Research_
Work and organisational studies
Redesigning the future of work and organisations
The Discipline of Work and Organisational Studies is home to a long standing and highly regarded group of scholars in this field.
Our research and teaching aim to examine, analyse and influence the world of work and organisations in Australia and beyond by exploring challenges around the employment relationship and the workplace. Our research themes include:
- how perceptions and behaviours of individuals and groups impact the organisation’s functioning and performance
- design, management and regulation of work
- development and support of team member and leadership qualities
- gender, diversity and inclusion at work
- the future of work and organisations.
Our theory-led, strategy-focused and policy-relevant teaching and research equips our students with the knowledge and skills to work in diverse organisational settings. We contribute directly to knowledge, policy and practice in the fields of management, leadership, organisational behaviour, human resource management and employment relations.
Research groups
Associate Professor Anya Johnson
Professor Marian Baird
Professor Rae Cooper
Professor Bradon Ellem
Professor Kevin Lowe
Professor John Shields
Emeritus Professor Russell Lansbury
Emeritus Professor Greg Patmore
Associate Professor Stephen Clibborn
Associate Professor Dimitria Groutsis
Associate Professor Myra Hamilton
Associate Professor Anya Johnson
Associate Professor Sunghoon Kim
Associate Professor Angela Knox
Associate Professor Helena Nguyen
Associate Professor Chris F Wright
Senior Lecturers
Dr James Donald
Dr Alex Veen
Lecturers
Dr Vanessa Loh
Dr Karyn Wang
Academic Fellow
Dr Ju Li Ng
Associate Lecturers
University of Sydney Fellow
Postdoctoral Research Associates
Dr Shanta Dey
Dr Nate Zettna
Research Officer
Honorary Professors
Honorary Associate Professors
Dr Flora Gill
Dr Jim Kitay
Honorary Associates
Jonathan Hamberger
Dr Min-Kyu Joo
Phillip McDonald
Adjunct Professor
Dr Iain Ross
Adjunct Associate Professor
Research Affiliates
Elisabeth Kirkby
Annalena Welp
View our current higher degree by research students.
Journals
Journal of Industrial Relations
The publication of the November 2021 issue of the Journal of Industrial Relations marks the end of a 22-year period where Australia's leading journal in this field was based at the University of Sydney Business School.
This was the second such long run of editorship: the journal had previously been based at the University from its founding in 1959 (making it one of the first industrial relations journals in the world) until 1974.
In this final editorial (pdf, 491KB), the outgoing team reflects upon the trajectory of the journal and the practice, research and teaching of industrial relations.
Research seminars
We host regular seminars as part of our Work and Organisational Studies Speaker Series. If you would like to attend one of these talks, please email wos.admin@sydney.edu.au. All other enquiries should be directed to Professor Kevin Lowe, who coordinates the series.
Recent publications
Download the list of publications (pdf, 255KB)
- Belardi, S., Knox, A., Wright, C. (2021). Too hot to handle? An analysis of chefs' job quality in Australian restaurants. Journal of Industrial Relations, 63(1), 3-26.
- Ellem, B. (2021). Labour and megaprojects: Rethinking productivity and industrial relations policy. The Economic and Labour Relations Review, Published online: 12 January 2021.
- Eva, N., Wolfram Cox, J., Tse, H., Lowe, K. (2021). From competency to conversation: A multi-perspective approach to collective leadership development. The Leadership Quarterly, Published online: 21 November 2019, 101346.
- Foley, M., Oxenbridge, S., Cooper, R., Baird, M. (2021). 'I'll never be one of the boys': Gender harassment of women working as pilots and automotive tradespeople. Gender, Work and Organization, Published online: 9 March 2020.
- Georgiadou, A., Metcalfe, B., Dickerson von Lockette, N., Groutsis, D., Ozkazanc-Pan, B. (2021). Gender, bodies and identities in organization: Postcolonial critiques. Gender, Work and Organization, 28(5), 1719-1725.
- Hamilton, M., Hill, E., Adamson, E. (2021). A 'career shift'? Bounded agency in migrant employment pathways in the aged care and early childhood education and care sectors in Australia. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 47(3), 3059-3079.
- Lansbury, R. (2021). Crossing boundaries : work and industrial relations in perspective. New York: Routledge
- Patmore, G., Balnave, N., Marjanovic, O. (2021). Business Co-operatives in Australia: "Unlikely Soil for a Co-operative Movement". Enterprise and Society
- Van Den Broek, D., Wright, C., Howe, J., Reilly, A. (2021). Pro-market governance, migration status and worker vulnerability: The case of Australian horticulture. Economic and Industrial Democracy, Published online: 28 July 2019.
- Wang, K., Nguyen, H., Johnson, A., Groth, M. (2021). Caught out! The role of customer emotional intelligence and dual thinking processes in perceptions of frontline service employees' inauthentic positive displays. Psychology and Marketing, Published online: 9 August 2021.
- Yan, J., Kim, S., Zhang, S., Foo, M., Alvarez-Risco, A., Del-Aguila-Arcentales, S., Yáñez, J. (2021). Hospitality workers’ COVID-19 risk perception and depression: A contingent model based on transactional theory of stress model. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 95, 102935.
- Zhao, J., Li, X., Shields, J. (2021). Optimizing the relationship between job autonomy and knowledge workers' satisfaction: The roles of crafting and value congruence. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, Published online: 19 October 2020.
Recent grants
- When, why, and how well do we regulate other peoples emotions, MacCann C, Pinkus R, Nguyen H, Johnson A, Niven K, Gross J, Australian Research Council (ARC)/Discovery Projects (DP)
- Enhancing Healthcare Access for People with Communication Disabilities, Dennis S, McAllister S, Johnson A, Ng J, Brunner M, Elbourn E, Nisbet G, Rietdijk R, Togher L, National Disability Insurance Agency/Mainstream Capacity Building (MCB) Grant Round
- Women's Working Futures Program of Research, Cooper R, Hill E, Vromen A, Baird M, Probyn E, DVC Research/Sydney Research Excellence Initiative 2020 (SREI)
- Creating Sustainable Employment Pathways for Disadvantaged and Vulnerable Groups, Ingold, J, Knox A, Fatouros S, Crichton E, Molaeb H, Fowkes L, Australian Research Council (ARC)/Linkage Projects (LP)
- Algorithmic management and the future of work: lessons from the gig economy, Veen A. Australian Research Council (ARC)/Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA)
- The Role of Middle Managers in Progressing Gender Equity in the Public Sector, Cooper R, Colley L, Baird M, O'Donnell M, Blackman D, Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG)/Research Support
- Smashing Glass Walls: Building gender equality in hyper-masculine jobs, Cooper R, Australian Research Council (ARC)/Future Fellowships (FT)
- Designing Gender Equality into the Future of Work, Cooper R, Vromen A, Foley M, Australian Research Council (ARC)/Linkage Projects (LP)
- Climate, Work, Community and Just Transition, Ellem B, Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU)/Client Commissioned Research
- Employers perspective: New understandings of employment law non-compliance, Clibborn S, Australian Research Council (ARC)/Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA)
- Grandparent childcare: negotiating work and care across generations., Hamilton M, Australian Research Council (ARC)/Discovery Projects (DP)
- Buy or Build Employer Strategies for Developing a Skilled Workforce, Wright C, Australian Research Council (ARC)/Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA)
- Women in the Tasmanian State Service Career Narratives Project, Williamson S, Foley M, Blackman D, Department of Premier and Cabinet, Tasmania/Women in the Tasmanian State Service Award
Contact the Discipline of Work and Organisational Studies
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