Australian Organisations Research Articles

An examination of the relationship between financial performance and safety factors in the heavy trucking industry

Heavy trucks disproportionately contribute to road fatalities and injuries worldwide. Safety efforts to reduce these undesired outcomes have mostly focused on regulating overt driver behaviors such as speeding and fatigue, ignoring underlying systemic issues such as the financial performance of the company. Nevertheless, there is evidence that financial pressures may lead organizations to reduce safety investments and adopt payment policies that implicitly pressure drivers to drive faster and work longer hours. This paper examines the relationships between financial performance of organizations and crash influential factors, including driver employment type, driver payment method, driver skills level, type of load carried, technology adoption and vehicle acquisition. Data collected from an online survey of 69 Australian heavy trucking organizations was analyzed using the Correspondence Analysis methodology. Results showed a positive association between good financial performance and the adoption of safety-promoting policies, such as having skilled drivers, buying new vehicles or vehicles highly equipped with safety technologies. This implies that organizations’ financial performance in the trucking industry can be considered a safety performance indicator with a poor financial performance implying a risk of reducing safety investments. Results also showed that good financial performance is associated with carrying livestock, refrigerated or dangerous freight, selecting employee drivers, and paying drivers based on performance. Findings of this study have strong potential to improve truck safety by informing policy development, particularly on examining the inclusion of financial performance into the truck regulatory legislation.

MODERATING MENTAL HEALTH: ARE AUTOMATED SYSTEMS TOO RISK AVERSE?

Across commercial social media platforms and dedicated support forums alike, mental health content raises important questions about what constitutes risk and harm online, and how automated and human moderation practices can be re-configured to accommodate resilient behaviours and social support. In work with three Australian mental health organisations that provide successful discussion and support forums, this paper identifies moderation practices that can help to re-think how mental health content is managed. The work aims to improve safety and resilience in these spaces, drawing insights from successful practices to inform algorithmic and moderator treatment of mental health content more widely across social media. Through an analysis of interviews and workshops with forum managers and moderators, I paper argue that platforms must incorporate strengths-based context (resilience indicators) into their moderation systems and practices, challenging simplistic assessments of mental health content as risk and harm.

Examining sport board leadership: how chairs manage passion

ABSTRACT Research question Passion is a key feature of the sport industry that can manifest positively or negatively amongst sport directors. There has been limited research on how passion can be managed on boards. The purpose of this study was to examine the skills, abilities, and strategies used by Chairs to manage passion within sport boards. Research methods This paper reports findings based on interviews with Chairs of 19 Australian sport organisations. Findings Chairs deployed strategies to manage passion within the board such as managing the agenda, informal discussions, and using consensus-based decision-making approaches. Passion management strategies are contingent on the skills and abilities of Chairs, the prevalence of collective board leadership, and the professionalisation of the board. Implications This research expands the understanding of passion in sport through the development of a framework that illuminates how Chairs manage passion through a range of skills, abilities, and strategies and thus enhances knowledge of sport governance, emotion management, and leadership.

Multilevel Continua of Mothers, Fathers and Childless Women and Men’s Work–Life “Choices” and Their Constraints, Enablers and Consequences

Gendered and classed working, parenting and other life contexts create multifaceted interactions between quantitative (including time and effort-intensive) and qualitative (including needs, interests, aspirations and identities) work and life contexts. This research aimed to understand mothers, fathers and childless women and men’s gendered and classed strategies for managing multifaceted work and life interactions in their multilevel contexts. The research consisted of a qualitative case study of a large Australian organisation that ostensibly prioritised diversity and inclusion and offered flexible working arrangements to all employees. A grounded theory approach was used to analyse forty-seven employees’ responses to open-ended questions in a self-administered questionnaire, combined with iterative in-depth interviews with 10 employees. The findings suggested mothers, fathers, childless women and men’s nuanced strategies for managing multifaceted work–life interactions were explained by multilevel continua of “choices” between incompatible quantitative and qualitative work and life contexts, embedded in gendered and classed individual, family, community, organisational and societal constraints, enablers and consequences, which inhibited agency to make genuine work–life choices. These “choices” reflected and reinforced societally and organisationally hegemonic working, mothering, fathering and childlessness discourses.

