The intersection between work design and entrepreneurship has been considered, but generally speaking, the two domains have progressed separately. Merging these domains may prove fruitful given their potential overlap. Top of Page Work Design and Entrepreneurship Participate in our global study Click here to apply Project Brief How confident are you that your organization is structured to perform? Will the work design in your organization disrupt your growth before you can disrupt your industry? What data can you show to validate that your work design decisions and actions are developing your teams capabilities and setting you up to attract top investors--not causing burnout and bleeding talent? Curtin University’s Future of Work Institute is conducting a study that offers founders/CEOs of high-growth start-ups over 30+ free access to tech and evidence-based frameworks that support visibility into who does what in their organizations, and how to fix resourcing gaps, cracks and overlaps. For 2.5hrs over the next 90 days, share your thoughts on work at your organization as we walk you through guided reflections, and in exchange we’ll give you free access to Functionly and tailored reporting with benchmarks based on independently validated research. That’s US$1,800 in value. You're most likely to benefit from this study if.. Your org is growing to keep up with your ambition, and the complexity of your teams and responsibilities means you're constantly evolving your org structure and resource planning. You are a founder/CEO, senior executive or head of department You have 30+ people who report to you You will make changes to your team in the next 1-2 months You’ve never been a customer or trial user of Functionly If you don’t meet these criteria, consider spreading the word and share a link to this page to other founders and executives . Click here to apply (2 mins) Curtin University Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) has approved this study (HRE2018-0477). Calling out all start-up founders and CEOs: Join our study! Your Skin in the Game = 2.5hrs over 90 days Use the Functionly intelligent org chart for 90 days (What is Functionly - Demo ) Have four confidential conversations: a 45 min baseline interview + 2 x 20min check-ins + 45min final session with the FOWI research team Complete and share surveys: Share insights about your work and distribute a 5min SMART work design survey to your direct reports at the start, middle and end of the project. What You Get ~ US$1,800 Free access to Functionly intelligent org chart for 90 days to help you with: functional alignment, team accountability, strategic mapping, and building your organization ~ US$300 An evidence-based assessment giving a data-infused snapshot of your work design without the noise. It gives guideposts towards maintaining your work design strengths, and visibility into work design weak points before they create problems like strain and dissatisfaction among employees.This looks like: Personalized guidelines for good work design and how to improve the design and structure of work at your organization ~ US$550 Benchmarks of the SMART work design survey for you and your team. SMART is the leading work design model available worldwide. Developed by Prof Sharon Parker at FOWI, it’s based on decades of research ~ US$950 Click here to apply (2 mins) Share this LinkedIn post Retweet this Twitter post Project Lead M.K. Ward RESEARCH FELLOW Other Projects on Future Work

Top of Page Working in virtual teams Project Brief In a world characterized by rapid technological advancements and increasingly flexible workplaces, highly capable information and communication technologies have created the possibility of work environments strongly influenced by technology-mediated-communication. This is reflected in the high prevalence of so-called virtual teams–that is, teams working on interdependent tasks even under conditions of geographical and/or organizational dispersion. Moreover, these advancements have spurred both a societal as well as academic interest in designing future jobs and teamwork in a way that both workers and organizations can benefit from. Albeit the strong conceptual overlap of team virtuality and work design from a socio-technical systems approach, little has yet been done to build bridges between the individual-level focus on e.g., job characteristics and the team-/group-centered perspective of autonomous (virtual) work groups and socio-technical systems theory. In this research project, we aim to combine these two research streams to gain a better understanding of how team virtuality and work design affect each other as well as team - and individual-level outcomes. On 17 August 2020, our CTWD team (Dr Florian Klonek and Cecilia Runneboom) co-facilitated with Dr Lisette Kanse in a session called “Working in virtual teams” in Unit PSYC5556 (Work Design). We recorded the session and reflected on the virtual team simulation below: Contact for more information: Florian Klonek Faculty: Florian Klonek Sharon Parker Partners: Lisa Handke (Free University Berlin) Tom O’Neill (University of Calgary) Patricia Costa (University Institute of Lisbon) Lisette Kanse (UWA) Serena Wee (UWA) Publications: Klonek, F.E., Kanse, L., Wee, S., Runneboom, C., & Parker, S. (in press). Did the COVID-19 lock-down make us better at working in virtual teams? . Small Group Research. Klonek, F.E., & Parker, S. (2021). Designing SMART teamwork: How work design can boost performance in virtual teams . Organizational Dynamics. (Free publisher-copies available until April 11th 2021) Handke, L., Costa, P., Klonek, F.E., O’Neil, T., & Parker, S. (2020). Team perceived virtuality: An emergent state perspective . European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology (Advanced online publication) . Doi: 10.1080/1359432X.2020.1806921 Handke, L., Klonek, F.E., Parker, S., & Kauffeld, S. (2020). Interactive effects of team virtuality and work design on team functioning . Small Group Research , 51(1), 3-47. doi:10.1177/1046496419863490 Costa, P. L., Handke, L., & O’Neill, T. A. (2021). Are All Lockdown Teams Created Equally? Work Characteristics and Team Perceived Virtuality . Small Group Research . Advance online publication. doi: 10.1177/1046496421997897 Media and Resources Radio interview Virtual teams’ can overcome barriers to thrive How you can improve the performance of your virtual team - Psychology Today article Team Virtuality and team functioning: What is it, why should we care, and what can be done about it? Video lecture Improved collaboration a pandemic "silver lining": study - HR Daily Other Projects on Team and Organisations

