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The role of psychological capital in protecting the psychological well-being of individuals working in call centres

Thesis (MCom)--Stellenbosch University, 2016

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Main Author: Van Wyk, Nico
Other Authors: Myburgh, Wim
Format: Thesis
Language:en_ZA
Published: Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University 2016
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access_status_str Open Access
author Van Wyk, Nico
author2 Myburgh, Wim
author_browse Myburgh, Wim
Van Wyk, Nico
author_facet Myburgh, Wim
Van Wyk, Nico
author_sort Van Wyk, Nico
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv Stellenbosch University
description Thesis (MCom)--Stellenbosch University, 2016
format Thesis
id oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/98560
institution Stellenbosch University (South Africa)
language en_ZA
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:44:31.934Z
license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository
publishDate 2016
publishDateRange 2016
publishDateSort 2016
publisher Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
publisherStr Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
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source_str SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository
spelling oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/98560 The role of psychological capital in protecting the psychological well-being of individuals working in call centres Van Wyk, Nico Myburgh, Wim Stellenbosch University. Economic and Management Sciences. Dept. of Industrial Psychology Psychological well-being (PWB) Positive Organisational Behaviour (POB) Call Centres -- South Africa Burn out (Psychology) Positive psychology Conservation of Resources (COR) theory UCTD Psychological capital Thesis (MCom)--Stellenbosch University, 2016 Call centres play an important role in the growth of the South African economy. While the use of call centres offer companies numerous benefits, indications are that its success comes at the cost of individual psychological well-being (PWB). This is concerning as call centres are a prominent place of work for many South Africans. PWB is not only important for people, but it also forms a critical component of organisational sustainability and competitiveness. People with good PWB are better workers (more engaged and committed) and the absence of ill-health also saves companies a lot of money. A major redesign of the call centre job characteristics has been declared almost impossible. Therefore, gaining insight into how the individual and the work environment interacts to account for variance in individual PWB might provide fruitful research that can aid the development of human resource interventions to protect the PWB of individuals in call centres. The current study raises the question as to why variance in PWB exists among call centre workers. The research objective of this study is to develop and empirically test an explanatory model that accounts for variance in call operator PWB. Drawing on the Positive Organisational Behaviour (POB) paradigm and Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, the present study explored the role of resources in how people overcome stressful situations and experience PWB. The call centre environment and its PWB-threatening work conditions were also explored. The study proposed a comprehensive Psychological Well-being at Work (PWBW) in Call Centres structural model which attempts to explain the nomological network of latent variables responsible for variance in call operator PWBW. Due to the small sample size, the study was not able to test the moderating effects of Psychological Capital (PsyCap) on the different stressors and the model had to be adapted. The composite questionnaire was administered to a convenience sample ( =201) of call operators working across different industries for different companies. An ex post facto correlation design and structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to test the substantive research hypotheses. The comprehensive PWBW in Call Centres structural model obtained a reasonable fit. Support was not found for all the hypothesised theoretical relationships. The main findings include that PsyCap can be expected to retard the development of Exhaustion and Disengagement (two dimensions of burnout) via its ability to diminish the potency of the Workload, Lack of autonomy and Lack of co-worker support stressors, thereby reducing the threat that burnout poses to call operator PWBW. According to the study’s results, call centres can, through the development of PsyCap, empower their call operators with the resources required to protect their PWBW and to better cope with the major call centre stressors included in this study. Call centres should embrace the importance of adopting a strengths based approach to managing human resources and focus on developing the PsyCap of their call operators in order to preserve good PWBW and to unlock sustainability and competitive advantage. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING : Geen Afrikaanse opsomming geskikbaar nie Masters 2016-03-09T14:33:52Z 2016-03-09T14:33:52Z 2016-03 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/98560 en_ZA Stellenbosch University xii, 176 pages : illustrations (mainly colour) application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
spellingShingle Psychological well-being (PWB)
Positive Organisational Behaviour (POB)
Call Centres -- South Africa
Burn out (Psychology)
Positive psychology
Conservation of Resources (COR) theory
UCTD
Psychological capital
Van Wyk, Nico
The role of psychological capital in protecting the psychological well-being of individuals working in call centres
title The role of psychological capital in protecting the psychological well-being of individuals working in call centres
title_full The role of psychological capital in protecting the psychological well-being of individuals working in call centres
title_fullStr The role of psychological capital in protecting the psychological well-being of individuals working in call centres
title_full_unstemmed The role of psychological capital in protecting the psychological well-being of individuals working in call centres
title_short The role of psychological capital in protecting the psychological well-being of individuals working in call centres
title_sort role of psychological capital in protecting the psychological well being of individuals working in call centres
topic Psychological well-being (PWB)
Positive Organisational Behaviour (POB)
Call Centres -- South Africa
Burn out (Psychology)
Positive psychology
Conservation of Resources (COR) theory
UCTD
Psychological capital
url http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/98560
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