Older workers & psychological contracts: A dynamic perspective. This project aims to track the trajectories of older workers’ psychological contracts that shape their give-and-take with the organisation. Little is understood about how these psychological contracts change as older workers continue to pursue work through their fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth decades of life. This project tracks older workers over intensive, repeated in-depth interviews and a large-scale longitudinal panel study. ....Older workers & psychological contracts: A dynamic perspective. This project aims to track the trajectories of older workers’ psychological contracts that shape their give-and-take with the organisation. Little is understood about how these psychological contracts change as older workers continue to pursue work through their fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth decades of life. This project tracks older workers over intensive, repeated in-depth interviews and a large-scale longitudinal panel study. The outcomes fill significant gaps in our understanding of older workers’ needs and orientation toward work, and identify the age-related changes and organisational practices that spur older workers to sustain a strong trajectory of productive participation in the workforce.Read moreRead less
To use or not to use financial incentives for motivation and performance. For decades, compensation experts have advocated for the use of financial incentives to motivate work performance, yet organisations keep encountering performance issues caused by these incentives. Using agency, expectancy, and self-determination theory to inform a meta-analysis and a series of experiments, this research will help uncover the most important motivational mechanisms that explain how financial incentives infl ....To use or not to use financial incentives for motivation and performance. For decades, compensation experts have advocated for the use of financial incentives to motivate work performance, yet organisations keep encountering performance issues caused by these incentives. Using agency, expectancy, and self-determination theory to inform a meta-analysis and a series of experiments, this research will help uncover the most important motivational mechanisms that explain how financial incentives influence different types of performance. Given that compensation accounts for an important proportion of an organisation's operating expenses and that employee engagement is on the decline around the world, this research will provide a strong empirical basis to develop more effective compensation systems.Read moreRead less
Improving the performance and wellbeing of introverted leaders. This project aims to investigate the performance and wellbeing of introverted leaders. It intends to test a theoretical model of leader performance and wellbeing which recognises that introverts regularly need to act out of character, that is, extraverted, in order to perform competently in leadership positions. The project proposes that the necessity for introverted leaders to act extraverted will compromise their effectiveness and ....Improving the performance and wellbeing of introverted leaders. This project aims to investigate the performance and wellbeing of introverted leaders. It intends to test a theoretical model of leader performance and wellbeing which recognises that introverts regularly need to act out of character, that is, extraverted, in order to perform competently in leadership positions. The project proposes that the necessity for introverted leaders to act extraverted will compromise their effectiveness and make them vulnerable to low wellbeing. Expected outcomes from this project include a better understanding of the performance and wellbeing of introverted leaders. Intended benefits for introverted leaders include demonstrated efficacy of affective forecasting intervention strategies.Read moreRead less
A dynamic model of work-related effort, recovery, and affective well-being. The aim of this project is to develop and test a computational model of work-related effort and recovery that explains how people recover from work demands moment-to-moment and day-to-day. Recovery is essential for well-being. Paradoxically, however, those who need to recover find it hard to put effort into recovery. The model will be tested in a series of naturalistic observational studies and controlled experiments. In ....A dynamic model of work-related effort, recovery, and affective well-being. The aim of this project is to develop and test a computational model of work-related effort and recovery that explains how people recover from work demands moment-to-moment and day-to-day. Recovery is essential for well-being. Paradoxically, however, those who need to recover find it hard to put effort into recovery. The model will be tested in a series of naturalistic observational studies and controlled experiments. In each study, subjective and physiological experiences of well-being and recovery are measured as people regulate effort during work and recovery. The result will be a unifying and general model of work recovery, that can inform when and how to intervene to improve employee well-being.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160101137
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$373,536.00
Summary
The whole is greater than its parts: Improving rail safety through teamwork. This project seeks to develop a train driving risk model that includes human factors, to enable rail organisations to better identify and mitigate safety risks. Train driving is a cognitively demanding task in which errors can quickly lead to catastrophic consequences. Signals passed at danger (SPADs) occur when a train goes past a red light. Despite significant investment in better signalling and communications infrast ....The whole is greater than its parts: Improving rail safety through teamwork. This project seeks to develop a train driving risk model that includes human factors, to enable rail organisations to better identify and mitigate safety risks. Train driving is a cognitively demanding task in which errors can quickly lead to catastrophic consequences. Signals passed at danger (SPADs) occur when a train goes past a red light. Despite significant investment in better signalling and communications infrastructure, SPAD rates remain unacceptably high and are projected to rise. SPAD risk is currently managed with a retrospective approach that fails to consider non-technical human factors such as time pressure, workload and team communications. By including non-technical dimensions, this project seeks to develop a comprehensive model to explain and prevent SPADs.Read moreRead less
