From August 2017, prospective teaching students will be required to submit a 1000-word essay on why they want to teach before being accepted into Queensland universities.
As well as meeting academic requirements, applicants will have to write 500 words about their motivation and suitability to teach and another 500 words about their learning or leadership activities that demonstrate a commitment to learning.
In this section they are encouraged to describe examples from school or work or personal experience.
Developed by the Queensland Council of Deans in collaboration with the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre, the new requirement aims to select candidates with personal qualities that predispose them to become better teachers.
Attributes such as motivation to help others learn, organisation skills and being conscientious are all attributes that will be favourably looked upon.
Professor Donna Pendergast, School of Education & Professional Studies Dean.
Griffith University Dean of Education and Professional Studies and Chair of the Queensland Council of Deans Professor Donna Pendergast says the test is a more robust way of selecting those most suited to the demands of teaching.
“Effective teachers possess both academic and non-academic capabilities,’’ she said.
“Research shows the best teachers are those who have academic capability, literacy and numeracy skills and personal characteristics such as a motivation to teach, self-efficacy, willingness to learn and communication skills.
“A teacher who does not possess these non-academic capabilities may be more likely to leave the profession.”
QTAC will release the full details of the essay requirements prior to accepting essays online or via post from August.
Award-winning playwright, actor and Griffith PhD candidate, Margi Brown Ash, will present a double bill performance of her worksHe Dreamed a TrainandEveat the Brisbane Powerhouse in late June/July.
It will be the first time the works have been performed as a double bill. As part of her PhD Margiwrote the scripts forHe Dreamed a TrainandEve(together withHome, presented by Qld Theatre in 2015). The three plays form a trilogy of belonging and how people find their place in the world.
Margi, who is completing her PhD under the supervision of Professor Michael Balfour, Dr Linda Hassall and Professor Emeritus Bruce Burton, came to her PhD as a mature-age student.
With two master’s degrees in drama and counselling, Margi is no stranger to academe, teaching both areas at QUT for many years, while fitting it around her family and theatre commitments.
“At 65 I’m doing my PhD for very different reasons than someone younger may,’’ she says candidly.
“As an academic and a researcher, these plays are the perfect coming together of the academic frame and the artistic frame.
“It’s been a brilliant journey. As a mature-age student you may not know what you’re looking for, but you’re very clear on what you want to explore.”
Margi’s research has taken her around the world — researching and presenting her work in Finland (where she was artist-in-residence this year) as well as previously in Egypt, Israel and USA.
“The landscape of creative academic work has just fitted so beautifully with my PhD,’’ she says.
“The beauty of theatre is that it allows you to see how people respond to your work.”
Evocative wordplay
Fusing poetic storytelling with multi-media, He Dreamed a Train is an intimately personal story of a family exploring love, loss, grief and remembrance.
Margi plays a fictional version of herself while her son Travis Ash embodies a character inspired by her brother who has a degenerative neurological disease.
Co-devised, directed and designed by Dr. Benjamin Knapton and written by Margi and Travis, with several excerpts borrowed from her brother David Brown’s book of the same name, He Dreamed a Train debuted in Brisbane in 2014 to wide acclaim.
Multi award-winning Eve is co-devised and directed by Dr, Leah Mercer with Travis Ash as performer and musician.
Described by Australian Stage as “a sublime, evocative, rich, disturbing and tightly woven piece that will leave you intellectually reeling and profoundly inspired”, Eve was inspired by the Australian writer, Eve Langley.
Part memoir, part fiction, part homage to the sacrifice of the artist, Eve is presented by Force of Circumstance and Nest Ensemble in partnership with Brisbane Powerhouse.
Season: Thursday, June 29-Sunday, July 16. Bookings
Two Griffith University researchers have received special commendations at the inaugural national Excellence in Graduate Research Education Awards, hosted by the Australian Council of Graduate Research (ACGR).
Dean and Head, School of Education and Professional Studies, Professor Donna Pendergast, and Deputy Head (Research), School of Environment, Professor Catherine Pickering, received their awards at a special event in Sydney.
