Work design and communication in virtual teams

Australian Universities (AU) and the German Academic Exchange Service has granted $5000 funding to support an international research collaboration between the Centre for Transformative Work Design and the Department of Industrial/Organizational and Social Psychology at TU Braunschweig in Germany focusing on the topic “Work Design and Communication in Virtual Teams”.

Led by Florian Klonek, the funding will be used to address the challenging questions on how communication patterns in teams are affected by virtual work characteristics. The two research partners will cooperatively investigate the levels of virtuality on team interaction processes – both focusing on the communication processes occurring during virtual team collaborations, and work design factors acting as input or moderators of these team processes.

The German partner already conducted a preliminary study on behavioural team dynamics during virtual team discussions using a between-subjects design under different media settings (face-to-face, instant messaging, and e-mail).

The combination of pre-existing preliminary work from the German partner with the theoretical knowledge of the Australian research partner provides a perfect match to bring forward our understanding of how virtual work design characteristics impact on team communication processes and outcomes.

The feedback from the funding institution on the research proposal was: “YES. Relevant topic. Good planning. Good groups. Engage well.”.

We are grateful for this opportunity and are looking forward for a fruitful research collaboration! If you are interested in learning more about this research or want to engage with us in terms of research, feel free to contact us .

#Teams #VirtualWork #SocialDynamics #FutureofWork

Doing Time: The Work Design of Fremantle Prisoners

This weekend, one of the Centre Post Docs and a holidaying Dutch Scholar, Professor Maria Tims, took time out to explore the underground tunnels at Fremantle Prison.

We learned how the tunnels were excavated from Limestone by prisoners in the 1800s, to provide water to Fremantle. Prisoners were forced to 'work' underground for long hours every day excavating tunnels. They had no shoes or safety equipment, and had to wade through water which was sometimes up to their neck. It was back breaking work, made all the worse by the conditions they were forced to endure, which included being shackled to chains and risking disease. It was quite shocking to experience the product of the prisoners' labour, all too recent in past history.

While the 'work' these prisoners endured was akin to slave labour and not a job chosen by the prisoners themselves, it does highlight how work can be designed to purposely create the worst possible outcomes for the individual, including physical and psychological trauma, skin and water borne diseases, extreme fatigue, and possibly even death.

Turning this on its head, it also highlights how we can design the best quality jobs with the best possible outcomes for individuals, such as physical and psychological wellbeing. The work environment involves the physical space in which we work (e.g. lighting, noise levels, design of our office spaces) as well as aspects such as the amount of control we have over how and when we carry out work tasks, our ability to contribute to decision-making, and the amount of support we receive from colleagues, supervisors, and managers.

Albeit an extreme example, this tour highlighted the implications of poor work design particularly well, and how important the design of work is for creating motivated, engaged workers. Through researching work design we can learn how best to apply work design principles to different contexts.

#GoodWork #FutureofWork #JobDesign #Wellbeing #JobStress #JobDemandsResourcesModel

Mature Labour Force Participation Workshop in Canberra

The Honorable Dr Kay Patterson AO, Age Discrimination Commissioner, Professor Sharon Parker (UWA, CEPAR); and Professor John Piggott (UNSW, CEPAR)

This week the Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research (CEPAR) hosted an event in Canberra to discuss the challenges associated with the effective use of a mature labour force.

The Australian Treasury has estimated that a five percentage point increase in mature labour force participation would generate by 2050, an additional 2.4% GDP per capita. CEPAR estimates the mature working age population in Australia will rise from 3.5 million today to 5.6 million in 2050.

Thus far, analysis of how to increase mature labour force participation has largely focused on the supply side of the market. This workshop, attended by commonwealth and state government officials, as well as private sector practitioners and the academic community, took a broader view.

The workshop was opened by the Honorable Dr Kay Patterson AO, Age Discrimination Commissioner, Australian Human Rights Commission. Kay gave a fabulous introduction, and reminded academics about the importance of using research to shape practice and policy, in essence, to make a difference.

Two CEPAR researchers, Jeromey Temple from the University of Melbourne, and Rafal Chomik from the UNSW, provided intriguing data showing breakdowns of population, ageing, and participation by region, and offered some projections into the future.

Next Kaarin Anstey from ANU talked about the cognitive health of individuals as they mature, providing fascinating insights into how cognition can change -for better and worse - over the lifespan.

Marian Baird from the University of Sydney presented statistics showing the very different patterns of work and care for mature men compared to women. Marian argued that flexible work arrangements are vital for many mature workers who have aged care responsibilities.

Sharon Parker then presented examples of research and practice focusing on attracting and retaining mature workers, as well as ensuring these workers stay healthy and productive. Sharon invited organisations to participate in our CEPAR research program to enhance our knowledge as to what sorts of interventions work, for whom, and when.

Watch Professor Sharon Parker talk about aging in the workplace from an organisational perspective, here.

The final session was an excellent panel discussion led by Benedikte Jensen, Group Manager Labour Market Strategy, Employment, Department of Employment; Ian Yates, CEO, COTA; and Michael Gadiel, NSW Treasury.

All in all, it was a very successful event with lots of knowledge-sharing and discussion about better engaging mature talent.