Customising work through manager-employee exchange. This project will explore how managers and employees customise the terms and conditions of standardised employment arrangements. The results will inform legislation such as right to request provisions and organisational strategies such as manager training which support effective, mutually beneficial manager-employee exchanges.
Promoting Knowledge Economy Organisations and Innovative Work: Regional influences on Knowledge-based Small and Medium-sized Enterprise clusters in Australia and Germany. In both Australia and Germany many regional areas have experienced economic and social decline. Clusters offer a means of fostering local economic development thereby arresting regional social and economic deterioration. The research focuses on those clusters that rely on knowledge transfer between organisations. Through identi ....Promoting Knowledge Economy Organisations and Innovative Work: Regional influences on Knowledge-based Small and Medium-sized Enterprise clusters in Australia and Germany. In both Australia and Germany many regional areas have experienced economic and social decline. Clusters offer a means of fostering local economic development thereby arresting regional social and economic deterioration. The research focuses on those clusters that rely on knowledge transfer between organisations. Through identifying the drivers and impediments to the formation of knowledge based clusters, the research aims to provide practical guidance to regionally-based organizations to assist in the successful formation and maintenance of clusters. In doing so, the research will identify how clusters that rely on the sharing of organizational knowledge may promote greater regional employment possibilities.Read moreRead less
Pay alignment: Fact or fallacy? The project will make an important contribution to our understanding of the impact of employee pay system configuration on firm performance and, in turn, on national productivity and Australia's social and economic fabric. The findings will enrich pay system theory and guide evidence-based improvement in firms' pay practices. It will help employers to identify the most contextually appropriate and effective ways to manage pay level, structure and plan choice and t ....Pay alignment: Fact or fallacy? The project will make an important contribution to our understanding of the impact of employee pay system configuration on firm performance and, in turn, on national productivity and Australia's social and economic fabric. The findings will enrich pay system theory and guide evidence-based improvement in firms' pay practices. It will help employers to identify the most contextually appropriate and effective ways to manage pay level, structure and plan choice and thus to design pay systems that employees in different workplace contexts perceive as fair and that enhance organisational performance and ability to attract, motivate and retain high calibre staff.Read moreRead less
Managing the Volunteer Workforce: Flexible Structures and Strategies to Integrate Volunteers and Paid Workers. Volunteers now play a vital role in many service-oriented organisations. This project proposes an innovative framework to assist organisations to develop flexible and appropriate structures and strategies for the management of volunteer and paid workforces. The approach draws upon Atkinson's (1984) "Flexible Firm" concept. A flexibility model is applied to the relationship between volun ....Managing the Volunteer Workforce: Flexible Structures and Strategies to Integrate Volunteers and Paid Workers. Volunteers now play a vital role in many service-oriented organisations. This project proposes an innovative framework to assist organisations to develop flexible and appropriate structures and strategies for the management of volunteer and paid workforces. The approach draws upon Atkinson's (1984) "Flexible Firm" concept. A flexibility model is applied to the relationship between volunteers and the broader workforce. The project aims (a) to understand, conceptualise and evaluate the roles, functions and structure of volunteer groups within paid workforces; (b) to investigate how positive relationships, training, effective communication and flexibility can enhance the contribution of volunteers in the workforce and (c) to propose mechanisms which can improve the deployment of human capital within larger service-oriented organisations such as the National Museum of Australia and Museum of Victoria.Read moreRead less
CEO Remuneration, Organisational Performance and Corporate Governance in Australian Listed Companies, 1998-2007: A Composite and Case-Study Analysis. The project will make a major contribution to the theory and practice of executive-level human resource management in Australia and, hence, to the performance of Australian firms and the national economy. It will enhance practitioner understanding of the factors underlying the responsiveness of CEO remuneration to firm performance. It will strength ....CEO Remuneration, Organisational Performance and Corporate Governance in Australian Listed Companies, 1998-2007: A Composite and Case-Study Analysis. The project will make a major contribution to the theory and practice of executive-level human resource management in Australia and, hence, to the performance of Australian firms and the national economy. It will enhance practitioner understanding of the factors underlying the responsiveness of CEO remuneration to firm performance. It will strengthen awareness of the potential and limitations of CEO remuneration as a determinant of corporate performance. It will enrich understanding of context-specific 'best practice' methods of CEO remuneration design, administration and monitoring and will thus facilitate a more effective diffusion of such methods in Australian firms.Read moreRead less
Human Resource Management (HRM) outsourcing and shared services: analysing changing approaches to HRM. Many public sector organisations have established centralised shared services centres or outsourced their Human Resource Management (HRM) to try to cut costs and improve performance. This project will investigate the many implications of such developments for Australian public-sector organisations, their managers and their employees.