Professor Pendergast was recognised for her work in the Graduate Research Supervision category, and Professor Pickering was acknowledged for achievements in the Graduate Research Leadership space.
“This award represents the achievements of each and every HDR student I have had the privilege to supervise over the years,’’ Professor Pendergast said.
“HDR supervision is an exciting part of my work, with the opportunity to engage with people who are highly motivated and contributing to new thinking.”
Professor Pendergast’s approach to supervision, particularly her concept of Golden Threads, was shared at the awards ceremony.
“Golden threads run through students’ research with the selvedges formed by the bookend chapters. The golden threads should glisten at different points in the thesis and often shape the publication potential of the thesis.”
Professor Pickering also focused on the impact of PhD students and supervisors.
“They are the powerhouse of research in universities, contribution to research in Australia and globally,” she said.
“To have our work at Griffith supporting students as they transition from novice to experts in these inaugural national awards is an honour.
“Working with PhD students and supervisors at Griffith in developing research skills is a pleasure.”
At the presentation ceremony they were described as ‘exemplars of Australia’s excellent graduate research provision’.
The awards promote outstanding performance in higher degree research supervision, leadership and industry engagement and reward excellence of an international standard.
“The Council considers these awards timely in shining a spotlight on outstanding and innovative practice in research training,” ACGR convenor, Professor Denise Cuthbert, said.
The country’s first symposium on recycled organics will tackle their potential to create an industry worth more than $1 billion.
Australia produces 20 million tonnes of wasted organics – garden organics, forestry residues, municipal solid wastes, agricultural residues, biosolids,green waste and timber – each year.
Professor Chengrong Chen of the Griffith School of Environment, said currently 44 per cent of organics were recycled, 9 per cent were used to produce electricity and 47 per cent went to landfill.
“If we can recycle that remaining 47 per cent it could create an industry in recycled organics worth more than $1 billion,” he said.
“On the one hand we generate waste but on the other hand we’re saying how can we put that back to make things grow better?”
Held in partnership with Soil Science Australia and being opened by Queensland Chief Scientist Professor Suzanne Miller the symposium held at Griffith’s Nathan campus on Thursday (June 15) will address the benefits of using recycled organics on degraded and marginal landscapes.
Currently 45 per cent of Australian land is degraded.
“This is the first time in Australia we’re raising awareness for this critical issue,” Professor Chen said.
“It’s very important to raise public awareness and change public perception otherwise soil degradation and soil pollution will continue and we won’t have enough food or enough fibre in the future.
“Soil security is becoming a very important issue globally.”
Professor Suzanne Miller the Queensland Chief Scientist said innovative resource recovery was a real challenge for our state with its large land size and decentralised population adjacent to areas of high natural value like the Great Barrier Reef.
“Government, industry, researchers and farmers are working together to identify best management practices that benefit productivity and profitability, as well as contribute to improved environmental outcomes such as improved water quality,” Professor Miller said.
The symposium will bring together industry partners, governments, policy makers, land managers, farmers, environmental consultants and researchers in recycled organics to deliberate their application in degraded and marginal landscapes and better understand their use for agriculture, mining, urban environments and infrastructure.
Conference organiser Dr Maryam Esfandbod said household food waste was not waste but rather “wasted gold” that could be recovered.
“The key problem with the recycled organics industry is education for everyday people,” she said.
“We can assist people to make informed recycling choices which reduce their impact on the environment. We can also assist the end user — working with farmers to use these recycled organics for agricultural production.
“If we can recycle more wasted organics we can minimise waste going to landfill.”
Key speakers include representatives from the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, Australian Organics Recycling Association, Environmental Earth Sciences International, CSIRO, NuGrow, GreenFingers, Centre for Organic Research and Education, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, New South Wales EPA, Australian Laboratory Service, Qld Main Road Transport, Scion, Forests-Product-Innovation-New Zealand, RMIT University, MSF Sugar, Sugar Research Australia, Qld NRM Regional Groups Collective and Herbert Cane Productivity Services Ltd.
