info:eu-repo/semantics/article
Supervisor’s behavioral complexity: Ineffective in the call center
Fecha
2017Registro en:
1753-0296
International Journal of Business Science and Applied Management
Autor
León, Federico R.
Burga León, Andrés Alberto
Morales, Oswaldo
Institución
Resumen
An ample repertoire of leadership behaviors available to the manager is expected to guarantee his/her
effectiveness transcending situations, but research in the call-center context has identified a specific form of
effective supervision: people-oriented leadership. The purpose of this paper is to compare the effectiveness of
leader behavioral complexity vis-à-vis people-oriented supervision. 268 employees out of 728 of a Peruvian
call center filled in an on-line survey that included, among other questionnaires, the Competing Values
Framework Managerial Behavior Instrument in reference to their front-line supervisor. The study analyzed
the relationships between supervisory leadership and subordinate turnover intention and absenteeism.
Behavioral complexity, like people-oriented leadership, predicted subordinate turnover intention but did not
predict subordinate absenteeism, which people-oriented leadership did when other leadership orientations (to
change, results, processes) were held constant. Our explanations consider that absenteeism is a concrete
behavior and turnover intention an abstract attitude. The findings are consistent with the call-center literature,
suggest important boundaries to the concept of manager behavioral complexity, and highlight the need for
contingency theories of leadership effectiveness.