Winter Research Projects

Project duration and delivery

An estimate of 5 weeks and applicants will be required on-site for this project.

Project overview and significance of the study

This project extends our work in Physical Work Environment (PEW; see Ayoko & Ashkanasy, 2020; Monaghan & Ayoko, 2019; Irving, Ayoko & Ashkanasy, 2019; Ayoko & Ashkanasy (Eds), 2019; Ayoko, Ashkanasy, & Jehn, 2014; Ashkanasy, Ayoko, & Jehn, 2014; Ayoko et al., 2023) to explore how the configurations of our physical work environment may trigger differing leadership behaviours. In this regard, the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis has brought with it several challenges in managing work-life balance, well-being, and productivity. There are suggestions that the physical work environment especially the territorial and non-territorial offices (open-plan and agile offices) may trigger differing leadership behaviours that may also have differentiated impacts on employees’ well-being and productivity.

This project is significant for three main reasons. First, and so far, a complete understanding of how territorial and non-territorial workspaces may impact leadership, employee well-being and productivity remains elusive. Yet, we are aware that (1) leaders and followers do not interact in a vacuum but in a context, and (2), leaders display a more complex and varied set of behaviours that may be beneficial or detrimental to employee well-being and productivity (Samad et al., 2022). Nevertheless, extant literature treats leadership behaviours as either bright (e.g., transformational) or dark (see Tourish, 2013) while the role of organizational context (e.g., the physical work environment) seems ignored.

Second, we know that organizational context is critical in OB research (Johns 2006) and that non-territorial workspaces shape employees’ control over social interaction (Gonsalves, 2022). However, the connection between the physical environment of work (i.e., territorial, and non-territorial) and leadership is yet to be explicitly studied (for an exception see Ropo et.al., 2015).

Third, research findings show that the physical workspace is not a passive backdrop for the unfolding of organizational life but an active ingredient in facilitating interactions between workers (Gonsalves, 2022; See also Bernstein and Turban, 2018; Wineman, et al., 2014). By extension, we argue that the physical workspace has an important contribution to the emergence of various leadership behaviours that may, in turn, have various impacts on employee well-being and performance.

While the “received view” is that leaders influence their followers and their environment, we innovatively argue for a reverse proposition i.e., the physical work environment plays a critical role in the leader’s behaviours (see Ropo et al., 2015). This is because the physical work environment impacts organizational processes such as group dynamics and ethical decision-making (Zhong & House, 2012) and collaboration (Irving et al., 2020) while office design enables or constrains employees’ attitudes, emotions, impressions, and behaviours, productivity, and wellbeing (see Ayoko & Ashkanasy, 2019). A study recently shows that office noise is linked with negative affect, conflict, and withdrawal (Ayoko et al., 2023) which, in turn, may potentially trigger abusive leadership. Along the same line, we argue that the physical workspaces may also enable or constrain leaders’ behaviours such that territorial and non-territorial workspaces may activate differing leadership behaviours.

The current project aims at identifying qualitatively how territorial and nonterritorial workspaces may influence leaders’ behaviours and eventually impact employee wellbeing and productivity. Especially, the project will compare the leadership behaviours in territorial and non-territorial offices. It will also explore the impact of leadership behaviours in these two categories of offices on employee wellbeing and productivity.

The above culminates into 2 Research Questions: (1) What leadership behaviours emerge in territorial and non-territorial workspaces and especially how does the configuration and agility of the workspaces trigger differing leadership behaviours? (2) What is the impact of emerging leadership behaviours on employee well-being and productivity? Answers to the above questions should provide directions for managers and organizational leaders on how to manage employees’ well-being and productivity given the territorial and non-territorial offices in which they are accommodated.

Approach and methodology

Researchers have often employed a quantitative approach to the study of open-plan offices (Ayoko et al., 2014). The current study departs from this practice by employing a qualitative approach to answer the research questions. Given the exploratory nature of the study, we aim to collect 30-50 in-depth interviews from both employees and their leaders at various organizational levels.

Two sets of interview questions will be prepared: one for the employees and the other for the leaders. Sample interview questions for employees will include:

1. Please describe your experience of working in a territorial and nonterritorial office. What is the difference and how do they impact your wellbeing and productivity?
2. Please describe your leaders’ behaviours while leading the team in (a) territorial and (b) non-territorial offices.
3. What do you think is the impact of your (team) leader’s behaviours on your well-being and productivity in (a) territorial and (b) non-territorial offices?
4. Please describe what you think is the role of the physical environment of work (territorial and non-territorial offices) on your (team) leadership behaviours.

The sample questions for leaders will include:

1. Please describe your experience of working in a territorial and nonterritorial office. What is the difference and how do they impact your wellbeing and productivity?
2. As a leader, please describe how you lead your team in (a) territorial and (b) non-territorial offices.
3. Please describe the impact of your own leadership (behaviours) on employee well-being and productivity in (a) territorial and (b) non-territorial offices.
4. Please describe what you think is the role of the physical environment of work (territorial and non-territorial offices) on your own leadership behaviours.

Sample

Data for the study will be collected from 50 participants and sourced from various organization levels (Executives, middle-level managers, and employees) and from a variety of industries. We will collect data from some of our current organization partners such as Dexus, Aurecon, and others like Telstra. It is expected that 50% of the participants would have worked in both territorial and non-territorial offices. We also expect between 25-35 % of the interviewees would be designated leaders working with employees in territorial and non-territorial office spaces. Participants will be between the ages 18-65 years, 50% of which be females.