When Professor Michael Good first arrived at Griffith University seven years ago he never imagined that a vaccine to protect against the nasty Streptococcus A infection would already be at pharmaceutical development stage.
But with the support of Vice Chancellor Ian O’Connor, Institute for Glycomics Director Professor Mark von Itzstein and a remarkable research team working in the Institute’s Laboratory for Vaccines for the Developing World, the NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellow was able to raise hope for millions.
Professor Good’s team’s outstanding work led to a major translational outcome for the Institute in 2016, with the signing of a significant licensing agreement with major international vaccine manufacturing company, Olymvax Biopharmaceuticals in China. It is for this achievement they have been recognised with the Vice Chancellor’s Research Excellence Award for a research group or team.
Their needle-free vaccine targets Streptococcus A infections, the cause of strep throat and rheumatic heart disease.
Globally it is estimated that at least 18.1 million people are currently affected by rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease, with 500,000 deaths each year. Invasive group A streptococcus kills about 20 per cent of patients within seven days of infection.
Market timeframe
The lab’s team of more than 10 researchers could potentially see a vaccine in the market within the next six to eight years.
“It’s very important to have both the basic discovery research and the applied and translational aspect of vaccine orientated research in our team,” Professor Good said.
“The university, the VC and Mark, as well as the commercial arm of the university, have all been very supportive of my role at Griffith and that makes a big difference because it allows us to move with confidence.
“I didn’t know back then (when I arrived) we would make such rapid progress to get to clinical trials. I thought it would take much longer or may not happen at all. You must have everyone in the team doing their bit and it requires a lot of coordination getting everything together.”
Professor von Itzstein congratulated the team on their fantastic achievements.
“The research that led up to this outcome required a team effort and is a perfect example of the scale, commitment and multidisciplinary approaches that are required to translate basic science into investment-ready pre-clinical research,” he said.
Reforming the law to allow the Centrelink debts of family or domestic violence victims to be waived is long overdue.
This is the view from Griffith University social justice researcher Dr Lyndal Sleep, who has provided strong support to the recent move by Independent MP Andrew Wilkie, to introduce to parliament a private bill aimed at relieving the burden for such victims on Centrelink payments.
MP Wilkie introduced to parliament a private bill late last month, aimed specifically at relieving the burden for such victims on Centrelink payments.
Existing legislation allows for debts to be cleared in special circumstances, but Mr Wilkie believes it’s vague and may not apply to some situations.
The Social Services Legislation Amendment (Relieving Domestic Violence Victims of Debt) Bill 2017 gives Centrelink the specific power to waive Centrelink debts incurred by victims of domestic violence due to the abuse.
“I applaud Mr Wilkie’s concern about this area of law and its effect on women who have experienced domestic violence,” says Dr Sleep, from Griffith’s School of Human Services and Social Work, who has been researching social security law, debt and domestic violence for several years.
Long overdue reform
“This reform is long overdue. It is a fundamental injustice that survivors of domestic violence are forced to relay debt that was incurred as a direct result of their abuse. This reform should be strongly supported by both the government and the opposition.
“My research has shown that social security rules for debt recovery effectively entrap women in abusive relationships and has the capability for perpetrators to further control their victims.”
Dr Sleep also found that in deciding if a woman who has experienced domestic violence should repay a Centrelink debt, that domestic violence police reports have been used as evidence that they should repay the debt, rather than it being waived.
“Additionally, women who have incurred a Centrelink debt due to domestic violence can also be imprisoned for fraud through the criminal courts,” she says.
However, while Dr Sleep admits that Mr Wilki’s reform is necessary and an important first step, she says that deeper reform is also needed to protect victims of domestic violence from both Centrelink debt and criminal prosecution for fraud that abusive partners forced them carry out.
“The core of the problem is with the way that all Centrelink payments means-test couples as a single economic unit. This is different to taxation that assesses people as individuals.
