark, L. A. (1984), “Negative affectivity: the disposition to experience aversive emotional states”, Psychological Bulletin, Vol. 96 No. 3, pp. 465-490.
Wayne, S. J., Shore, L. M. and Liden, R. C. (1997), “Perceived organizational support and leader-member exchange: A social exchange perspective”, Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 40 No. 1, 82-111.
Wegge, J., Van Dick, R. and Von Bernstorff, C. (2010), “Emotional dissonance in call centre work”, Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 25 No. 6, pp. 596-619.
Wilk, S. L. and Moynihan, L. M. (2005). Display rule" regulators": the relationship between supervisors and worker emotional exhaustion. Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 90 No. 5, pp. 917-927.
Zapf, D., Isic, A., Bechtoldt, M. and Blau, P. (2003), “What is typical for call centre jobs? Job characteristics, and service interactions in different call centres”, European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, Vol. 12 No. 4, pp. 311-340.
Published
2022-03-07
Section
Articles
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