The Impact Of Globalisation On Employment Relations: A Comparison Of The Auto And Banking Industries In Australia And Korea. The project compares the impact of globalisation on employment relations in Australia and South Korea by analysing changes in the auto and banking industries since the mid 1990s. It is expected that the interactions between economic factors, institutional arrangements and strategic decision making will have led to both continuity and change in employment relations during t ....The Impact Of Globalisation On Employment Relations: A Comparison Of The Auto And Banking Industries In Australia And Korea. The project compares the impact of globalisation on employment relations in Australia and South Korea by analysing changes in the auto and banking industries since the mid 1990s. It is expected that the interactions between economic factors, institutional arrangements and strategic decision making will have led to both continuity and change in employment relations during this period. The study will introduce a new theoretical dimension to comparative industrial relations by testing an ?interaction? approach. It will also provide a deeper understanding of the reasons for similarities and differences between employment relations in Australia and South Korea and indicate likely future developments.Read moreRead less
Equal Employment Opportunity in Australia and Britain: Policy Approaches and Progress. Equal employment opportunity policies were introduced in Australia and Britain from the 1980s in response to women's disadvantaged workforce position. These policies aimed to eliminate barriers to women's equal participation. Similar approaches were taken in both countries, but Australia's was underpinned by legislation, while Britain's was employer led and voluntary. No independent examination of these progr ....Equal Employment Opportunity in Australia and Britain: Policy Approaches and Progress. Equal employment opportunity policies were introduced in Australia and Britain from the 1980s in response to women's disadvantaged workforce position. These policies aimed to eliminate barriers to women's equal participation. Similar approaches were taken in both countries, but Australia's was underpinned by legislation, while Britain's was employer led and voluntary. No independent examination of these programs has yet been undertaken. This project examines the rationale and model for EEO in both countries, compares outcomes achieved and the role of legislation in explaining differences in EEO outcomes. It will contribute to national policy analysis and produce refereed publications.Read moreRead less
Increasing the effectiveness of remote and cross-cultural collaborations in organisations. Minerals, oil and gas exports dominate the Australian economy, and the effective organisation and management of collaborative work spanning remote, dispersed, environmentally fragile and culturally sensitive locations in this industry is a key challenge. Findings will provide insight into the systems, processes, and skills that are required to collaborate in these domains, improving international competiti ....Increasing the effectiveness of remote and cross-cultural collaborations in organisations. Minerals, oil and gas exports dominate the Australian economy, and the effective organisation and management of collaborative work spanning remote, dispersed, environmentally fragile and culturally sensitive locations in this industry is a key challenge. Findings will provide insight into the systems, processes, and skills that are required to collaborate in these domains, improving international competitiveness and global impact. Extensive efforts to interpret, synthesize and disseminate findings for scholars and non-scientists will also help inform educational agendas within industry and higher education to better prepare future collaborators.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.
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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
Motivating Employee Proactivity by Redesigning the Work Context. Self-starting and innovative employees are increasingly important in today's decentralised organisations. The central question investigated in this project via a longitudinal research design is how organisations can facilitate this type of proactive behavior amongst employees. The project also investigates the nature of employee proactivity (e.g. how it differs from other behaviors), and its consequences for employee performance, i ....Motivating Employee Proactivity by Redesigning the Work Context. Self-starting and innovative employees are increasingly important in today's decentralised organisations. The central question investigated in this project via a longitudinal research design is how organisations can facilitate this type of proactive behavior amongst employees. The project also investigates the nature of employee proactivity (e.g. how it differs from other behaviors), and its consequences for employee performance, innovation, and mental health. The project is significant because it focuses on how to promote behaviors that have often been neglected in research.Read moreRead less
Human Resource Managers' Contribution to Workplace Performance. This project examines the professional identity and role of Human Resource managers in fostering and implementing strategies that encourage high workplace performance. This is significant because workplace performance affects Australian competitiveness and this will be the first detailed empirical analysis of Australian HR managers that combine case study and survey methods. The findings will develop models and strategies that wil ....Human Resource Managers' Contribution to Workplace Performance. This project examines the professional identity and role of Human Resource managers in fostering and implementing strategies that encourage high workplace performance. This is significant because workplace performance affects Australian competitiveness and this will be the first detailed empirical analysis of Australian HR managers that combine case study and survey methods. The findings will develop models and strategies that will improve professional management standards through academic and business publications, including a book accessible to managers. Educational materials, suitable for higher and continuing education, will also aim to improve the people-related capabilities of human resource and line managers.Read moreRead less
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
What does 'New Public Management' look like in the public sector workplace: a comparative study of Australia and the United Kingdom. Moving beyond the macro-level focus of most previous studies of the impact of ?New Public Management? (NPM), this project will examine its effect on civil and public services at the micro-level of the workplace. It will trace, analyse and compare the impacts of the managerial/contract state on particular public sector workplaces in Australia and the United Kingdom ....What does 'New Public Management' look like in the public sector workplace: a comparative study of Australia and the United Kingdom. Moving beyond the macro-level focus of most previous studies of the impact of ?New Public Management? (NPM), this project will examine its effect on civil and public services at the micro-level of the workplace. It will trace, analyse and compare the impacts of the managerial/contract state on particular public sector workplaces in Australia and the United Kingdom. It will classify and evaluate a range of impacts of NPM on public sector workplace organisation, labour processes and employment/industrial relations. It will explain significant differences in the form taken by NPM in various workplaces and explore their implications for workplace practice.Read moreRead less
Older Workers and Labour Market Adjustment: The Case of Ansett Airlines. By tracing over 5 years the post-retrenchment careers of former Ansett Airlines employees, the study will advance knowledge of labour market adjustments for mature skilled workers from a global service industry. The work will improve understanding of labour market inequality, marginal employment and the relationship between age, household circumstances and workers' willingness to relocate in search of work. By addressing t ....Older Workers and Labour Market Adjustment: The Case of Ansett Airlines. By tracing over 5 years the post-retrenchment careers of former Ansett Airlines employees, the study will advance knowledge of labour market adjustments for mature skilled workers from a global service industry. The work will improve understanding of labour market inequality, marginal employment and the relationship between age, household circumstances and workers' willingness to relocate in search of work. By addressing two National Research Priorities - the barriers to labour market participation of older workers and the motivations of skilled workers who emigrate from Australia - the project will contribute to the development of labour market policies attuned to the demands of an ageing workforce in a globalising economy.Read moreRead less