Diya Das

The importance of being `Indian': Identity centrality and work outcomes in an off-shored call center in India

Existing studies of identity dynamics have shown that employees embody multiple social identities, and have multiple foci of identifications at work that shape their attitudes and behaviors. However, limited research has examined these frameworks in the new, emerging contexts of global workplaces. In this article, we focus on one such significant example of contemporary globalization: transnational service work in the international call center industry in India. Our findings indicate that national identity centrality is indeed negatively associated with employee performance and positively associated with intention to leave. Furthermore, national identity centrality also moderates the relationship of organizational identification with performance and burnout. While we reinforce the importance of organizational identity and occupational identity centrality, we highlight the hitherto ignored consequences of national identity centrality in our study context.

Locating Behavioral Cynicism at Work: Construct Issues and Performance Implications

In this article, we situate organizational cynicism at the nexus of the related constructs of burnout, stress, and antisocial behavior. We expand Dean, Brandes, and Dharwadkars (1998) notion of behavioral cynicism to include cynical humor and cynical criticism. We also propose that cynical behavior has important, non-linear effects on employee work performance. Finally, we suggest that cynical behavior may act as a coping mechanism for employees and that such behavior moderates the stress–performance relationship.

Modelling heterogeneity in perceptions of stress in Indian call centres: a latent class analysis

Stress is one of the biggest human resource (HR) problems facing high turnover industries like the Indian international call centre industry. This paper provides a comprehensive study of how the attitudes of call centre employees towards different aspects of their work affect their level of stress experienced. Our specific contribution to the literature is in understanding the heterogeneity among employees and how that affects meaningful inference in studying employees’ perceptions of stress. To achieve this goal, we compare and contrast between traditional regression models used in the extant literature with latent class regression analysis. The latent class analysis suggests the presence of four distinct groups of employees, confirming the heterogeneity present in the data. This study is unique in trying to explore how individuals may differ in their experience of stress and how there may be heterogeneity in the relationships explored between various cognitive and affective variables and experiences of stress.

Modeling the determinants of turnover intentions: a Bayesian approach

Much of what we learn from empirical research is based on a specific empirical model(s) presented in the literature. However, the range of plausible models given the data is potentially larger, thus creating an additional source of uncertainty termed: model uncertainty. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of model uncertainty on empirical research in HRM and suggest potential solutions to deal with the same.,Using a sample of call center employees from India, the authors test the robustness of predictors of intention to leave based on the unfolding model proposed by Harman et.al. (2007). Methodologically, the authors use Bayesian Model Averaging (BMA) to identify the specific variables within the unfolding model that have a robust relationship with turnover intentions after accounting for model uncertainty.,The findings show that indeed model uncertainty can impact what we learn from empirical studies. More specifically, in the context of the sample, using four plausible model specifications, the authors show that the conclusions can vary depending on which model the authors choose to interpret. Furthermore, using BMA, the authors find that only two variables, job satisfaction and perceived organizational support, are model specification independent robust predictors of intention to leave.,The research has specific implications for the development of HR analytics and informs managers on which are the most robust elements affecting attrition.,While empirical research typically acknowledges and corrects for the presence of sampling uncertainty through p-values, rarely does it acknowledge the presence of model uncertainty (which variables to include in a model). To the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is the first study to show the effect and offer a solution to studying total uncertainty (sampling uncertainty + model uncertainty) on empirical research in HRM. The work should open more doors toward more studies evaluating the robustness of key HRM constructs in explaining important work-related outcomes.

Attitudinal Antecedents of Intention to Leave and Model Averaging: A Union of Two Literatures

The method of specifying models through regressions can often depict an incomplete picture due to the assumption that inference is conditional upon the specification(s) being an accurate description of the true data generating process. Studies have shown that perfect foresight on the true data generating process is a tenuous argument, especially since knowledge in various sub-fields of management is relatively eclectic with considerable variation in results from empirical research. We demonstrate that Bayesian Model Averaging BMA could be an effective mechanism to eliminate model uncertainty and produce reliable inference and apply it to the domain of attrition research.

Book Review: Phone Clones: Authenticity Work in the Transnational Service Economy

Kiran Mirchandani, Phone Clones: Authenticity Work in the Transnational Service Economy, Cornell University Press, 2012.

The importance of being 'something': Identity centrality and work outcomes in off-shored call centers in India

This article presents academic business research. The article examines identity centrality and work outcomes in offshore call centers which are located in the country of India. Particular focus is ...