‘Bread and butter’ policing: first-year constables and domestic violence

ABSTRACT Domestic violence is an extensive social issue in Australia. It is a complex crime encompassing different behaviours and situations, which challenge police in terms of recognition and response, as well as determining appropriate outcomes of justice. During their first year of police work (whilst being evaluated under competency measures), first-year constables in Australia are frequently deployed to respond to public calls for help. As such, they are regularly sent to investigate domestic violence. Yet knowledge regarding the effectiveness of first-year constables in their response to domestic violence and policing of these crimes is lacking in much of the policing literature. This article focuses on policing of domestic violence from the perspective of first-year constables working in one of the largest Australian state police organisations (de-identified as part of the ethics agreement). It examines the findings from 46 interviews and offers insight into a hitherto under-researched area regarding policing of domestic violence by officers at the start of their policing career.

Initial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Australian fisheries production, research organisations and assessment: shocks, responses and implications for decision support and resilience

Australia’s fisheries have experience in responding individually to specific shocks to stock levels (for example, marine heatwaves, floods) and markets (for example, global financial crisis, food safety access barriers). The COVID-19 pandemic was, however, novel in triggering a series of systemic shocks and disruptions to the activities and operating conditions for all Australia’s commercial fisheries sectors including those of the research agencies that provide the information needed for their sustainable management. While these disruptions have a single root cause—the public health impacts and containment responses to the COVID-19 pandemic—their transmission and effects have been varied. We examine both the impacts on Australian fisheries triggered by measures introduced by governments both internationally and domestically in response to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, and the countermeasures introduced to support continuity in fisheries and aquaculture production and supply chains. Impacts on fisheries production are identified by comparing annual and monthly catch data for Australia’s commercial fisheries in 2020 with averages for the last 4–5 years. We combine this with a survey of the short-term disruption to and impacts on research organisations engaged in fisheries monitoring and assessment and the adaptive measures they deployed. The dominant impact identified was triggered by containment measures both within Australia and in export receiving countries which led to loss of export markets and domestic dine-in markets for live or fresh seafood. The most heavily impact fisheries included lobster and abalone (exported live) and specific finfishes (exported fresh or sold live domestically), which experienced short-term reductions in both production and price. At the same time, improved prices and demand for seafood sold into domestic retail channels were observed. The impacts observed were both a function of the disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the countermeasures and support programs introduced by various national and state-level governments across Australia to at least partly mitigate negative impacts on harvesting activities and supply chains. These included protecting fisheries activities from specific restrictive COVID-19 containment measures, pro-actively re-establishing freight links, supporting quota roll-overs, and introducing wage and businesses support packages. Fisheries research organisations were impacted to various degrees, largely determined by the extent to which their field monitoring activities were protected from specific restrictive COVID-19 containment measures by their state-level governments. Responses of these organisations included reducing fisheries dependent and independent data collection as required while developing strategies to continue to provide assessment services, including opportunistic innovations to harvest data from new data sources. Observed short run impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has emphasised both the vulnerability of fisheries dependent on export markets, live or fresh markets, and long supply chains and the resilience of fisheries research programs. We suggest that further and more comprehensive analysis over a longer time period of the long-run impacts of subsequent waves of variants, extended pandemic containment measures, autonomous and planned adaptive responses would be beneficial for the development of more effective counter measures for when the next major external shock affects Australian fisheries.