“The couple rule is where social security law decides of a person is a member of a couple for Centrelink purposes.
“This couple focus has a particularly insidious effect on women who are in abusive relationships. They are often punished for relationship fraud at a time when they’re attempting to begin a new life free from their abuser.”
Professor David Peetz and of the Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing, and Professor Georgina Murray have released a new book that they have edited that aims to reshape how we look at gender gaps.
The concept for Women, Labor Segmentation and Regulation: Varieties of Gender Gaps comes from Peetz’s 2015 article in the Cambridge Journal of Economicswhich explains that the nature of gender gaps varies between situations and there is no single explanation for those gaps.
“By gender gaps, we are mainly talking about the difference in pay between men and women, but also differences in other aspects such as conditions and exposure to things like harassment,” Professor Peetz said.
“I have done some research in a number of different industries, and it struck me that when you are looking at gender gaps affecting women in particular areas the nature of the differ. They are differing according to how regulated or unregulated the particular occupation is and the gender composition of it.”
Women, Labor Segmentation and Regulation, looks at specific case studies through a number of fields, including coal mining, public sector professionals, academics, senior management, garment makers and those involved in film and television production.
According to Peetz, women working in a highly regulated field dominated by women such a childcare and nursing have historically experienced a collective undervaluation when compared to male occupations the require a similar level of skill.
“When you look at male-dominated occupations then the work is not undervalued but often the work of individual women is, but there are limits to that depending on how regulated the job is,” Peetz said.
“So if we look at coal mining, which is highly regulated, then pretty much women are getting equal pay for doing the same sorts of work and it is not undervalued. However, women will find it hard to do the sorts of work that is well paid because of difficulty to access to training, discrimination that might prevent that or encourage them to leave and home responsibilities that gender norms put upon them.”
The coal miners case study shows that while the work may be the same for both genders, the level of household responsibilities significantly differs between men and women, which plays into the differences from norms in the workforce.
“When you’re talking about an unregulated environment there is discrimination when it comes to pay itself,” Peetz said.
“We looked at CEO’s and senior managers and what you find is not only do you have those barriers in advancement that you see in regulated areas like coal mining, but you also have straight undervaluation of the women’s work themselves.”
“One of the biggest pay gaps you get between men and women is at the top of the food chain, amongst managers and CEO’s.”
“When you move away from regulation you are not moving to an area with the operation of a free market that sets pay, you are moving to an area where norms play an important role. Those norms matter when you can see the gender when you see the person across the table.”
That idea is put to the test according to Peetz when it comes to studies in bidding for work online using services such as Airtasker.
“When you can’t see or tell the gender of the person that is bidding for work then basically men and women will get similar pay,” Peetz said.
“When you can tell gender then there all sorts of opportunities for discrimination to arise, and indeed technology, with things like Gamergate, is one of the areas where there is one of the most entrenched forms of discrimination and harassment against women.
Overall, Professor Peetz hopes that readers of the book will come away with the value of regulations when it comes to gender in the workplace, and that goes beyond just an equal rate of pay.
“It’s important to think of regulation not just in terms of the regulation of equal pay at work, but there should also be regulations on things that give women access to the labour market, like parental leave, unpaid parental leave rights, part-time employment, and the flexibility that both women and men have to balance domestic and work needs,” Peetz said.
According to Professor Peetz, the issues of gender regulation inequality has made great strides in Australia over the years, but more work still needs to be done.
“In the mid-1960’s Australia had one of the worst gender gaps amongst advanced countries, buy the 1980’s it had one of the smallest gender gaps because the nature of award regulation and centralised wage fixing enabled the regulation of actual rates of pay,” Peetz said.
“Since the 1990’s we had various forms of decentralisation in wage fixing and there had been no progress in reducing the gender pay gap since then.”
Griffith University rock art expert Professor Paul Taçon has been announced the winner of the Research Leadership Award in the 2016 Vice Chancellor’s Research Excellence Awards.
