An investigation of supervisory practices for improving occupational health and safety behaviour in construction teams: a cross-level experimental analysis. Construction workers, comprising 8% of the Australian workforce, are a high risk group for occupational fatality, injury and disease. Almost 10% of all injury and death claims in Australia are attributed to construction, creating a significant social and economic burden. The research addresses the previously neglected issue of how first-line ....An investigation of supervisory practices for improving occupational health and safety behaviour in construction teams: a cross-level experimental analysis. Construction workers, comprising 8% of the Australian workforce, are a high risk group for occupational fatality, injury and disease. Almost 10% of all injury and death claims in Australia are attributed to construction, creating a significant social and economic burden. The research addresses the previously neglected issue of how first-line supervisors shape subordinates' safety behaviour. The research makes a significant contribution by identifying and encouraging supervisory behaviours that: (i) create strong, positive safety climates in sub-contracted work crews; (ii) support the translation of organizational OHS policies/procedures into safe practices; and (iii) improve the OHS performance of the construction industry.Read moreRead less
Behind the scenes: diversity management paradigm shifts and sticking points. Many Australian organisations miss out on the potential benefits of workforce diversity because they do not manage diversity effectively. This project will investigate how organisations can initiate and direct change processes to manage diversity more effectively, and as a result, experience higher productivity and employee engagement.
The impact of institutional pressure on the management of organisational gender diversity. Women’s low representation in senior management and boards led to the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) requiring listed companies to report on gender diversity. This project examines if women’s representation is changing in response to the ASX requirements and identifies organisational strategies for achieving sustainable gender diversity.
Creating sustainable employment for disadvantaged and vulnerable groups . This project aims to address long-term unemployment and labour market exclusion of disadvantaged and vulnerable groups by generating new employer-led solutions. The project expects to create, with employers, successful strategies for recruiting disadvantaged workers into better quality jobs, and to co-produce best practice employer engagement toolkits and minimum job quality standards. Anticipated outcomes include increasi ....Creating sustainable employment for disadvantaged and vulnerable groups . This project aims to address long-term unemployment and labour market exclusion of disadvantaged and vulnerable groups by generating new employer-led solutions. The project expects to create, with employers, successful strategies for recruiting disadvantaged workers into better quality jobs, and to co-produce best practice employer engagement toolkits and minimum job quality standards. Anticipated outcomes include increasing the success of government-funded employment programs by improving employment opportunities and reducing cycling between work and welfare. Significant benefits for disadvantaged groups, businesses and society will result in increased employee wellbeing, organisational performance and economic competitiveness.Read moreRead less
Policing and Quality Part-time Work: Constraints and Options. Research suggests that a major barrier to retaining women both in sworn and unsworn positions in police work is the limited provision and uptake of part-time work. A related impediment is the conditions associated with the part-time work available in policing services. This project uses an action research approach to analyse the constraints on and options for ensuring that part-time work within Victoria Police is good 'quality' work. ....Policing and Quality Part-time Work: Constraints and Options. Research suggests that a major barrier to retaining women both in sworn and unsworn positions in police work is the limited provision and uptake of part-time work. A related impediment is the conditions associated with the part-time work available in policing services. This project uses an action research approach to analyse the constraints on and options for ensuring that part-time work within Victoria Police is good 'quality' work. The project outcomes will contribute to better theoretical and organisational understandings of the dimensions of quality in the implementation of part-time work in public policing and in other organisational contexts.
Read moreRead less
Sexual harassment in Australia: Contexts, outcomes and prevention. Sexual harassment remains a persistent workplace issue with significant social costs. The project will examine how to most effectively prevent sexual harassment and to reduce the impact of sexual harassment for individuals and organizations where it occurs. A comprehensive analysis will be undertaken, drawing on a longitudinal study of more than 100 'targets' of sexual harassment, interviews with a wide range of employers and ext ....Sexual harassment in Australia: Contexts, outcomes and prevention. Sexual harassment remains a persistent workplace issue with significant social costs. The project will examine how to most effectively prevent sexual harassment and to reduce the impact of sexual harassment for individuals and organizations where it occurs. A comprehensive analysis will be undertaken, drawing on a longitudinal study of more than 100 'targets' of sexual harassment, interviews with a wide range of employers and external complaint handling bodies, and an analysis of formal and informal reports. The project outcomes will contribute to improved policy and practice in workplaces and human rights and assist other bodies to prevent and more effectively respond to sexual harassment.Read moreRead less
Innovation Management Strategies and Practices to Accelerate the Commercialisation Process in the Biotechnology Industry. The innovation cycle is a complex and misunderstood area of management, particularly in the Biotechnology Industry where the innovation cycle can take up to 15 years. The management literature provides anecdotal information, however, lacks theoretical models which provide guidance to Managers on how to shorten the innovation process. Therefore, the aim of this PhD research, ....Innovation Management Strategies and Practices to Accelerate the Commercialisation Process in the Biotechnology Industry. The innovation cycle is a complex and misunderstood area of management, particularly in the Biotechnology Industry where the innovation cycle can take up to 15 years. The management literature provides anecdotal information, however, lacks theoretical models which provide guidance to Managers on how to shorten the innovation process. Therefore, the aim of this PhD research, which is "a world first", is to develop and test an innovation cycle model through quantitative and qualitative research. Expected outcomes include developing a valid and reliable model for measuring and predicting relationships between innovation practice and innovation performance and developing case studies for teaching purposes.Read moreRead less
Redesigning work for an ageing society. The significance of this proposal is the opportunity it creates to identify and manage occupational risks and vulnerabilities that challenge the retention of ageing workers in Australia. It will build a statistical overview of the main occupational risks faced by ageing workers and also design, implement and test interventions in Australian workplaces. The project will examine and adapt a leading international framework for managing ageing workforces, the ....Redesigning work for an ageing society. The significance of this proposal is the opportunity it creates to identify and manage occupational risks and vulnerabilities that challenge the retention of ageing workers in Australia. It will build a statistical overview of the main occupational risks faced by ageing workers and also design, implement and test interventions in Australian workplaces. The project will examine and adapt a leading international framework for managing ageing workforces, the Finnish 'work ability' model,to the Australian context. The main outcomes will be both practical organisational guidelines and a broad policy framework for increasing the'work ability' of older workers, both in Australia and internationally.
Read moreRead less
Work process change in hospital services. This project will compare how process re-engineering methods, such as Lean Management and Six Sigma, are implemented in hospitals in Australia and Canada and how they impact on staff and patient care.
Work-Life Integration: Developing the 'Dual Agenda' in Theory and Practice. This project addresses the important and urgent need to reconcile organizational efficiency with employee needs to balance work, personal and family life. Current research indicates that the adoption of standard ?family-friendly? policies is hindered by traditional, gendered work processes, organizational norms and structures. A new approach called the ?dual agenda? for change is advocated to resolve this problem. This p ....Work-Life Integration: Developing the 'Dual Agenda' in Theory and Practice. This project addresses the important and urgent need to reconcile organizational efficiency with employee needs to balance work, personal and family life. Current research indicates that the adoption of standard ?family-friendly? policies is hindered by traditional, gendered work processes, organizational norms and structures. A new approach called the ?dual agenda? for change is advocated to resolve this problem. This project tests the application of the ?dual agenda? in two large Australian organisations. The data produced will identify policies and processes which meet the ?dual agenda? of gender equitable, improved work-life outcomes for employees and improved business outcomes for organizations.Read moreRead less