A Cross-Sequential Study of the Effect of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic on the Risk of Anxiety and Depression of Royal Flying Doctors Staff, an Australian Air Medical Organization

ObjectiveThis cross-sequential study examines whether the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic affected the mental health of staff working at an Australian air medical service, the Royal Flying Doctors Service South Eastern (RFDSSE) Section. MethodsThe risk of anxiety and depression was measured using a prospective anonymized online survey using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, which was answered by 119 employees. This cross-sequential study was completed in December 2021 with reference to 2 time points: now and the beginning of the pandemic. A high risk of anxiety was defined using a Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale score of 11 to 21 (low risk: 0-10). Chi-square testing was used to compare subgroups at single time points. McNemar testing was used to compare the risk of anxiety and depression between the beginning of the pandemic and December 2021. ResultsEmployees recalled a higher risk of anxiety at the beginning of the pandemic (29%) compared with December 2021 (16%) (P = .012). At the beginning of the pandemic, nonoperational staff members were more anxious than operational staff (P = .019). One third (31%) of operational staff members were concerned about dying at the beginning of the pandemic. ConclusionOur findings demonstrate that RFDSSE employees recalled higher levels of anxiety at the beginning of the pandemic compared with their risk in December 2021. Operational and nonoperational staff have different mental health needs; anxiety experienced by nonoperational staff during a pandemic should not be underestimated. The overall prevalence of anxiety and depression is high, suggesting health care staff in an air medical service may require extra psychological support. Other air medical organizations may reflect on our study findings and plan how to better support their own staff as a result.

White Anglo patriarchal possession in organizations: Unequal vertical career progressions among Anglo White & non‐Anglo White highly skilled immigrant women

AbstractWithin the discussion of highly skilled immigrant women workers in organizations, dominant discourses continue to pay little attention to the gender/racial dimension in relation to career progression. Although research of skilled immigrant women has revealed important insights into how the intersection of gender, race, and class shape women's work experience, the White Anglo colonial male promotion practices inscribed on Australian organizations in relation to skilled immigration remain little researched in Australia. This article explores the differences between the career progressions of cisgender, highly skilled immigrant women of different racial and ethnic backgrounds employed in a variety of industries. It reveals how both Anglo White and non‐Anglo White highly skilled immigrant women were affected by colonial patriarchal power relations, which served to hinder their career progression. However, the Whiteness of the top levels of the Australian capitalist colonial labor market benefitted the White Anglo group's vertical career growth.

Accountabilities and stakeholder expectations regarding asbestos-free building materials supply chain: an actor-network theory perspective

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore issues relating to imposing a ban on the importation of asbestos-contaminated building materials (ACBMs) in the Australian context to better understand the multiple accountabilities and consequences.Design/methodology/approachThis study undertakes a qualitative content analysis of the multiple accountabilities and stakeholder expectations using the lens of actor–network theory. This study further explores the weaknesses and complexities associated with implementing a complete ban on asbestos, ensuring that only asbestos-free building materials are imported to Australia. This study uses data collected from 15 semi-structured interviews with stakeholders, responses from the Australian Border Force to a questionnaire and 215 counter accounts from the media, the Australian Government, industry organizations, non-governmental organizations and social group websites during the period from 2003 to 2021.FindingsThis study reveals that stakeholders' expectations of zero tolerance for asbestos have not been met. This assertion has been backed by evidence of asbestos contamination in imported building materials throughout recent years. Stakeholders say that the complete prevention of the importation of ACBMs has been delayed because of issues in policy implementations, opaque supply chain activities, lack of transparency and non-adherence to mandatory and self-regulated guidelines.Practical implicationsStakeholders expect public and private sector organizations to meet their accountabilities through mandatory adoption of the given policy framework.Originality/valueThis research provides a road map to identify the multiple accountabilities, their related weaknesses and the lack of implementation of the necessary protocol, which prevents a critical aspect of legislation from being effectively implemented.

The effect of COVID-19 on managerial leadership style within Australian public sector organizations

This study investigates the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on leadership styles within Australian public sector organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative methodology was employed for this research consisting of semi-structured interviews with 50 managers. The study results suggest the pandemic affected managers’ leadership style, managers’ and employees’ emotions, stress and anxiety, and organizational performance and productivity. Changes in leadership style to incorporate being supportive, informative, and motivational to match the change in situation were found to be effective. This addresses a gap in the literature by identifying these three leadership styles as being important for employee support during the pandemic.