For more than 36 years, the director of Griffith’s Place, Evolution and Rock Art Heritage Unit and Chair in Rock Art Research has been exploring the rock art sites of Australia and south-east Asia, while collaborating with Indigenous peoples in archaeological research.
In 2016 alone, he helped establish the Australian Research Centre of Human Evolution and the Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research. He led a large field research team in northwest Arnhem Land which discovered 160 undocumented rock art sites. He also published more than a dozen research papers, as well as a book.
“In the more than 12 years I have been at Griffith University I have worked hard to build many successful research teams and projects, mentor junior colleagues and guide PhD students through their research programs,’’ Professor Taçon said.
“Winning the Vice Chancellor’s award for Research Leadership caps one of the most incredible periods of my research career.”
Multi-faceted career
In 2016 Professor Taçon was awarded an Australian Research Council Laureate Fellowship allowing him to build and lead a new team of researchers working with Indigenous peoples across Australia and overseas over the next five years.
Professor Taçon said the Laureate will enable him to fill key gaps in the knowledge of Australian rock art sites before they endure further damage and disappear forever.
“The Laureate will allow us to protect Australia’s threatened visual record of tens of thousands of years of group and individual experience in new ways for future generations,’’ he said.
“It will allow me to mentor a new generation so the research can continue well beyond the life of the fellowship.
“Rock art research will be more fully integrated into all aspects of mainstream archaeology and what is considered one of the most important parts of Indigenous Australian heritage will be better conserved and managed for the future, enhancing Indigenous well-being in the process.”
Completing a triumphant year, Professor Taçon was also awarded a prestigious Rhys Jones Medal for Outstanding Contribution to Australian Archaeology, the most coveted award of theAustralian Archaeological Association.
For information about supporting research at Griffith University, click here.
Leading Griffith University researchers have been honoured at the Vice Chancellor’s Research Excellence Awards held at the Gold Coast campus.
The awards were presented by Senior Deputy Vice Chancellor Professor Ned Pankhurst andChancellor, Mr Henry SmerdonAM.
“Tonight’s nominees and winners are only part of Griffith’s research excellence story,” Professor Pankhurst said.
“I am sure you all agree that the 2016 Vice Chancellor’s Research Excellence Awards showcase just the tip of the University’s proud research legacy.
“On behalf of the University, I take great pleasure in congratulating the winners and commend the far-reaching benefits and diversity of your research.”
Excellence in Research Leadership
The award for excellence in research leadership was awarded to Professor Paul Taçon, Director of Griffith University’s Place, Evolution and Rock Art Heritage Unit.
For more than 36 years, Professor Taçon has been exploring the rock art sites of Australia and south-east Asia, while collaborating with Indigenous people in archaeological research.
In 2016 alone, he helped establish the Australian Research Centre of Human Evolution and the Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research. He led a large field research team in northwest Arnhem Land which discovered 160 undocumented rock art sites. He also published more than a dozen research papers, as well as a book
“In the more than 12 years I have been at Griffith University, I have worked hard to build many successful research teams and projects, mentor junior colleagues and guide PhD students through their research programs,’’ Professor Taçon said.
“Winning the Vice Chancellor’s award for Research Leadership caps one of the most incredible periods of my research career.”
Excellence in an Early Career Research
Dr Lyndel Batesfrom theSchool of Criminology and Criminal Justicewon the award for excellence in an early career researcher.
Her research within road policing focuses on the high-risk group of young drivers and includes assault-related violence and traumatic brain injury including a project on the psychosocial impact on family and caregivers when an individual receives a brain injury from anassault.
As an early-career research Dr Bates has an outstanding record, author/co-author of 25 journal articles and book chapters. She has earned more than $400,000 in external research income and developed strong collaborations with both Australian and international agencies.
“Winning the Griffith University Early Career Researcher Award for 2017 is very exciting for me personally but, more importantly, its professional contributionhighlights the importance ofresearch in the area of road policing to save lives,’’ Dr Bates said.