The Employment Relations Implications of Mergers and Acquisitions in the Australian Black Coal Mining Industry. This project will study the employment relations (industrial relations and human resource management) implications of mergers and acquisitions in the Australian black coal mining industry - Australia's largest export income-earning industry. Global merger and acquisition activity has intensified in recent years despite strong international evidence to suggest that mergers and acquisiti ....The Employment Relations Implications of Mergers and Acquisitions in the Australian Black Coal Mining Industry. This project will study the employment relations (industrial relations and human resource management) implications of mergers and acquisitions in the Australian black coal mining industry - Australia's largest export income-earning industry. Global merger and acquisition activity has intensified in recent years despite strong international evidence to suggest that mergers and acquisitions often fail due to people-related problems. This study seeks to explore this international enigma, by examining a range of employment relations issues in newly merged or acquired organisations in the Australian coal industry. The frenetic pace of recent mergers and acquisitions in the coal industry, and its centrality to the prosperity of Australia, make it an ideal site to develop understanding of the people-related problems associated with mergers and acquisitions,and to develop strategies to address these difficulties. It is expected that this study will reveal significant theoretical insights and provide practical lessons on appropriate management interventions, that go beyond the Australian coal industry.The findings will be presented at international conferences and be published in leading academic journals and the mainstream financial press.Read moreRead less
Testing the integration and differentiation of national employment systems: multinational enterprises in an international comparative context. Multinational enterprises play a leading role in shaping employment practices as their power disproportionately influences the direction of change in managing people. This project, conducted across six countries, enhances our understanding of how these organisations influence and shape the employment practices and systems in host contexts.
Voice, Representation and Recognition in the Information Economy. Workers in new information industries are not highly unionised. This research explores why this is the case in call centre employment. Union densities may reflect workforce demographics or preferences. They may also parallel the use of new managerial tools including recruitment, training and cultural programs, or new work designs. This project will test these propositions. Providing employees wish to have some say over the determ ....Voice, Representation and Recognition in the Information Economy. Workers in new information industries are not highly unionised. This research explores why this is the case in call centre employment. Union densities may reflect workforce demographics or preferences. They may also parallel the use of new managerial tools including recruitment, training and cultural programs, or new work designs. This project will test these propositions. Providing employees wish to have some say over the determination of employment conditions, this project examines possible scenarios for voice, representation and recognition in a rapidly growing industry. This has important implications for the smart use of new technologies in the workplace.Read moreRead less
Exploring the role and outcomes of employee voice in a hospital setting. This project aims to identify ways to improve patient care and enhance employee wellbeing of healthcare workers through better utilisation of employee voice practices that enable employees to speak up. We aim to do this by identifying and distinguishing between the types of practices used by these workers to speak up on issues concerning working conditions and patient care concerns. The project will identify the determinant ....Exploring the role and outcomes of employee voice in a hospital setting. This project aims to identify ways to improve patient care and enhance employee wellbeing of healthcare workers through better utilisation of employee voice practices that enable employees to speak up. We aim to do this by identifying and distinguishing between the types of practices used by these workers to speak up on issues concerning working conditions and patient care concerns. The project will identify the determinants of speaking up in healthcare and the consequences this voice has for quality of patient care and worker wellbeing. This will have significant benefits for hospital stakeholders, including improved patient care, employee satisfaction and retention, and hospital efficiencies.Read moreRead less