Abstract:
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify competency requirements that discriminate
between Knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) and IT-enabled business process outsourcing
(ITES-BPO) industries.
Design/methodology/approach – There are 25 firms operating in Sri Lanka that fall into the
category of ITES-BPO/KPO. HR managers of the 25 firms and a random sample of 117 employees from
those 25 firms responded to the survey. In addition to descriptive statistics, independent sample t-test
and logistic regression were used in the data analysis.
Findings – There are differences in competency requirements for KPO and BPO services. Further,
demographic variables, namely, age, the level of education, and total years of industry experience
shape competency requirements.
Originality/value – Despite greater volume of theoretical foundations and empirical evidence for
people management in BPO/KPO services, specific literature investigating and comparing competency
requirements, recruitment, selection and training of ITES-BPO and KPO employees is scarce.
Therefore, a research addressing those in a South Asian country that is considered as active and
promising destination for ITES-BPO/KPO services could provide practitioners with key information
that could enable them to make informed managerial decisions.
Citation:
Wickramasinghe, V., & Kumara, S. (2009). Differential effects of competency due to BPO and KPO industry differences in ITES sector in Sri Lanka. Career Development International, 14(2), 169–185. https://doi.org/10.1108/13620430910950764