Cue Acquisition as a Mediator of Cognitive Skills Development. As the Australian workforce ages and there is a consequent reduction in the availability of experienced practitioners, organisations are going to be faced with the dilemma of placing relatively inexperienced staff in positions that were once occupied by experts. The result is a potential increase in the risks to critical infrastructure, such as electricity transmission. In this project, we expect to develop a set of principles that c ....Cue Acquisition as a Mediator of Cognitive Skills Development. As the Australian workforce ages and there is a consequent reduction in the availability of experienced practitioners, organisations are going to be faced with the dilemma of placing relatively inexperienced staff in positions that were once occupied by experts. The result is a potential increase in the risks to critical infrastructure, such as electricity transmission. In this project, we expect to develop a set of principles that can ensure that scenario based training is targeted to those aspects of the situation that are most important in maintaining the integrity of the system. The outcome is not only a safer system, but one that provides a structured approach to the acquisition of skills amongst employees.Read moreRead less
The Role of Communication in Sino-Australian Business Negotiations: An Appraisal. Communication difficulties together with the lack of cultural understanding are a major barrier preventing many Australian businesses from succeeding in the Chinese market, a primary estination for Australian exports. Yet up til now, the study of Australian-Chinese cross-cultural communications has been largely unattended. This project addresses this need by integrating an emotions perspective on communication wi ....The Role of Communication in Sino-Australian Business Negotiations: An Appraisal. Communication difficulties together with the lack of cultural understanding are a major barrier preventing many Australian businesses from succeeding in the Chinese market, a primary estination for Australian exports. Yet up til now, the study of Australian-Chinese cross-cultural communications has been largely unattended. This project addresses this need by integrating an emotions perspective on communication with a well-established communication theory. Using a grounded theory approach, the proposed project will result in a model that will assist businesses to identify points where communications may falter and formulate strategies for dealing with such intricacies in the context of Sino-Australian business negotiations.Read moreRead less
Development of an intervention to enhance rural and regional service delivery to human service clients. A proactive program managing organisational stress and isolation in rural community service organisations is urgently needed to reduce unplanned absences and costly staff turnover among professionals working in a difficult environment. The intervention program focuses on extremely high risk regional workers - professional staff having daily contact with potentially difficult clients (e.g., per ....Development of an intervention to enhance rural and regional service delivery to human service clients. A proactive program managing organisational stress and isolation in rural community service organisations is urgently needed to reduce unplanned absences and costly staff turnover among professionals working in a difficult environment. The intervention program focuses on extremely high risk regional workers - professional staff having daily contact with potentially difficult clients (e.g., persons suffering from neglect, abuse, drugs). Strategies at both organisational and individual levels will be aimed at preventing rather than merely reducing stress. An educational package will be developed, subjected to two cycles of process and outcome evaluation, and prepared for use in this and other regional/rural organisations.Read moreRead less
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
Competent but Less Likeable: Social Stereotypes and Strategic Choices in Negotiation. Women may be disadvantaged by the greater opportunities for negotiating employment conditions that Work Choices provides. Relative to their male peers, women receive lower starting salaries and smaller increases. This is costly for women, who leave the workforce with less financial security. The gender gap is also costly for organisations, who face increased dissatisfaction and turnover. Woman can improve the ....Competent but Less Likeable: Social Stereotypes and Strategic Choices in Negotiation. Women may be disadvantaged by the greater opportunities for negotiating employment conditions that Work Choices provides. Relative to their male peers, women receive lower starting salaries and smaller increases. This is costly for women, who leave the workforce with less financial security. The gender gap is also costly for organisations, who face increased dissatisfaction and turnover. Woman can improve their outcomes through negotiation, but the assertive tactics that improve their economic outcomes are likely to generate social reprisals in the workplace. This project will benefit employers and employees alike, by identifying strategies that assist women to improve their economic outcomes while buffering them from social reprisals.Read moreRead less
