Seeking Research Fellows

We are growing and we have exciting roles available at both the Centre for Transformative Work Design and the Future of Work Institute.

Research Fellow role in the Centre for Transformative Work Design

The Centre for Transformative Work Design is seeking a research fellow with a track record of academic excellence and a passion for research on the topic of job and work design. You will work with ARC Laureate Professor Sharon Parker and a dynamic team of researchers collaborating with industry to investigate how digital technologies are shaping work, and especially the role of work design in achieving positive outcomes for employees and organisations when new technologies are introduced. You will work at the interface of organisational psychology, management, and human factors to help maximise the opportunities of, and minimise the risks of, changes in work.

Explore more about the Centre of Transformative Work Design.

Find out more about how to apply https://applynow.net.au/jobs/ni/CURTIN299-research-fellow-centre-for-transformative-work-design

Research Fellow roles in the Future of Work Institute

The Future of Work Institute is seeking a research fellow with a track record of academic excellence and a passion for research and data analysis. You will work with a dynamic team of researchers collaborating with industry to create new insights into issues affecting how people work. You will work with longitudinal and multilevel data from diverse sources including wearables, employee surveys, text documents, and other organisational data systems. You will work at the interface of psychology, management, and data science to address evolving needs in the changing world of work.

The successful candidates will be working in:

• Data Analytics - Future of Work Institute

• Technology - Future of Work Institute

Explore more about the Future of Work Institute.

Find out more about how to apply https://applynow.net.au/jobs/ni/CURTIN296-research-fellows-x2-future-of-work-institute

“Understand the importance of work design: Two projects conducted by the Future of Work Institute”

You are cordially invited to attend the jointed research seminar “Understand the importance of work design: Two projects conducted by the Future of Work Institute” presented by Dr Yukun Liu & Dr Florian Klonek from the Centre for Transformative Work Design within the Future of Work Institute.

Project 1 - The buffering effect of future time perspective on the relationship between workload and well-being: Evidence from a 20-year longitudinal study

Using data from a 20-year longitudinal study, Dr Yukun Liu discusses why the undesirable strain-inducing effect of high work demands may not necessarily be observed among all employees. Integrating research on work design and temporal perspectives, Dr Yukun Liu explains how the role of individuals’ future time perspective, a relatively stable tendency to adopt a future temporal frame of mind towards life and work, can medicate the negative impact of high workload.

Project 2 - Team ambidexterity: Introducing a process model and observational measurement approach

In this study, Dr Florian Klonek provides a clear understanding of how this tension of team ambidexterity (i.e., the tension between exploratory versus exploitative activities) emerges as a process within teams and how it can be effectively resolved. Building on the concept of contextual ambidexterity. Dr Florian Klonek describes a process model which suggest that team ambidexterity can be realised in different forms (i.e., intensive, distributed or phasic). Relatedly, he introduces an innovative observational assessment approach (Communication Analysis Tool) that captures the dynamic relationship between exploration and exploitation “in situ” when working with real teams.

The full event details are as follows:

Date: Wednesday 12 September 2018

Time: 12:00pm-13:30pm

Venue: 408:1019:LT

Enquires: amy.tian@curtin.edu.au

Talking about the future of work in the West Australian

News item from the West Australian

JOBS TRANSITION

A $20 million research institute being established at Curtin University will investigate what the jobs of the future will look like and how Australia’s businesses and workforce will meet the challenges posed by technological and social changes.

The Future of Work Institute will be based in the CBD and its director, Mark Griffin, said digital disruption, automation and the rise of artificial intelligence were just some of the factors changing traditional industries.

“Understanding the trends, influences and consequences of these changes is critical to Australia’s economic and social future,” Professor Griffin said. However, he is quick to say automation, as we’ve seen in the WA mining industry, doesn’t mean we’re all going to be out of a job soon. “It’s not necessarily true. It hasn’t happened in the past and we’re not expecting that to happen,” Professor Griffin said.

“Instead of decisions being made in a truck on a mine site, they are made in a control room — people end up somewhere.” As for AI, he said it is already influencing our lives in subtle ways, such as interacting with a chatbot on a commercial website. “We won’t suddenly see a robot driving a school bus,” Professor Griffin said.

“Most of the things won’t be so obvious.” He said the goal was to create an “outward-facing” organisation that would advise State and Federal governments, large and small businesses and even the general public. “Our strongest message is we’re in the constant period of transition and it’s always a danger to become complacent and say the transition is over or the boom will last for ever,” Professor Griffin said.

“We need to be embracing that and being energetic and positive about being a part of those things.”