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.
An evidence based approach to developing human and social capital in organisations. A social and economic issue facing Australian organisations is the skills shortage and the retention of qualified professionals and managers. Our research informs this issue by examining the mechanisms for developing and engaging managerial employees in Australian organizations. These types of strategies can help reduce the 'brain drain' out of Australia. Moreover, it should increase the capability of businesses ....An evidence based approach to developing human and social capital in organisations. A social and economic issue facing Australian organisations is the skills shortage and the retention of qualified professionals and managers. Our research informs this issue by examining the mechanisms for developing and engaging managerial employees in Australian organizations. These types of strategies can help reduce the 'brain drain' out of Australia. Moreover, it should increase the capability of businesses to attract Australians back --'brain gain.' Organizational strategies based on human and social capital development will also strengthen the social fabric of Australian society by building knowledge capabilities and enhancing well-being.Read moreRead less
Enhancing the National Benefit of Volunteers through Career Development in Community Organisations: A Case Study of Senior Volunteers. This project aims to determine the benefits of career development in enhancing volunteer performance and volunteer retention, with particular attention to the needs of senior volunteers. Research concerning career development is fundamentally important in the paid workforce; little investigation has occurred in the economically important and parallel area of volu ....Enhancing the National Benefit of Volunteers through Career Development in Community Organisations: A Case Study of Senior Volunteers. This project aims to determine the benefits of career development in enhancing volunteer performance and volunteer retention, with particular attention to the needs of senior volunteers. Research concerning career development is fundamentally important in the paid workforce; little investigation has occurred in the economically important and parallel area of volunteer development. The project will build on preliminary research by the Chief Investigators by developing and testing a research instrument underpinned by career development theory. The anticipated outcomes will be (a) an improved understanding of volunteer needs within an organisation through career matching and development, (b) a generic "tool kit" for organisations wishing to develop and maintain volunteers, particularly their more experienced and senior ones and (c) a benefit to the emotional and physical well-being of the community in general and volunteers in particular.Read moreRead less
Technological innovation and change in supply chain integration. In examining emerging technology that can transform the performance of Australian industry we address the following priority goals: better understanding the processes that will advance knowledge and facilitate the development of technological innovations; the potential application of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technologies across an entire supply chain; and the improved management of information in the storage, distribut ....Technological innovation and change in supply chain integration. In examining emerging technology that can transform the performance of Australian industry we address the following priority goals: better understanding the processes that will advance knowledge and facilitate the development of technological innovations; the potential application of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technologies across an entire supply chain; and the improved management of information in the storage, distribution, and delivery of products (smart information use). Improvement in the operational efficiency and performance of the supply chain will increase national wealth while minimising environmental impacts on the environment, for example, through the better utilisation of heavy freight carriers.Read moreRead less
Economic interactions between scientists and commercial interests and their impact on scientific knowledge dissemination: a theoretical and empirical investigation. In recent decades, the debate between scientists, policy-makers and businesses on the usefulness of scientific discoveries has been intense. Despite its clear economic implications, there has been very little economic modeling of the interactions between scientists and firms on key choices such as publication rights and licensing agr ....Economic interactions between scientists and commercial interests and their impact on scientific knowledge dissemination: a theoretical and empirical investigation. In recent decades, the debate between scientists, policy-makers and businesses on the usefulness of scientific discoveries has been intense. Despite its clear economic implications, there has been very little economic modeling of the interactions between scientists and firms on key choices such as publication rights and licensing agreements associated with patent protection. These choices impact on the diffusion of scientific knowledge and their productive applications. This project will examine those interactions both at a theoretical and empirical level with the goal of generating insights into whether and how public policy makers should regulate or leave unchecked the commercialisation of science.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
Facilitating workplace change: Redefining the role of industrial tribunals in Australia. Amendments to the Fair Work Act 2009 passed in 2013 have the potential to re-define the role of Australia’s national workplace relations tribunal, the Fair Work Commission, by requiring it to promote cooperative and productive workplace relations. This project aims to identify an innovative model of tribunal intervention that meets these new imperatives through case studies from the Hunter region of NSW, whe ....Facilitating workplace change: Redefining the role of industrial tribunals in Australia. Amendments to the Fair Work Act 2009 passed in 2013 have the potential to re-define the role of Australia’s national workplace relations tribunal, the Fair Work Commission, by requiring it to promote cooperative and productive workplace relations. This project aims to identify an innovative model of tribunal intervention that meets these new imperatives through case studies from the Hunter region of NSW, where tribunal members have for two decades been working proactively with managers, employees and their representatives in major construction projects and large public sector organisations to achieve cooperative and effective workplace change. Read moreRead less
Task Contingent Units of Personality and Adaptive Performance. The project aims to test a model of adaptive personality, to cross-validate the model in Italy, China and the United kingdom, and to develop and test a model for the modification and development of adaptive personality factors that enhance adaptive performance. Adaptive tasks differ from routine tasks in degrees of novelty, difficulty and uncertainty which require higher levels and different types of cognitive processing. Individuals ....Task Contingent Units of Personality and Adaptive Performance. The project aims to test a model of adaptive personality, to cross-validate the model in Italy, China and the United kingdom, and to develop and test a model for the modification and development of adaptive personality factors that enhance adaptive performance. Adaptive tasks differ from routine tasks in degrees of novelty, difficulty and uncertainty which require higher levels and different types of cognitive processing. Individuals who adapt their focus, emotions and exploratory activities in response to the changing cognitive demands of tasks are expected to outperform those with less adaptive personalities. Those with more adaptive personalities are expected to perform better on problem solving, learning, innovation and development activities.Read moreRead less
Visualising Value in Australian Organisations: Case Studies in Extended Performance Management, Measurement and Reporting. This research positions and develops Australia at the forefront of the knowledge economy. Participating organisations will realise insights into their invisible resources and improve their understanding of the performance, utilisation and productivity of their intangible resources. Corporate social responsibility and social and environmental management are recognized as cruc ....Visualising Value in Australian Organisations: Case Studies in Extended Performance Management, Measurement and Reporting. This research positions and develops Australia at the forefront of the knowledge economy. Participating organisations will realise insights into their invisible resources and improve their understanding of the performance, utilisation and productivity of their intangible resources. Corporate social responsibility and social and environmental management are recognized as crucial to the contemporary organisation and this research provides a means of managing, measuring and reporting these perspectives, enhancing Australia's reputation and long-term economic sustainability. Read moreRead less
Work, income, spending, and wellbeing in Australia: A multi-level, longitudinal analysis of individuals and households. Social science research on the effects of income on wellbeing is substantial, however, this research has largely missed five crucial factors. These factors include: the work people do to generate income; how they use income; effects on physical and social wellbeing; effects at the household level; and causal effects at multiple levels. This project aims to address all of these ....Work, income, spending, and wellbeing in Australia: A multi-level, longitudinal analysis of individuals and households. Social science research on the effects of income on wellbeing is substantial, however, this research has largely missed five crucial factors. These factors include: the work people do to generate income; how they use income; effects on physical and social wellbeing; effects at the household level; and causal effects at multiple levels. This project aims to address all of these factors with a new model of wellbeing, the Work-Income-Spending-Effects (WISE) model, and utilises the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia database. This project also aims to demonstrate trade-offs among work, income, spending, and multiple types of wellbeing within a new paradigm for engaging the Australian public, organisations, and policy makers.Read moreRead less