“A lot of the research I undertake involves very strong collaborations with industry and government partners including the Queensland Police Service, Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads, the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Service (Queensland Health) and Roadcraft Driver Education.
“This award recognisesnot only the research contribution butthe importance and strength of theseresearch and collaborativepartnerships.”
Excellence of an Individual Mid-Career or Senior Researcher
The award for excellence for an individual mid-career or senior researcher went toProfessor Vicky Avery, from the Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery.She heads the Griffith University Drug Discovery Programme for the CRC for Cancer Therapeutics (CTx) and the Discovery Biology team.
Professor Avery was recognised for her outstanding research in drug discovery over the past 18 years.Her vision is to promote world class drug discovery, utilising advanced image-based platforms, ultimately impacting on access to quality therapeutics for all.
She aims to address fundamental basic research questions, to better understand the biology and to facilitate drug discovery in the search for novel lead molecules, particularly where drug resistance is apparent or the disease is neglected.
Her objective is to improve and expedite drug discovery, and to endeavour to provide platforms where currently they are non-existent, limited or of poor quality.
“To receive this acknowledgement is fabulous,” Dr Avery said.
“It is always wonderful to receive recognition for what you do, especially when it is something that you love doing and means so much to you.
“To be the selected as the recipient of this award from so many amazing and truly remarkable researchers is very humbling.”
Excellence Award for Research Supervision
Professor Cordia Chu from the Centre for Environment and Population Health, a part of Griffith’s Menzies Health Institute Queensland, was recognised for her distinguished record in research supervision.
Since 1996, Professor Chu has supervised to completion34PhDs, 3 MPhils, 6 honours and more than 45 Masters theses.
Professor Chu has developed research expertise inareas integrating environment and health such as healthy cities, workplace health and safety risk management, gender and reproductive health, migrant and vulnerable populations, population and settings-based health promotion, climate change adaptation for health.
“It’s a great honour to receive this award. Iwould like to acknowledgethe wonderful supportive learningculture​we havedeveloped​with students here atthe Centre and the support we have received from ​Griffith,” Professor Chu said.
“I am very proud of our graduatesand the real contributions that they make towards policy and​practices in many countries.
“Our main focus is on producing translational research which makes a real difference inthe global communities.
“Currently, we are seeing enormous opportunities for students in the areas of global health and international development.”
Excellence of a Research group or Team
The Laboratory for Vaccines for the Developing World team led by Professor Michael Good from the Institute for Glycomics won the award for Research Group/Team.
Professor Good’s team’s outstanding work led to a major translational outcome for the Institute in 2016, with the signing of a significant licensing agreement with major international vaccine manufacturing company, Olymvax Biopharmaceuticals in China.
Their needle-free vaccine targets Streptococcus A infections, the cause of strep throat and rheumatic heart disease.
Globally it is estimated that at least 18.1 million people are currently affected by rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease, with 500,000 deaths each year. Invasive group A streptococcus kills about 20 per cent of patients within seven days of infection.
The lab’s team of more than 10 researchers could potentially see a vaccine in the market within the next 6-8 years.
“It’s very important to have both the basic discovery research and the applied and translational aspect of vaccine orientated research in our team,” Professor Good said.
The winners of the Remarkable Minutes video competition were also announced at the ceremony. They were Dr Jason van de Merwe from the Australian Rivers Institute for “Marine wildlife cell-based toxicology” and Mr Chris Little from the School of Engineering and Queensland College of Art for “Creating Windows Into our Past”.
“While the Research Excellence Awards celebrates the pinnacle of the University’s research achievements, the Remarkable Minutes videos demonstrates the untold story of research in progress and the passion of our researchers in seeking to share their research stories and to encourage us all to share in that journey,” Professor Pankhurst said.
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Associate Professor Ashlea Troth has always been interested in people. She likes to know what makes them tick!! We spend a lot of time in the workplace, she says, and how one thinks and feels at, and about work, has a huge impact. So we spent five minutes with Ashlea to learn a little more about what she thinks and feels about being a researcher…
In what area/s does your research interests lie?
