Leaders as motivators: A test of an integrated theory of leadership and motivation to predict employees' psychological health and productivity. The effectiveness of organisations depends upon the quality of its leaders. While research shows that certain leader behaviours can enhance psychological heath (increase job satisfaction, reduce stress) and productivity, it is not clear why this occurs. This proposal addresses this shortcoming by developing a model of leadership that places motivation ....Leaders as motivators: A test of an integrated theory of leadership and motivation to predict employees' psychological health and productivity. The effectiveness of organisations depends upon the quality of its leaders. While research shows that certain leader behaviours can enhance psychological heath (increase job satisfaction, reduce stress) and productivity, it is not clear why this occurs. This proposal addresses this shortcoming by developing a model of leadership that places motivation as a core process between the leader's behaviour and outcomes. The model is tested across new innovative research designs, including a study that tests an intervention to improve leadership effectiveness. The research will increase the understanding of workplace leadership and provide practical ways to improve employees' psychological health and productivity.Read moreRead less
Developing employee well-being and performance through transformational leadership. This proposal contributes to the ARC priority area of strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric. A key national benefit of this research is increasing understanding of how specific leadership behaviours improve employees' well-being and performance.This research also identifies which followers are most responsive to leadership and in what contexts these behaviours are most effective. This information i ....Developing employee well-being and performance through transformational leadership. This proposal contributes to the ARC priority area of strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric. A key national benefit of this research is increasing understanding of how specific leadership behaviours improve employees' well-being and performance.This research also identifies which followers are most responsive to leadership and in what contexts these behaviours are most effective. This information is critical as it enables development of selection and training packages specifically designed to provide leaders with the skills needed to build employee well-being and performance.Read moreRead less
An evaluation of the effects of individual and environmental factors on participation in training, and the quality of training outcomes. The aim of the project is to examine the factors that influence the effectiveness of personnel training programs. The outcomes that will be examined include trainee satisfaction, learning, and subsequent job performance (transfer). The project will involve an annual survey of all trainees, trainers, supervisors and workplace assessors associated with the traini ....An evaluation of the effects of individual and environmental factors on participation in training, and the quality of training outcomes. The aim of the project is to examine the factors that influence the effectiveness of personnel training programs. The outcomes that will be examined include trainee satisfaction, learning, and subsequent job performance (transfer). The project will involve an annual survey of all trainees, trainers, supervisors and workplace assessors associated with the training programs being delivered as part of the Queensland Public Service Enterprise Bargain. The research program will contribute to a growing body of research examining the contribution of individual differences and environmental factors to training quality. The major practical benefit of the research will be the development of training management and audit systems that allow organizations to maximise the effectiveness of training.Read moreRead less
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.
Unravelling Leadership Development: Evaluating outcomes, contrasting interventions, and exploring processes. This project investigates how leadership development interventions translate into effective outcomes for organizations. We compare how distinct interventions (transformational leadership vs. 360 degree feedback) and different modes of delivery (face-to-face vs. videoconferencing) lead to change in leader behavior. We investigate the cognitive/motivational mechanisms (e.g., self-efficacy, ....Unravelling Leadership Development: Evaluating outcomes, contrasting interventions, and exploring processes. This project investigates how leadership development interventions translate into effective outcomes for organizations. We compare how distinct interventions (transformational leadership vs. 360 degree feedback) and different modes of delivery (face-to-face vs. videoconferencing) lead to change in leader behavior. We investigate the cognitive/motivational mechanisms (e.g., self-efficacy, perspective-taking) by which these interventions affect leader behavior, as well as the multilevel processes by which change in leader behavior affects team performance and team well-being. The project will provide a more accurate assessment on the return of investment in leadership development, as well as guidance for enhancing the effectiveness of leadership development programs.
