Twentieth century management theory in today's organization - how relevant is a forty-year-old model in the contemporary context of a call center

[Abstract]: In the search to find the solution to the ‘one best way’ to provide a conduit for contact between organizations and their customers, call centers represent a recent incarnation of the principles of scientific management developed in the first decades of the last century. This paper seeks to apply another iconic legacy of twentieth century management theory, Tuckman’s four-stage model of group development devised in 1965, to organizations which didn’t exist when the original idea was first postulated. How relevant are the ‘forming’, storming’, norming, and ‘performing’ stages of progression to an environment renowned for constant changes to group membership? In his 1977 revision of the four-stage model with Jensen, Tuckman acknowledged the limited capacity of the theory to account for transient participation in groups. This paper reports the findings of research which provides evidence that Tuckman’s model describes accurately the patterns of behaviour demonstrated by groups of newly selected call center workers completing their initial induction training in an Australian, semi-government, call center. Call centers provide a contemporary context for the application of Taylorist management principles, symbolic of practice more readily associated with the industrial revolution than with ‘modern’ organizations. Tuckman’s 1965 model has a similar resonance for call centers today

Spectral Characteristics and Stable Ranks for the Sarason Algebra H∞+CH^\infty+C

We prove a Corona type theorem with bounds for the Sarason algebra $H^\infty+C$ and determine its spectral characteristics. We also determine the Bass, the dense, and the topological stable ranks of $H^\infty+C$.Comment: v1: 16 page

Flight evaluation of a computer aided low-altitude helicopter flight guidance system

The Flight Systems Development branch of the U.S. Army's Avionics Research and Development Activity (AVRADA) and NASA Ames Research Center developed for flight testing a Computer Aided Low-Altitude Helicopter Flight (CALAHF) guidance system. The system includes a trajectory-generation algorithm which uses dynamic programming and a helmet-mounted display (HMD) presentation of a pathway-in-the-sky, a phantom aircraft, and flight-path vector/predictor guidance symbology. The trajectory-generation algorithm uses knowledge of the global mission requirements, a digital terrain map, aircraft performance capabilities, and precision navigation information to determine a trajectory between mission waypoints that seeks valleys to minimize threat exposure. This system was developed and evaluated through extensive use of piloted simulation and has demonstrated a 'pilot centered' concept of automated and integrated navigation and terrain mission planning flight guidance. This system has shown a significant improvement in pilot situational awareness, and mission effectiveness as well as a decrease in training and proficiency time required for a near terrain, nighttime, adverse weather system

Taylorism, targets, technology and teams - compatible concepts? Evidence from a US call centre

Taylorism, targets and technology form a potent mix in call centres where groups of individuals are asked to perform as “teams”. In this paper we explore how ‘task’ oriented concepts interact with the ‘interpersonal relationship’ realm in an environment where group life dominates the notional foundation of a call centre’s organisational structure. Tuckman’s four stage model of sequential group development serves as the theoretical lens through which the role ‘teams’ play in the working environment of a large call centre is examined.Our analysis of structured interviews conducted in an outbound, financial services call centre in the southern United States reveals the mechanisms by which agents have interpreted their ‘team charter’ to focus on individual achievement of increased remuneration levels. The interplay between these variables indicate that reward mechanisms associated with simple Taylorist targets, imposed on the entry level call centre agents, mitigate against meaningful group development. The advancement through promotion based on individual performance to more challenging, less target based work, is in sharp contrast to their initial training period where ‘team building’ is an essential ingredient of skills acquisition

Selectable towline spin chute system

An emergency spin recovery parachute is presented that is housed within a centrally mounted housing on the aft end of an aircraft and connected to a ring fitting within the housing. Two selectively latching shackles connected to separate towlines are openly disposed adjacent the ring fitting. The towlines extend in opposite directions from the housing along the aircraft wing to attachment points adjacent the wing-tips where the other end of each towline is secured. Upon pilot command, one of the open shackles latches to the ring fitting to attach the towline connected thereto, and a second command signal deploys the parachute. Suitable break-away straps secure the towlines to the aircraft surface until the parachute is deployed and the resulting force on the towline attached to the parachute overcomes the straps and permits the towline to extend to the point of attachment to exert sufficient drag on the spinning aircraft to permit the pilot to regain control of the aircraft. To employ the parachute as a drag chute to reduce landing speeds, both shackles and their respective towlines are latched to the ring fitting