Team processes, identification, and reliable performance: Implementing the Balanced Scorecard in health service teams. The aims of this research are to examine factors that enhance the reliability of performance of health service teams. These teams are required to deliver outcomes with a high degree of consistency and reliability. We draw on social identity theory and research on high reliability organisations (HROs) to identify the factors that contribute to improved reliability in teams. Secon ....Team processes, identification, and reliable performance: Implementing the Balanced Scorecard in health service teams. The aims of this research are to examine factors that enhance the reliability of performance of health service teams. These teams are required to deliver outcomes with a high degree of consistency and reliability. We draw on social identity theory and research on high reliability organisations (HROs) to identify the factors that contribute to improved reliability in teams. Second, we explore whether organisational strategy processes such as the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) infiltrate work processes and influence team outcomes. Our aim is to examine whether the implementation of the BSC interacts with team dynamics to enhance the reliability of performance in teams.Read moreRead less
Enhancing volunteer capacity to maximise the volunteer resources for contextually diverse community organisations. The study aims to maximise the volunteer resources available to community organisations through the development of a flexible organisational volunteer model that enhances each volunteer's capacity, particularly at key points of their engagement.Individual volunteer capacities will be analysed using a multidimensional measure validated with different volunteer samples across diverse ....Enhancing volunteer capacity to maximise the volunteer resources for contextually diverse community organisations. The study aims to maximise the volunteer resources available to community organisations through the development of a flexible organisational volunteer model that enhances each volunteer's capacity, particularly at key points of their engagement.Individual volunteer capacities will be analysed using a multidimensional measure validated with different volunteer samples across diverse organisations and social contexts. The model will help community organisations determine the self-efficacy of volunteers; enhance individual and collective volunteer capacity;identify new volunteer pathways responsive to the lifestyles and social and economic circumstances of volunteers;and create a more capable and responsive pool of volunteers.Read moreRead less
Strengthening Corporate Governance Behaviour in the Public Sector: Evaluating the Benefits of a Knowledge Systems Approach. There is considerable pressure on government agencies to improve corporate governance and become more accountable. But there is a lack of systematic data and analyses on the efficacy of the range of governance structures and arrangements in practice. In addressing this void, this study is of national significance. Building upon knowledge management and group behaviour proce ....Strengthening Corporate Governance Behaviour in the Public Sector: Evaluating the Benefits of a Knowledge Systems Approach. There is considerable pressure on government agencies to improve corporate governance and become more accountable. But there is a lack of systematic data and analyses on the efficacy of the range of governance structures and arrangements in practice. In addressing this void, this study is of national significance. Building upon knowledge management and group behaviour processes, the research will lead to the development and testing of best practice models and guidelines for corporate governance management in the public sectorRead 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
Service Ecosystems Management for Collaborative Process Improvement. Australian government agencies currently explore opportunities for streamlining their business processes. A promising approach relates to the improvement of cross-agency processes based on service-enabled technologies. This project will use requirements within Queensland Government for the design of a service ecosystem and methodological and management concepts to derive a general framework for intra-organisational ecosystems. ....Service Ecosystems Management for Collaborative Process Improvement. Australian government agencies currently explore opportunities for streamlining their business processes. A promising approach relates to the improvement of cross-agency processes based on service-enabled technologies. This project will use requirements within Queensland Government for the design of a service ecosystem and methodological and management concepts to derive a general framework for intra-organisational ecosystems. Though the focus will be on government processes, the project will generalise beyond this scope for a wider uptake of service ecosystems in Australian organisations. This will lead to reduced process costs and risks and will leverage the exploration of new revenue streams, e.g. shared services and reward schemes.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
Whistling While They Work: Enhancing the Theory and Practice of Internal Witness Management in Public Sector Organisations. The protection of whistleblowers and other internal witnesses to corruption, misconduct and maladministration is a great unsolved problem in public sector governance. Involving 11 integrity institutions, this first national study of internal witness management will describe and compare organisational experience under varying public interest disclosure regimes across the Au ....Whistling While They Work: Enhancing the Theory and Practice of Internal Witness Management in Public Sector Organisations. The protection of whistleblowers and other internal witnesses to corruption, misconduct and maladministration is a great unsolved problem in public sector governance. Involving 11 integrity institutions, this first national study of internal witness management will describe and compare organisational experience under varying public interest disclosure regimes across the Australian public sector. By identifying and promoting current best practice in workplace responses to public interest whistleblowing, the project will use the experience and perceptions of internal witnesses and first- and second-level managers to identify more routine strategies for preventing, reducing and addressing reprisals and other whistleblowing-related conflicts.Read moreRead less
InformationTechnology (IT) Audit Methodologies in the Australian Public Sector: Addressing Mandatory Requirements of International Standards. The primary benefit occurs in relation to National Research Priority 3: Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries, notably Priority Goal 'Smart Information Use', as it will enable more sophisticated and accurate assessments of current IT audit methodologies. In turn, these improvements will enable more effective IT audits by ....InformationTechnology (IT) Audit Methodologies in the Australian Public Sector: Addressing Mandatory Requirements of International Standards. The primary benefit occurs in relation to National Research Priority 3: Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries, notably Priority Goal 'Smart Information Use', as it will enable more sophisticated and accurate assessments of current IT audit methodologies. In turn, these improvements will enable more effective IT audits by government audit offices in Australia, bringing reduced risk and increased efficiency to organisations subject to audit, as well as increasing conformance with the new accounting and auditing standards. Furthermore, all Australian citizens, (the indirect clients of public sector audit services), will benefit from well-managed program-delivery systems.Read moreRead less
Socially Responsible Indicators for Policy, Practice and Benchmarking in Service Organisations. The Australian Government, while attempting to limit the spiralling costs of the welfare state, has encouraged market principles and practices in service organisations. This has raised value dilemmas and administrative tensions for education and welfare organisations who, while committed to social justice and social responsibility, have to operate efficiently and effectively. This research aims, thr ....Socially Responsible Indicators for Policy, Practice and Benchmarking in Service Organisations. The Australian Government, while attempting to limit the spiralling costs of the welfare state, has encouraged market principles and practices in service organisations. This has raised value dilemmas and administrative tensions for education and welfare organisations who, while committed to social justice and social responsibility, have to operate efficiently and effectively. This research aims, through the identification and analysis of tensions between social and economic value orientations in the workplace, to develop a values framework and key socially responsible indicators for the improvement of policy, decision making and practice within the Industry Partners and the wider service sectors.Read moreRead less
A Balanced Accountability Framework for Nonprofit Organizations. Government's increasing reliance on nonprofit organisations to deliver $7.8 billion in community services (40% increase over five years) has outstripped its current accountability frameworks. These frameworks emphasise nonprofit organisations' financial compliance with service agreements, rather than assess the quality of service provided, or ensure the most efficient and effective use of resources. This project will reconceptual ....A Balanced Accountability Framework for Nonprofit Organizations. Government's increasing reliance on nonprofit organisations to deliver $7.8 billion in community services (40% increase over five years) has outstripped its current accountability frameworks. These frameworks emphasise nonprofit organisations' financial compliance with service agreements, rather than assess the quality of service provided, or ensure the most efficient and effective use of resources. This project will reconceptualise and operationalise accountability in the context of those organisations which deliver community services on behalf of government, to enable more effective partnerships between government and nonprofit organisations in the delivery of community services.Read moreRead less