Environmental sustainability policy within Australian Olympic sport organisations

ABSTRACT The 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games commitment to deliver a ‘climate-positive’ Games raises concerns about the current environmental actions of Australian Olympic sport organisations. This study adapts a policy assessment framework, founded on environmental policy integration (EPI), to analyse the responses of Australian Olympic sport organisations to environmental sustainability. The integration of environmental considerations into sport policy is arguably critical to helping the sport industry transition to sustainable operations. However, an analysis of official documents found that the environmental responses of Australian Olympic sport organisations are limited and insufficient. It is argued that sport organisations need to develop more comprehensive mitigation and adaptation goals, change strategic directions, and integrate environmental policies into their mainstream activities. This transition should be supported by environmental impact and climate vulnerability assessments as well existing sport specific international frameworks (e.g., UN Sport for Climate Action Framework) and sustainability policies of international sports federations. The assessment framework used here has the potential to support the monitoring and evaluation of environmental policy integration within sport.

Health information in creative translation: establishing a collaborative project of research and exhibition making

ABSTRACT There are numerous ways that researchers can creatively approach social research and translation. This article discusses elements from the first stages of a novel project that centres social research translation in the form of a public exhibition. ‘Creative Approaches to Health Information Ecologies’ is a project by a multidisciplinary research team in collaboration with an Australian health consumer organisation. The project uses creative workshop methods to explore how people learn, think, and feel about their bodies and health states, and brings attention to the significance of communities, places, spaces, objects, and other living things – the ‘ecologies’ of health information. It then builds on these insights to create an interactive exhibition of materials designed for public engagement. This reflexive article unpacks how this creative translation-centred collaboration contributed to the make-up of the project team, the project's research methods, and the process of making exhibition materials. We discuss what the research team learned from the process about creative collaboration, research-creation, and research translation.

Perceptions of the effectiveness of using patient encounter data as an education and reflection tool in general practice training.

Introduction Patient encounter tools provide feedback and potentially reflection on general practitioner (GP) registrars' in-practice learning and may contribute to the formative assessment of clinical competencies. However, little is known about the perceived utility of such tools. Aim To investigate the perceived utility of a patient encounter tool by GP registrars, their supervisors, and medical educators (MEs). Methods General practice registrars, supervisors and MEs from two Australian regional training organisations completed a cross-sectional questionnaire. Registrars rated how Registrar Clinical Encounters in Training (ReCEnT), a patient encounter tool, influenced their reflection on, and change in, clinical practice, learning and training. Supervisors' and MEs' perceptions provided contextual information about understanding their registrars' clinical practice, learning and training needs. Results Questionnaires were completed by 48% of registrars (n = 90), 22% of supervisors (n = 182), and 61% of MEs (n = 62). Most registrars agreed that ReCEnT helped them reflect on their clinical practice (79%), learning needs (69%) and training needs (72%). Many registrars reported changing their clinical practice (54%) and learning approaches (51%). Fewer (37%) agreed that ReCEnT influenced them to change their training plans. Most supervisors (68%) and MEs (82%) agreed ReCEnT reports helped them better understand their registrars' clinical practice. Similarly, most supervisors (63%) and MEs (68%) agreed ReCEnT reports helped them better understand their registrars' learning and training needs. Discussion ReCEnT can prompt self-reflection among registrars, leading to changes in clinical practice, learning approaches and training plans. Reaching its potential as an assessment for learning (as opposed to an assessment of learning) requires effective engagement between registrars, their supervisors and MEs.

Exploring how a patient encounter tracking and learning tool is used within general practice training: a qualitative study.