Ultimately, I’m interested in things that improve [employees’] work experiences, their wellbeing, and from that, their performance. We spend a good chunk of our lives at work and thus our worklife experiences have a big impact on our overall quality of life as well as our identity. This is one of the reasons why I moved across from social psychology to organisational behaviour; it has greater practical implications for a large group of people. More specifically, my research focuses on how employees and teams manage their own and others emotions in the workplace, and the impact this has on their workplace communication and performance.
Over the years, I have become increasingly interested too in multilevel research that spans the individual, interpersonal and team level. I have always found it ‘odd’ that a lot of HR [human resources] and Employment theories are rational and logical models and frameworks. For me, this does not accurately capture what happens in the workplace, and emotions research at least partially fills this gap.
At the moment I am also interested in how frontline managers regulate their emotion when engaging with different daily tasks (e.g., giving negative or positive feedback; resolving conflict etc.).
I’m interested too in understanding why some people are better, or not so good at, managing their and other people’s emotions.
Are there emerging or ongoing trends in your fields of research?
Emotions research [is] limited a lot by its methodology – surveys and interviews traditionally. But…[just as] emotions…change moment by moment, the methodology is changing swiftly…and range from using smart phone apps and watches that capture real-time emotion and emotion regulation strategies in response to certain events, to getting neuro- and physiological data (e.g., brain imaging, collecting cortisol and other biochemical markers etc.). Another trend, as for most OB [organisational behaviour] research, is to examine how workplace emotions (and consequences) occur at multilevels (e.g., within person, individual, dyadic, team and organisational level), and identifying some of the boundary conditions around these relationships.
Has there been major developments or key findings that have directed the trajectory of your research?
My work with Professor Peter Jordan kick-started my interest in emotions research many years ago in the area of emotional intelligence. Since then our work has transformed to a greater focus on employee’s use of different forms of emotional regulation strategies for specific emotions (e.g., anger). We have had two successful ARC [Australian Research Council] Discoveries [grants] on these topics.
Most recently, my research has taken a new and exciting direction with Dr Rebecca Loudoun, Professor Paula Brough and Dr Amanda Biggs. We are currently in the process of developing and validating a safety culture tool for a large organisation that includes a large proportion of blue collar workers employed within facilities and property, labour hire and maritime management. This organisation embodies health and safety practice and principles and the tool will help them recruit people who embody the same. It [also seeks to] identify areas within the organisation where there is health and safety risk not already identified by their existing tools…, as well as…areas for more education on health and safety matters. As we develop and validate this tool, the same project [calls upon my] psychology training [alongside that of] fellow psych. colleagues, Paula…and Amanda.
Another direction I’ve been involved in is multi-level research:…how individuals with skills have an impact on team performance, or how the relationship between a frontline manager impacts on the employees within that relationship. In the past, both I…and the OB area have neglected the team-level focus.
Where my earlier research looks at the cause of things and why it happens, it hasn’t really looked at how it can help an organisation. Community impact and agreement is so important now and this is partly why I’m doing these projects – you feel like you’re making a difference now.
What are you working on at the moment?
Recent tangents [include] a project with Associate Professor Keith Townsend and Rebecca funded by the Centre for Workplace Leadership (University of Melbourne) on frontline managers — people who have a lot of pressure on them — and how they manage an array of tasks daily, how they feel about it, and how they regulate their emotions around those tasks; and the aforementioned recruiting for organisational values research. These proceeded work with long-time collaborator Peter, and Dr Sandra Lawrence, on how employees regulate their emotions, and especially, how they regulate their anger.
Finally, are there challenges in your field/s in trying to bridge the gap between research, practice and policy?
A lot of organisations can see the benefit in training people up in emotional regulation or intelligence skills. One challenge though is letting an organisation know that it’s not the panacea and that they should be looking at the recruitment and selection stage – hiring people with [the] sorts of attributes [they desire] and not just the hard skills, for example, engineering [qualifications].