The Dynamics of Trust in Negotiation: Implications for Strategy and Outcomes. Despite the benefits of cooperation, negotiators frequently choose competitive strategies. This reduces their ability to build enduring solutions that meet both negotiators' needs. In this project, we investigate the role of trust in fostering cooperation. Although trust is a pre-requisite for cooperation, negotiation research is yet to systematically explore how trust is built, sustained and violated. We test h ....The Dynamics of Trust in Negotiation: Implications for Strategy and Outcomes. Despite the benefits of cooperation, negotiators frequently choose competitive strategies. This reduces their ability to build enduring solutions that meet both negotiators' needs. In this project, we investigate the role of trust in fostering cooperation. Although trust is a pre-requisite for cooperation, negotiation research is yet to systematically explore how trust is built, sustained and violated. We test how first impressions establish trust and how patterns of communication sustain trust. We also test how salient events punctuate negotiations and alter trust. Our goal is to identify those processes that facilitate trust and cooperation in negotiation.Read moreRead less
Rudeness, social undermining and interpersonal mistreatment in the workplace. Workers who are mistreated by colleagues, be it thoughtless rudesness or more intentional undermining, are more likely than others to leave their job, suffer from poor emotional and physical health, and engage in increasingly aggressive retalitory actions. By providing greater understanding of the contributing factors and processes involved, this project will inform the development of interventions to reduce these coun ....Rudeness, social undermining and interpersonal mistreatment in the workplace. Workers who are mistreated by colleagues, be it thoughtless rudesness or more intentional undermining, are more likely than others to leave their job, suffer from poor emotional and physical health, and engage in increasingly aggressive retalitory actions. By providing greater understanding of the contributing factors and processes involved, this project will inform the development of interventions to reduce these counterproductive behaviours and their harmful effects. Providing a unique opportunity for widespread documentation of the incidence and nature of interpersonal mistreatment across Australia, New Zealand and Asia, the research will identify types of people or workplaces that are at high risk of being targeted.Read moreRead less
A Relational Model of Strategic Choice in Negotiation. Poorly managed negotiations have negative consequences for both individuals and organisations. They create negative emotions, damage relationships, and may require costly and time-consuming third-party interventions. An important, yet neglected, aspect of negotiations is the underlying relationship between the parties. In this project, we examine how risks to the underlying relationship, specifically, perceived trustworthiness or its lack, ....A Relational Model of Strategic Choice in Negotiation. Poorly managed negotiations have negative consequences for both individuals and organisations. They create negative emotions, damage relationships, and may require costly and time-consuming third-party interventions. An important, yet neglected, aspect of negotiations is the underlying relationship between the parties. In this project, we examine how risks to the underlying relationship, specifically, perceived trustworthiness or its lack, affect negotiators' strategy choices. Each of the risks that we identify can be offset by selecting appropriate strategies. We develop and test a model that helps negotiators identify these risks and make strategic choices that protect their interests without damaging the relationship. Read moreRead less
Understanding employee-employer relationships during bridge employment: A psychological contract perspective. Bridge employment (paid employment after retirement from a career job) has several advantages for the individual (financial benefits, feeling of social connectedness, sense of accomplishment), employing organisations (access to experienced and skilled workers), and the government (lower burden on pension and benefits schemes). The proposed research will study the employee-employer relati ....Understanding employee-employer relationships during bridge employment: A psychological contract perspective. Bridge employment (paid employment after retirement from a career job) has several advantages for the individual (financial benefits, feeling of social connectedness, sense of accomplishment), employing organisations (access to experienced and skilled workers), and the government (lower burden on pension and benefits schemes). The proposed research will study the employee-employer relationship in bridge employment, with a focus on their perceptions of mutual obligationsin form of the psychological contract. An understanding of the psychological contract will make it more likely that the employment relationship fulfils the needs of the employees and employers and leads to a more successful bridge employment relationship.Read moreRead less
The two faces of leadership: Constructive and destructive leadership and their consequences for employees. This proposal is designed to strengthen Australia’s social and economic fabric by enhancing understanding of the impact of both constructive and destructive leadership on follower and organisational outcomes. This research enables us to identify ways in which organisations can reduce tangible (e.g., low production levels, reduced performance) and intangible losses (e.g., reduced psychologic ....The two faces of leadership: Constructive and destructive leadership and their consequences for employees. This proposal is designed to strengthen Australia’s social and economic fabric by enhancing understanding of the impact of both constructive and destructive leadership on follower and organisational outcomes. This research enables us to identify ways in which organisations can reduce tangible (e.g., low production levels, reduced performance) and intangible losses (e.g., reduced psychological health), which have wider societal implications. Our focus on developing a training program to build constructive leadership and minimise destructive leadership is a key strategy designed to promote a healthier and more productive work environment.Read moreRead less