Introduction In Australian general practitioner (GP) training, feedback and reflection on in-practice experience is central to developing GP registrars' (trainees') clinical competencies. Patient encounter tracking and learning tools (PETALs) that encompass an audit of consecutive patient consultations, feedback, and reflection are used to determine registrars' in-practice exposure and have been suggested as a tool for learning within a programmatic assessment framework. However, there is limited qualitative literature on the utility of PETALs in GP training. Aim To provide greater understanding of how PETALs are used in GP training, using Registrars' Clinical Encounters in Training (ReCEnT) as a case study. Methods Medical educators, supervisors, and registrars from two Australian regional GP training organisations participated in focus groups and interviews, designed to explore participants' perceptions of ReCEnT's utility. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results Eight themes were identified that enhance our understanding of: how ReCEnT reports are used (reassuring registrars, facilitating self-reflection, identifying learning needs), what enables ReCEnT to reach its full potential (a culture of reflection, meaningful discussions with supervisors and medical educators, valuing objective data), and differences in understanding about ReCEnT's role in a programmatic assessment framework (as a tool for learning, as 'one piece of the puzzle'). Discussion The findings were used to develop a Structure-Process-Outcomes model to demonstrate how ReCEnT is currently used and explores how it can be used for learning, rather than of learning, in a programmatic assessment framework for GP training. ReCEnT's longitudinal format has potential for enhancing learning throughout training.

Competitive champions versus cooperative advocates

Abstract
 Background: Evaluation offers non-profit organizations an opportunity to improve their services, demonstrate achievements, and be accountable. The extant literature identifies individuals who can enhance the uptake of evaluation as evaluation champions. However, a paucity of detail is available regarding how to identify them and the support they require.
 Purpose: This research investigated the characteristics and motivations of evaluation champions and examined how they promoted and embedded evaluation in an organizational system.
 Setting: Australian human and social service non-profit organizations.
 Research design: Drawing upon the literature and social interdependence theory, the research took an interpretivist perspective to collaboratively generate knowledge about evaluation champions. The aim was to understand and develop a reconstruction of the characteristics of individuals. This article constitutes a component of a larger research project.
 Data Collection and Analysis: This research used purposive sampling to recruit champions working in Australian non-profit organizations, who were identified via descriptive criteria gleaned from a literature review. The research involved interviewing 17 champions, four of whom also participated in organizational case studies. Analysis of the semi-structured interviews and case studies generated information about the activities, strategies, motivations, and attributes of individuals who championed and advocated for evaluation.
 Findings: This article argues that evaluation advocates is a preferable descriptor when attempting to embed evaluation by cultivating mutually beneficial interactions and cooperative working relationships. This research defines evaluation advocates as individuals who motivate others and provide energy, interest, and enthusiasm by connecting evaluation with colleagues’ personal aspirations and the organizational goals to make judgements about effectiveness. This article includes a field guide to facilitate evaluation advocates’ identification, recruitment, support, and development.

The adoption of human resource practices to support employees affected by intimate partner violence: Women representation in leadership matters

AbstractIntimate partner violence (IPV) is a global public health issue that negatively impacts organizations and their employees. Research suggests that organizations can play a supportive role to lessen this negative impact. However, it has been relatively silent on the conditions under which organizations choose to play such a role. Integrating social role and critical mass perspectives, we examine the extent to which organizations adopt human resource (HR) practices to support employees affected by IPV. Specifically, we argue that organizations are more likely to adopt IPV‐related HR practices when they are led by female Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and Top Management Teams (TMTs) with more female members. Furthermore, we argue that when women's representation reaches a critical mass plateau, appointing more women in TMTs has no incremental impact, and this non‐linear relationship moderates the CEO gender effect. Overall, we found support for our hypotheses based on a survey study of HR professionals from 414 Australian organizations (Study 1) and an archival study using 2 years of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency data from 4186 Australian organizations (Study 2). Theoretical and practical implications on the influence of gender configurations in leadership positions on the adoption of diversity, equity, and inclusion‐related HR practices are discussed.