SMART Work is Relational About the model The fourth letter in the SMART work framework stands for 'Relational'. Relational is defined as the extent to which an individual experiences a sense of support, purpose and social contact in their role. As humans, connection to both others and the purpose of our work is a necessary ingredient for feeling satisfied and fulfilled with our jobs. JUMP TO Stimulating Mastery Agency Tolerable demands RELATED RESEARCH SMART Design for Care Watch this animated explainer video on Relational Characteristics of highly Relational jobs Jobs that are highly relational are likely to involve: Employees and supervisors who support each other and show personal interest consist of tasks which add a clear sense of value to the organisation contain a degree of feedback from outside the organisation, leading to sense of feeling valued "People can be having the worst day ever, but they have their hair done and feel better. I like making people happy." - Hairdresser “You get criticised when you're injured and literally can't use your leg form the pain.” - Professional Dancer Characteristics of less Relational jobs Jobs that are less relational are likely to involve: teams and supervisors which offer insignificant social support to one another tasks which provide minimal, if any feedback on their value within the organisation minimal opportunities to feel valued for efforts by people outside the organisation What are the risks of jobs with poor Relational design? From a mental health perspective, research shows that individuals with a low level of social support are at a 24 – 44% level of increased risk for experiencing poor mental ill-health. Interestingly, there was no reported difference in effects between whether this support came from co-workers or supervisors [1]. From an organisational perspective, a lack of relational aspects in work such as social support have been linked to a broad range of outcomes including job stress, job satisfaction, burnout, organisational commitment and employee wellbeing [2] [3]. Research spotlight Several studies have shown that structuring jobs so that workers experience a sense of contact with those their work affects has demonstrated positive effects. In one study, call centre agents were given brief contact with beneficiaries – in this case, individuals who received a scholarship due to funding raised by callers. Compared to controls, these callers significantly increased the time they spent on calls in the subsequent month in addition to their average weekly revenue [4]. A study based in an Australian hospital looked at the effects of introducing increased support through the introduction an advanced practice nurse to assist with junior doctors working on after hour’s shifts. It was found that this change greatly improved the social characters of the work design for junior doctors due to increased support, feedback and interdependence. As a result, junior doctors experienced less uncertainty and improved their proactivity, carrying out more self-initiated rounds of wards compared to previously [5]. Strategies to make work more Relational Whilst some jobs will naturally offer more opportunities to connect with others, there are a number of practical steps you can take to make your work more relational. Below are a number of recommendations to try out. Strategies for Employees Strategies for Managers Strategies for Organisations Here are some tips to make your work more relational: If your work does not have a social club, consider starting one. If there is a social club, make a conscious effort to attend and get to know your colleagues better by showing a personal interest in their lives. Try implementing ‘team lunches’ where members of a team, department or business unit meet once a week and have lunch together. This simple measure can help to boost feelings of connection whilst better understanding how different business units work. To learn more strategies, check out our training opportunities. Explore opportunities Employees who feel more supported and connected with their work are likely to experience a greater sense of wellbeing. To help foster this, below are some strategies to consider: Suggest your team start each day or shift with a short 5-10 minute ‘huddle’ where every touches base and discusses any potential issues or areas where they may benefit from support. When creating project plans or undertaking new initiatives, try to think of members outside your immediate circle of colleagues who may be able to assist or provide guidance. Having a shared objectives with other members of the organisation can help to dissolve silos. To learn more strategies, check out our training opportunities. Explore opportunities To learn more strategies, check out our training opportunities. Explore opportunities Further resources References [1] SafeWork NSW. (2017). Review of evidence of psychosocial risks for mental ill-health in the workplace. New South Wales, Australia. [2] Schaufeli, W. B., Bakker, A. B., & Van Rhenen, W. (2009). How changes in job demands and resources predict burnout, work engagement, and sickness absenteeism. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 30(7), 893-917. [3] Parker, S. K., (2015). Does the evidence and theory support the ‘Good Work Design Principles’: An educational resource. Safework Australia. [4] Grant, A. M., Campbell, E. M., Chen, G., Cottone, K., Lapedis, D., & Lee, K. (2007). Impact and the art of motivation maintenance: The effects of contact with beneficiaries on persistence behavior. Organizational behavior and human decision processes, 103(1), 53-67. [5] Johnson, A., Nguyen, H., Parker, S. K., Groth, M., Coote, S., Perry, L., & Way, B. (2017). “That was a good shift” Interprofessional collaboration and junior doctors’ learning and development on overtime shifts. Journal of health organization and management, 31(4), 471-486.