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A general theory of multiple-goal pursuit. The aim of this project is to develop and test a formal theory that explains the mechanisms by which people make choices amongst competing goals in a dynamic and uncertain environment (‘multiple goal pursuit’). People have to manage competing goals in a wide range of settings (for example, work, education, sport), yet the mechanisms are poorly understood. The theory is expected to integrate formal theories of self-regulation with formal theories of deci ....A general theory of multiple-goal pursuit. The aim of this project is to develop and test a formal theory that explains the mechanisms by which people make choices amongst competing goals in a dynamic and uncertain environment (‘multiple goal pursuit’). People have to manage competing goals in a wide range of settings (for example, work, education, sport), yet the mechanisms are poorly understood. The theory is expected to integrate formal theories of self-regulation with formal theories of decision making, to provide a more general account of multiple goal pursuit. The project aims to test the predictions of the theory in a series of experiments in which people have to pursue two goals simultaneously. The experiments allow us to test competing views, and understand the mechanisms involved.Read moreRead less
Site-Level Community Engagement Processes in the Australian Minerals Industry: A Comparative Analysis. A key principle of corporate social responsibility is that companies should endeavour to engage with, and be responsive to, the concerns of affected local communities. With the support of four industry partners, this study will compare how community engagement has been practised at seven Australian minerals operations. The study will assess the effectiveness and appropriateness of existing enga ....Site-Level Community Engagement Processes in the Australian Minerals Industry: A Comparative Analysis. A key principle of corporate social responsibility is that companies should endeavour to engage with, and be responsive to, the concerns of affected local communities. With the support of four industry partners, this study will compare how community engagement has been practised at seven Australian minerals operations. The study will assess the effectiveness and appropriateness of existing engagement processes, account for significant differences between sites, and identify opportunities for improving how companies engage with communities. Social Identity Theory will be utilised to structure the research and inform the development of advice to industry on effective engagement strategies.Read moreRead less
Improving workplace productivity via an AI-based physical activity chatbot . This project aims to develop, train and evaluate a physical activity chatbot using artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve workplace productivity in sedentary office workers. Productivity losses, due to high numbers of physically inactive workers, cost the Australian economy $14 billion per year. The cost of effective and scalable workplace physical activity programs acts as a barrier to their implementa ....Improving workplace productivity via an AI-based physical activity chatbot . This project aims to develop, train and evaluate a physical activity chatbot using artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve workplace productivity in sedentary office workers. Productivity losses, due to high numbers of physically inactive workers, cost the Australian economy $14 billion per year. The cost of effective and scalable workplace physical activity programs acts as a barrier to their implementation. As such, innovative programs that can reach large numbers of workers at minimal cost are needed. This project aims to generate new knowledge on the use of artificial intelligence to achieve behavioural improvements and will lead to the development of a new type of behaviour change program with broad applicability.
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Self-Leadership towards Innovation & Well-Being. Innovation and well-being in the workplace are of paramount importance in maintaining Australia's social and economic environment. Self-leadership training provides employees with strategies to build confidence and resilience, identify opportunities in the environment, deriving greater meaning and enjoyment from work. Self-leadership training has already been shown to improve performance; this project extends self-leadership research by testing th ....Self-Leadership towards Innovation & Well-Being. Innovation and well-being in the workplace are of paramount importance in maintaining Australia's social and economic environment. Self-leadership training provides employees with strategies to build confidence and resilience, identify opportunities in the environment, deriving greater meaning and enjoyment from work. Self-leadership training has already been shown to improve performance; this project extends self-leadership research by testing the effects of self-leadership training on employee innovation and well-being. It also elucidates the psychological processes underlying improvements in innovation and well-being. The project addresses ARC Research Priorities 2 and 3 and contributes to Australia's social and economic advancement.Read moreRead less
Developing and testing dynamic models of goal striving in approach and avoidance contexts. This project will examine how people manage competing goals, such as productivity and safety, in a dynamic environment. The results will improve understanding of human motivation and have implications for practice in military, industrial and commercial settings.