The impact of leader financial rewards on work group functioning. This project aims to investigate when and why organisational leaders’ financial rewards improve or undermine social group functioning. Leaders’ pay has increased markedly in recent years, fuelling debate about the impacts on organisational functioning. While some studies have found high leader rewards have positive effects on group outcomes, others found negative or no effects. Expected outcomes include data on the effects of lead ....The impact of leader financial rewards on work group functioning. This project aims to investigate when and why organisational leaders’ financial rewards improve or undermine social group functioning. Leaders’ pay has increased markedly in recent years, fuelling debate about the impacts on organisational functioning. While some studies have found high leader rewards have positive effects on group outcomes, others found negative or no effects. Expected outcomes include data on the effects of leader rewards on social identification with the group and contribution to collective goals, that will help policy-makers design reward systems that optimise functioning. This has the potential to significantly benefit Australian business and organisations to facilitate high-functioning groups and improve productivity.Read moreRead less
Optimising the occupational wellbeing of Australian healthcare workers . This project aims to address the wellbeing of Australian healthcare workers by focusing on the relationship between a manager’s leadership style and the utilisation of wellbeing practices. This project expects to generate new knowledge by moving beyond individual factors and work design to explore more deep rooted and systemic causes, located upstream of the work group. Expected outcomes of this project will be to develop ....Optimising the occupational wellbeing of Australian healthcare workers . This project aims to address the wellbeing of Australian healthcare workers by focusing on the relationship between a manager’s leadership style and the utilisation of wellbeing practices. This project expects to generate new knowledge by moving beyond individual factors and work design to explore more deep rooted and systemic causes, located upstream of the work group. Expected outcomes of this project will be to develop preventative strategies to improve healthcare employees’ wellbeing, and the associated costs of mental health claims and lost productivity.Read moreRead less
Motivating work teams: An emergence-based process model . With work teams having to undertake more critical and complex tasks, this project aims to develop and evaluate a new process model of team motivation emergence through field studies using varied samples of workers, simulation studies, and computational modelling. The project expects to generate solutions to Australia's declining work engagement by answering calls for research on how to develop team motivation. Expected outcomes include n ....Motivating work teams: An emergence-based process model . With work teams having to undertake more critical and complex tasks, this project aims to develop and evaluate a new process model of team motivation emergence through field studies using varied samples of workers, simulation studies, and computational modelling. The project expects to generate solutions to Australia's declining work engagement by answering calls for research on how to develop team motivation. Expected outcomes include new knowledge of team motivation disseminated through scholarly and practitioner-oriented publications and presentations, as well as practical team assessment and training tools made available to organisations so they can improve team performance.
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Digital communication and work stress. This project aims to examine email load and its effects on work pressure, health, sleep and recovery using a national longitudinal design and innovative diary research. The project intends to advance theoretical and practical understanding of the well-being of staff and the impact of technological and competitiveness in the context of Australian universities. Expected outcomes include will address a gap in research by including casual employees, so that the ....Digital communication and work stress. This project aims to examine email load and its effects on work pressure, health, sleep and recovery using a national longitudinal design and innovative diary research. The project intends to advance theoretical and practical understanding of the well-being of staff and the impact of technological and competitiveness in the context of Australian universities. Expected outcomes include will address a gap in research by including casual employees, so that the findings can potentially benefit all occupational groups. In addition to assisting university management to attain healthier work environments, the project may benefit other Australian workers.Read moreRead less
To step-in or to stand-by: Third party responses to abusive supervision. Abusive supervision is costly in Australian organisations. Little is known about the experiences of third parties who are not direct targets of abuse. Indeed, a large percentage of supervisor abuse that is witnessed goes unreported. Using a multi-method approach, this project develops and tests a model that explains third party responses to supervisor abuse. In addition to advancing theory, an evidence-based intervention (i ....To step-in or to stand-by: Third party responses to abusive supervision. Abusive supervision is costly in Australian organisations. Little is known about the experiences of third parties who are not direct targets of abuse. Indeed, a large percentage of supervisor abuse that is witnessed goes unreported. Using a multi-method approach, this project develops and tests a model that explains third party responses to supervisor abuse. In addition to advancing theory, an evidence-based intervention (including an action tool kit) is developed to empower third parties to combat supervisor abuse by engaging in constructive action. Overall, research outcomes will aim to provide actionable insights into what organisations can do to encourage their employees to take a proactive stance against abusive supervision.Read moreRead less