Videos Play Video Play Video 05:49 Sharon Parker- FIFO report Press Release - 5 Dec 2018 Play Video Play Video 01:16:11 Report launch: How work design shapes mental health in the Healthcare and Social Assistance industry Play Video Play Video 03:37 FIFO workers' mental health and wellbeing - How do FIFO workers experience FIFO work? Play Video Play Video 04:21 Centre For Transformative Work Design - Our Research Play Video Play Video 00:54 Work Design and Cognition (Hot Surgeons) - MK Ward Play Video Play Video 03:18 Highlights - State of psychological injury in the NSW Healthcare and Social Assistance industry Load More

We are currently examining the role of work design of promoting health and fostering growth amongst young adults. Top of Page Longitudinal Raine Study Project Brief We are currently examining the role of work design of promoting health and fostering growth amongst young adults. Contact for more information: Anu Bharadwaj Who's involved? Anu Bharadwaj Sharon Parker and ARC CIs Dr Patrick Dunlop (UWA Psychology) Professor Leon Straker (Curtin) Professor Kathy Parkes (Oxford) Partners: The UWA Raine Team Other Projects on Transforming Individuals

The Mature Worker’s in Organisations (MWOS) project aims to investigate the experiences and needs of mature and maturing workers and the organisation that employ them. COVID-19 Employment Study Mature Workers in Organisations The trend towards an ageing population is expected to continue for decades to come. The Mature Worker’s in Organisations (MWOS) project aims to investigate the experiences and needs of mature and maturing workers and the organisation that employ them. What is the Project About? The trend towards an ageing population is expected to continue for decades to come. The Mature Worker’s in Organisations (MWOS) project aims to investigate the experiences and needs of mature and maturing workers and the organisation that employ them. The recent outbreak of the novel COVID-19 virus has caused governments to take extraordinary measures restricting the movement of large proportions of the population. Organisations have had to rapidly respond to these continuously evolving conditions, including making decisions about staffing and work locations. We hope to learn about what experiences with staffing and actions organisation leaders are taking during this unprecedented global pandemic. Results from this study will shed light on current work practices and will identify lessons learned and opportunities for employers and workers in the future. We are expecting to recruit approximately 1-3 leaders per participating organisation for this project. Want to participate? See full info sheet Need support during COVID? Feeling stressed or overwhelmed? Frequently asked questions General Who is doing the Research? The project is being conducted by Professor Sharon Parker at the Future of Work Institute, Curtin University in Perth, WA, Australia and Professor Marian Baird AO, Professor of Gender and Employment Relations, Head of Discipline of Work and Organisational Studies, University of Sydney in Sydney, NSW, Australia. Data collection outside of Australia will be managed by local Research Collaborators and/or Research Assistants. Our research collaborators and/or research assistants are highly professional people with research interests around the issues of workers and organisational practices. This research project is funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC) to the Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research (project number CE170100005). There will be no costs to you and you will not be paid for participating in this project. Why am I being asked to take part and what will I have to do? Are there any benefits’ to being in the research project? Are there any risks, side-effects, discomforts or inconveniences from being in the research project?" Who will have access to my information? Do I have to take part in the research project? What happens next and who can I contact about the research?

