Building a Community of Practice in the Workplace: A Case Study at a University Information Technology Call Center

Introduction

Call centers play an important role in enhancing business success for organizations by providing information and assistance to their customers (Aksin et al., 2007). Building a community of practice (CoP) at a call center could foster organizational knowledge management and sharing, facilitate professional development, and support the overall performance of the organization. A CoP is defined as groups of people who share the same values, interests, or goals working together to complete tasks (Wenger, 1998). The CoP framework has been adopted in organizations to promote professional learning and group work (Koliba & Gajda, 2009). The literature suggests that CoP can enhance knowledge sharing (Koliba & Gajda, 2009; Sánchez-Cardona et al., 2012), help novices become experts (Fuller & Unwin, 2003), increase employee satisfaction (Ikeazota, 2016), and foster workplace innovation (Sánchez-Cardona et al., 2012).

This study was conducted at an information technology (IT) call center also named as the IT experience and engagement unit at a large research university in the United States. The call center consists of two groups, one is the Information Center (IC), and the other is the 4Help/Help Desk. The call center offers support for all stakeholders within and beyond the university community, including students, staff, faculty, alumni, and visitors who need support for IT services offered by the university. The IC has 15 full-time and part-time employees that provides 24 hours all year-round support to customers, whereas the 4Help opens from 8am-5pm, Monday-Friday with one full-time supervisor and 22 student consultants.

Previously, these two groups operated at two different locations, and they were merged into one physical location when this study was conducted. The IC provides the first tier of support for users, by which the agents and consultants take phone calls from users and help them resolving problems, such as password resets, university directory assistance and escalating incidents to the second tier of support. Figure 1 displays the organizational structure and main tasks that are performed by each group. The 4Help group offers second tier support with providing advanced trouble shooting services, such as resolving wireless connection issues, assistance with downloading programs, and troubleshooting applications. Incidents reported by the users are recorded in ServiceNow that is the main ticketing system used at the call center. Agents and consultants can create an incident ticket, view ticket information, and track the progress of an incident in ServiceNow. Then student consultants at 4Help pick an incident from the queue and assist users with their problems via phone or email.

Figure 1.

Organizational structure and associated tasks

Literature Review

CoPs are closely related to the notion of situated learning. Situated learning posits that learning is actively constructed via social interaction in a contextualized environment (Lave & Wenger, 1991). In a CoP, members share information, construct new knowledge, and achieve mutual goals through social activities and engagement (Smith et al., 2019). Brown, Collins, and Duguid (1989) stated that learning is inseparable from the context and culture where it occurs, furthermore, they introduced the concept of cognitive apprenticeship that emphasizes learners learn from observing their teacher’s problem-solving process. A learner can reach a higher level of performance by receiving assistance from more capable members within a community (Vygostky, 1978). Peer learning is a critical component of CoP, as Boud and Middleton (2003) mentioned that peers learn from each other via informal learning opportunities especially in the workplace. A newcomer moves from peripheral participation to full participation by getting involved in group activities and adopting the culture and social norms of that community (Brown et al., 1989; Lave & Wenger, 1991).