A Multilevel Grounded Theory of Quantitative Job Quality Among Mothers, Fathers and Childless Women and Men in a Gendered, Classed and Aged "Growth-Driven" Organisation.

Poor quality jobs, incorporating job demands, resources and rewards, can impact employees' health and wellbeing inside and outside work. However, jobs' changing nature and employees' increasingly diverse backgrounds mean existing job quality models may not adequately explain individuals' job quality experiences within their individual, organisational and societal contexts. The paper aimed to understand mothers, fathers and childless women and men's gendered, classed and aged experiences of quantitative job demands (including work amount, speed, effort, length and timing) and their resources and rewards, within multilevel contexts. We conducted a qualitative case-study of an Australian organisation, employing a critical feminist grounded theory design. We collected and analysed data from open-ended questionnaire responses from 47 employees and iterative in-depth interviews with 10 employees. Participants' experiences of excessive quantitative demands, whether they could meet such demands, and whether they felt extrinsically or intrinsically resourced and rewarded for doing so, were embedded within ComCo's masculine-neoliberal-capitalist growth imperative, cultures, policies and practices reinforcing growth, and quantitatively extreme and qualitatively conformant ideal worker discourses, as well as participants' organisationally and societally-embedded individual, family and community-level contexts; producing nuanced gendered, classed and aged experiences among mothers, fathers and childless women and men. Although confirming well-established objective job quality dimensions, our research suggests individuals' nuanced and subjective job quality experiences are embedded within individual, family, community, organisational and societal contexts.

Using Program Design and Delivery to Support Participant Engagement in Programs Challenging Problematic Gender Norms Amongst Australian Men and Boys

This article explores how the design and delivery of programs challenging gendered norms amongst men and boys can support attitude and behaviour change through more conscious and deliberate engagement with program content. Sixty-seven past participants of programs delivered by five Australian organisations completed an online survey based on their experiences. The Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) was used to explore participants' perspectives regarding motivation and ability to elaborate on program content, evidence of elaboration occurring, and experiences of attitude and behaviour change post-program. Program strengths included highlighting the personal relevance of program content, eliminating distractions and message comprehensibility. Opportunities for improvement included increasing message repetition and the number of message sources. Evidence of elaboration was present across all program types, including single-session programs, and included reflections on social and emotional learnings. The findings demonstrate how program design and delivery can support processing program material at a deeper and more conscious level, including when dealing with resource and time constraints.

Verification, validation, and accreditation for models and simulations in the Australian defence context: a review

Building simulation models that are valid and credible is an enduring challenge in the Australian Defence Organisation (ADO) context. Establishing validity and credibility can be achieved through the rigorous use of appropriate Verification, Validation, and Accreditation (VVA) processes. Such processes are well-known in modeling and simulation (M&S) practice. However, these are generally not applied within the ADO, typically due to resourcing concerns and a lack of authoritative guidance. Even if there are any, due to security concerns and commercial reasons, the application of M&S within ADO is generally not published in open-access platforms. Depending on where in the M&S life-cycle VVA is started, it may also serve a secondary aim of risk reduction, assisting in the early discovery of possible problems or mistakes. This research reviews current VVA practices from academic literature and recommends processes that are appropriate for application to combat simulation tools within the ADO context. A scoping review has been conducted to gather insight into current VVA practice in the M&S community. The results of this review are presented in the form of charting relevant characteristics from selected references. The scoping review shows that executable validation of simulation results against referent data sourced from physical experiments is the most prevalent form of VVA, with referent data from comparative models being a prevalent alternative. Furthermore, there is evident reliance on graphical comparison of data; this could be enhanced with objective data comparators, such as aggregate error measures or statistical techniques. Finally, there is an evident gap in VVA references from Australia, which could be addressed through the propagation and reporting of prevalent VVA practices within the ADO context.

Implementing mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for Australian aged care workers.

Implementing mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for Australian aged care workers.