FOR TEAMS Embrace complexity Allow your virtual team to embrace complexity: - Avoid breaking down complex tasks into piecemeal ones. - Provide your virtual team with enough time to master the complexity of a project. - Facilitate learning and growth by allowing time for your team to reflect on the process once a project is complete. Find more flexible work resources for managers: Download Back to main page

FOR TEAMS Virtual teams thrive on complexity Complex work can improve virtual team performance through its ability to stimulate efficient and effective communication, team reflection and learning, and better team solutions. Find more flexible work resources for managers: Download Back to main page

FOR TEAMS Six benefits of high role clarity According to research, high levels of role clarity benefit both virtual and non-virtual teams in a number of ways, including: • Higher levels of employee job satisfaction • Reduced turnover • Higher collective well-being of team members, especially in relation to understaffed teams. • Increased extra-role performance and team engagement • Fostering the development of team trust • Better team coordination Find more flexible work resources for managers: Download Back to main page

What is Work Design? The Basics Work design concerns the "content and organization of one’s work tasks, activities, relationships, and responsibilities" (Parker, 2014). Imagine designing the role of a police officer. Illustrative work design decisions include: Which activities should be grouped together to form a meaningful police officer job? Which decisions should be made by officers and which by their supervisors? Should individual jobs be grouped together into a team? Can one build in routine tasks amidst complex ones to ensure officers are not overwhelmed? These decisions - about the content and organization of one’s work tasks, activities, relationships, and responsibilities - will affect outcomes at multiple levels including whether individual officers feel engaged or stressed at work, and whether the wider police service achieves its targets, such as how effectively crime is detected and prevented. Often work design is described in terms of "job characteristics", or features of work that affect how people feel about their jobs. Research has identified many job characteristics that are positive, that result in work being more motivating or less stressful. Examples of positive job characteristics include: Job autonomy: Being able to make decisions within the job Task variety: Having a range of tasks in the job Skill utilisation: The opportunity to use one's skills in the job Task significance: Doing a job that is important Task identity: Doing a whole job Job feedback: Getting feedback whilst doing one's work The basics What is Work Design Watch Now Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tumblr Copy Link Link Copied Work Design: A brief History Work design: A brief history Interest in work design arose during the Industrial Revolution. At that time, people came together to work in factories, which led to questions about how to best organise work. The answer to the question came in the form of Taylorism. Find out about Taylorism in the short video shown here. The History of Work Design Watch Now Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tumblr Copy Link Link Copied How to design motivating work? Because of the problems of Taylorism, various strategies that have been tried to create better work designs, including job rotation, job enlargement, job enrichment, and self-managing teams. These are all forms of “work redesign” that are intended to make work more interesting and meaningful rather than simplified, low-autonomy jobs that Taylorism made popular. Designing Motivating Work Watch Now Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tumblr Copy Link Link Copied Designing Motivating Work What about the theory? About the theory So far, we have looked at how simplified jobs can be ‘redesigned’ to be more meaningful and motivating. What we haven’t looked at yet is the theory that underpins some of these work redesign efforts. It is important to understand theory because it allows designers to really think about the underlying principles when looking at work structures. In this next video, Sharon will discuss the Job Characteristics Model, a prominent model in the Work Design literature. Work Design Theory Watch Now Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tumblr Copy Link Link Copied Redesigining work Considerations to make when redesigning work Work ‘redesign’ means changing the way that the work is designed. Sometimes work redesign can be a simple ‘tweak’ to improve a job. Other times, work design can be a significant change that is part of a large-scale organisational redesign. In this video, Sharon discusses some of the considerations to make when redesigning work. How to Re-design Work? Watch Now Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tumblr Copy Link Link Copied Can employees change their own work design Yes! Even though work design is sometimes constrained by the situation, such as the type of technology or the approach of the leader, people in the jobs can shape their work designs too. This has been referred to as "job crafting" by some researchers (related concepts include job-role negotiation, i-deals, proactive work behavior). Job crafting involves changing one's tasks, relationships, and ways of thinking about work in order to make one's job more meaningful and motivating. Examples of job crafting include: Focusing efforts on tasks that are most interesting; Building new relationships with others at work; Reducing uninteresting or unnecessary tasks; Introducing better ways of doing things; and Obtaining more support from the supervisor. Changing your work What about the theory? The basics Work Design: A brief History Redesigining work Designing Motivating Work Changing your work

