Investigating the Impact of Work Design on Productive Wellbeing in Mercy Health: The Modernising Third Sector. Around the world the Third Sector (TS) of the economy is coming under pressure to modernise their management. The typical approaches to modern management being imposed overseas may not be appropriate for TS organisations and therefore they need to be critically examined, especially for their impact on employees. In Australia the TS is a large (approx. $15billion), yet low-profile set of ....Investigating the Impact of Work Design on Productive Wellbeing in Mercy Health: The Modernising Third Sector. Around the world the Third Sector (TS) of the economy is coming under pressure to modernise their management. The typical approaches to modern management being imposed overseas may not be appropriate for TS organisations and therefore they need to be critically examined, especially for their impact on employees. In Australia the TS is a large (approx. $15billion), yet low-profile set of organisations, of which the health industry is central. This project will investigate the issues that make workplaces in a TS health organisation a healthier and more productive place to work. The results could directly help improve workplaces covering more than 150,000 employees.Read moreRead less
Whistling While They Work: Enhancing the Theory and Practice of Internal Witness Management in Public Sector Organisations. The protection of whistleblowers and other internal witnesses to corruption, misconduct and maladministration is a great unsolved problem in public sector governance. Involving 11 integrity institutions, this first national study of internal witness management will describe and compare organisational experience under varying public interest disclosure regimes across the Au ....Whistling While They Work: Enhancing the Theory and Practice of Internal Witness Management in Public Sector Organisations. The protection of whistleblowers and other internal witnesses to corruption, misconduct and maladministration is a great unsolved problem in public sector governance. Involving 11 integrity institutions, this first national study of internal witness management will describe and compare organisational experience under varying public interest disclosure regimes across the Australian public sector. By identifying and promoting current best practice in workplace responses to public interest whistleblowing, the project will use the experience and perceptions of internal witnesses and first- and second-level managers to identify more routine strategies for preventing, reducing and addressing reprisals and other whistleblowing-related conflicts.Read moreRead less
Strengthening Corporate Governance Behaviour in the Public Sector: Evaluating the Benefits of a Knowledge Systems Approach. There is considerable pressure on government agencies to improve corporate governance and become more accountable. But there is a lack of systematic data and analyses on the efficacy of the range of governance structures and arrangements in practice. In addressing this void, this study is of national significance. Building upon knowledge management and group behaviour proce ....Strengthening Corporate Governance Behaviour in the Public Sector: Evaluating the Benefits of a Knowledge Systems Approach. There is considerable pressure on government agencies to improve corporate governance and become more accountable. But there is a lack of systematic data and analyses on the efficacy of the range of governance structures and arrangements in practice. In addressing this void, this study is of national significance. Building upon knowledge management and group behaviour processes, the research will lead to the development and testing of best practice models and guidelines for corporate governance management in the public sectorRead moreRead less
Managing anger responses to perceptions of unfair managerial treatment. Workers' experience of anger at work can be distracting and result in lower performance, which contributes to lower productivity in the Australian economy. This project seeks to understand this phenomenon and offer solutions for minimising the impact of anger at work for both individuals and workgroups.
Employee voice in Australia: the impact of employee participation arrangements on organisational performance and employee well-being. Given the extent of union decline in Australia, there is a need to update policy to reflect the new reality of low unionisation. This project will examine what alternative arrangements exist and their economic and social consequences. It focuses on the employee impacts and employer impacts of these arrangements and will inform current policy debates.
Managing key professional transitions in the health sector. This project will examine how health professionals make effective transitions into their roles, and balance the tensions between maximising patient outcomes and managing efficiencies and budgets. Quality healthcare is an important issue for all Australians and the project contributes to improving outcomes for healthcare employees and their patients.
Team processes, identification, and reliable performance: Implementing the Balanced Scorecard in health service teams. The aims of this research are to examine factors that enhance the reliability of performance of health service teams. These teams are required to deliver outcomes with a high degree of consistency and reliability. We draw on social identity theory and research on high reliability organisations (HROs) to identify the factors that contribute to improved reliability in teams. Secon ....Team processes, identification, and reliable performance: Implementing the Balanced Scorecard in health service teams. The aims of this research are to examine factors that enhance the reliability of performance of health service teams. These teams are required to deliver outcomes with a high degree of consistency and reliability. We draw on social identity theory and research on high reliability organisations (HROs) to identify the factors that contribute to improved reliability in teams. Second, we explore whether organisational strategy processes such as the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) infiltrate work processes and influence team outcomes. Our aim is to examine whether the implementation of the BSC interacts with team dynamics to enhance the reliability of performance in teams.Read moreRead less
Institutional logics in organisations: The interplay between managerial and professional logics in hospitals. In community surveys, health is consistently regarded as the most important issue by Australian voters. Healthcare is particularly relevant in Queensland, where unprecedented population growth has increased waiting lists. Difficulties in recruiting and retaining qualified staff in Queensland's public hospitals are well-publicised. This research examines how organisational practices withi ....Institutional logics in organisations: The interplay between managerial and professional logics in hospitals. In community surveys, health is consistently regarded as the most important issue by Australian voters. Healthcare is particularly relevant in Queensland, where unprecedented population growth has increased waiting lists. Difficulties in recruiting and retaining qualified staff in Queensland's public hospitals are well-publicised. This research examines how organisational practices within hospitals contribute to these challenges in delivering quality healthcare. Improved work practices, staff retention and hospital performance will result from a better understanding of the interaction of managerial and professional logics in decision making and problem solving in the day-to-day practice of public healthcare.Read moreRead less
Culture Change for a Sustainable Future: Strategy, Culture and Subculture in Queensland Health. The project investigates the strategic change processes of a State Health authority. The organisation has launched a series of change efforts in recent years, the most current being a major strategic initiative that is being implemented via a Balanced Scorecard methodology. The project examines longitudinally that change implementation process and its affects, particularly the impact on organisational ....Culture Change for a Sustainable Future: Strategy, Culture and Subculture in Queensland Health. The project investigates the strategic change processes of a State Health authority. The organisation has launched a series of change efforts in recent years, the most current being a major strategic initiative that is being implemented via a Balanced Scorecard methodology. The project examines longitudinally that change implementation process and its affects, particularly the impact on organisational culture. Theoretically, it explores the existence of organisational subcultures and how they function as a resource by organisational members to make differential interpretations of the change process. It focuses on subcultures formed around professional identifications and the extent to which they align with the change.Read moreRead less
Customer Co-production in Ongoing Health Service Delivery: A Longitudinal Study. Customers do not merely receive services. Increasingly they are actively involved in their design and delivery even to the extent of being regarded as 'part-time employees'. Customer co-production is tipped to be the next frontier in competitive effectiveness. Benefits to customers,however, are largely unknown. Often customers fail in their co-production role with serious negative consequences. Given the important r ....Customer Co-production in Ongoing Health Service Delivery: A Longitudinal Study. Customers do not merely receive services. Increasingly they are actively involved in their design and delivery even to the extent of being regarded as 'part-time employees'. Customer co-production is tipped to be the next frontier in competitive effectiveness. Benefits to customers,however, are largely unknown. Often customers fail in their co-production role with serious negative consequences. Given the important role of customers (patients) in ongoing health care, and the potential for failure, it is critical that customer co-production be fully investigated. If performed well co-production should result in positive patient outcomes and significant cost savings for the healthcare sector.
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