Top of Page Making Surgeries Safer: Non-technical Skills in Operating Theatres About the SWANS Initiative Every year, 2.4 million surgical procedures are carried out in Australia with an adverse event rate of 22%. Findings suggest that as many as 48% of these adverse events are highly preventable. Next to technical skills, non-technical skills such as decision-making, communication and team work impact surgical outcomes. The SWANS project investigates the utility of non-technical skills and their various elements. It strives to uncover some of the mechanisms that support the positive impact of non-technical skills. SWANS is an abbreviation of S urgical W ork Team A dvanced N on-Technical S kills. It is a reference to Perth's many Black swans and the many uncertain and hard to foresee aspects of safety critical work environments. Multi-Professional Team Briefings Multi-professional briefings are short 3 – 5 minute meetings before the start of an operating list. These meetings include all professional groups working in the operating theatre that day. Multi-professional briefings are designed to facilitate effective communication and coordination between team members, and support theatre efficiency and safety. They involve proactive planning to ensure efficiency, and they help surgical teams to set a collaborative tone for the day. They only take up a couple of minutes at the start of surgical lists. Background The research behind is based on research carried out by a multi-disciplinary team of researchers and medical practitioners at the University of Western Australia. For the research, data were collected in collaboration with four major hospitals in Western Australia. The research team carried out in-theater observations and engaged staff via surveys. Funded by the Western Australian Department of Health, the research was conducted to understand the effects of briefings and coordination between professional groups, specifically in the areas of problem solving and speaking up, helping and offering support, information exchange, and proposing changes. Conducting Multi-Professional Team Briefings Briefings are best conducted following 5 easy steps. The different steps help surgical staff to get to know each other, provide an overview of the work that lies ahead, and opportunities discuss details of each case. We advice to include all of these steps in your briefing practice. However, we also encourage you to customise the briefings to your and your team's needs. Introductions of team member names and roles familiarise staff with each other. This step clarifies everyone's roles and builds a team spirit. 1. Media release List overview focuses on the number of cases, the list duration, and turnaround times. This step provides everyone with an idea of what kind of work to expect. 2. Media release Case review provides more detailed information on each case. It clarifies roles, expected complexities, potential complications, equipment requirements, and team member level of experience with procedures. Based on the individual case review, changes to the list order that will enhance workflow can be identified before the first patient is called. 3. Media release Questions are then welcomed by all staff members to clarify any issues. 4. Media release Summarising any chances that were made to the list order and any notable issues reminds the team of key issues that have been discussed. 5. Media release Some Practical Tips Who initiates the briefing? The briefings can be initiated by any of the staff members. These briefings are everyone’s briefings. Tone and (body) language Use “we” instead of “I” during briefings. Standing in a circle also helps to ensure that everyone can see each other, and make the briefing feel more inclusive for everyone. Who leads the Briefing? The briefings can be led by any member of staff. We would advise staff to take turns in leading the briefing, however it is no issue if the same individuals lead the briefings. Using open ended questions effectively Open ended questions can stimulate free flowing conversation. Direct some of your open questions (but not all) at specific individuals to engage those with relevant knowledge to actively participate. Common Barriers and How to Overcome Them Based on surveys completed by theatre staff, the UWA team identified that briefings are currently not a common practice at WA Hospitals. We also found that those who experience briefings less often in their work were more dissatisfied with their theatre experience. The most commonly cited barrier to using team briefings was that not everyone was present before the start of the list. Some ways to overcome this could be to notify colleagues over the PA system, include the the missing person by dialling in through a phone call (on speaker mode), or to simply insist on starting the list only after a briefing is conducted. Resource: Let's Talk Teamwork Faculty Prof. Sharon Parker Dr. Laura Fruhen Other team members Dr Joseph Carpini (University of Western Australia) Prof. Yee Leung (WA Gynaecologic Cancer Service, King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women, University of Western Australia) A/Prof. Stewart Flemming (Fiona Stanley Hospital & Fremantle Hospital) Other resources Executive Summary Research article Video: Meet the Researchers - Joseph Carpini Report: A Guide for Medical Practitioners Other Projects on Team and Organisations

FOR INDIVIDUALS Autonomy preferences If you like to have a lot of autonomy, you might be a good candidate for a flexible work arrangement. However, a risk of flexible working is that it can lead to an increase in managerial control “micromanagement” type behaviours, which can decrease one’s autonomy, leading to greater frustration in individuals attempts at satisfying their need for autonomy at work. Find more resources for workers: Download Back to main page