An ethics application for the current study will be initiated once this application is successful. Once identified, the participants for the study will be provided with an information sheet about the study, and a consent form to sign. Also, once consent is obtained, the participants will be slated for an interview based on their availability. Interviews will take place virtually using zoom. Each interview will take an average of about 30-40 minutes to complete. Interview data will be collected within a period of 5-6 weeks. We expect that data will have reached saturation by the time we collect 30-50 interviews. If successful with the current summer application, we plan to devote a significant amount of time to conducting these interviews.

Data analysis

Leximancer® analyses textual corpora of any size using an automatic concept selection process, most often used by researchers as a starting point for focusing their research question. Researchers usually customize the automatic analysis using linguistic strategies (McKenna & Waddell, 2007). We will adopt a similar approach to analyze our data. Additionally, we will employ Nvivo to reveal the nuances in the interview data around leadership, territorial and non-territorial offices, employee wellbeing, and productivity that Leximancer may have missed.

Expected outcomes and deliverables

• A systematic literature review of recent literature at the intersection of leadership, territorial and non-territorial workspaces targeting the International Journal of Management Review (IJMR, ABDC A)
• A short paper will be written for presentation at ANZAM, EGOS 2024 conference
• Development of a paper from this study for the Journal of Business Research (ABDC A) or Organization Studies (ABDC A*)
• Reflection report by the scholar on what has been gained while working on the project
• A possible joint funding application with organizational partners (e.g., Dexus, Aurecon) that may be interested in how to lead employees at multiple locations and workstations as we emerge from the covid pandemic.

By participating in the project, scholars can expect to gain/learn skills related to:

• literature review skills– scholars will be involved in reviewing the recent literature on open-plan offices, the physical environment of work, wellbeing, and productivity
• development and refinement of interview questions for the study
• development of interview skills and qualitative data collection approaches
• qualitative analytical skills (i.e., the use of Leximancer and Nvivo)
• possible opportunity to be involved in drafting and collaborating on a paper for presentation and publication
• contributions to data analysis and write-up of results targeting a quality conference and or journal publication. A short paper will be written for presentation at ANZAM 2024 conference and or EGOS 2024.

Suitable for:

This project is open to application from UQ Students ONLY such as Third-year undergraduate, Honours, Master, and Ph.D. students enrolled in the Faculty of Business, Law, and Economics (BEL). Applicants must also have some basic interviewing skills and some familiarity with a qualitative approach to data analysis (i.e., Leximancer and Nvivo).

Primary Supervisors

Associate Professor Remi Ayoko
Dr. Momo Kromah
University of Queensland Business School (UQBS)

Will you be collaborating with an external organisation on this project?

We expect to collaborate with Dexus, Aurecon, and Telstra.

Further information

Contact the supervisors at r.ayoko@business.uq.edu.au or m.kromah@business.uq.edu.au for more clarifications if need be.

Reference list

• Ashkanasy, N.M., Ayoko, O.B. & A. Jehn, K. (2014). Understanding the physical environment of work and employee behavior: An affective events perspective. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 35, 1169-1184.
• Ashkanasy, N.M., Ayoko, O.B. & A. Jehn, K. (2014). Understanding the physical environment of work and employee behavior: An affective events perspective. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 35, 1169-1184.
• Ayoko & Ashkanasy (Eds), 2019; Ayoko, O. B., & Ashkanasy, N. M. (2019). Introduction: Organizational behaviour and the physical environment. In O. B. Ayoko & N. M. Ashkanasy (Eds.), Organizational behaviour and the physical environment (pp. 3-12). Abbington, UK: Routledge.
• Ayoko, O. B., & Ashkanasy, N. M. (2020). The physical environment of office work: Future open plan offices. Australian Journal of Management, 45(3), 488-506. Ayoko, O.B., Ashkanasy, N.M. and Jehn, K.A. (2014), “Approaches to the study of employees’ territoriality, conflict, emotions and well-being”, in Ayoko, O.B., Ashkanasy, N.M. and Jehn, K.A. (Eds), Handbook of Conflict Management Research, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, pp. 363-381.
• Ayoko, O. B., Ashkanasy, N. M., Li, Y., Dorris, A., & Jehn, K. A. (2023). An experience sampling study of employees’ reactions to noise in the open-plan office. Journal of Business Research, 155, 113445.
• Bernstein, E. S., & Turban, S. (2018). The impact of the ‘open’ workspace on human collaboration. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 373(1753), 20170239.
• Gonsalves, L. (2023). Work Un (Interrupted): How Non-territorial Space Shapes Worker Control over Social Interaction. Organization Science. 
• Irving, G. L., Ayoko, O. B., & Ashkanasy, N. M. (2020). Collaboration, physical proximity and serendipitous encounters: Avoiding collaboration in a collaborative building. Organization Studies, 41(8), 1123-1146.
• McKenna, B. & Waddell, N. (2007). Media-ted Political Oratory following Terrorist Events: International Political Responses to the 2005 London Bombing. Journal of Language and Politics, 6, 377-399.
• Monaghan, N., & Ayoko, O. B. (2019). Open-plan office, employees’ enactment, interpretations and reactions to territoriality. International Journal of Manpower, 40, 228-245.
• Ropo, A., Salovaara, P., Sauer, E., & De Paoli, D. (Eds.). (2015). Leadership in spaces and places. Edward Elgar Publishing. Samad, A., Muchiri, M., & Shahid, S. (2022). Investigating leadership and employee well-being in higher education. Personnel Review, 51(1), 57-76. 
• Tourish, D. (2013), The Dark Side of Transformational Leadership: A Critical Perspective, Routledge, New York, NY. 
• Wineman, J., Hwang, Y., Kabo, F., Owen-Smith, J., & Davis, G. F. (2014). Spatial layout, social structure, and innovation in organizations. Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design, 41(6), 1100-1112. 
• Zhong, C. B., & House, J. (2012). Hawthorne revisited: organizational implications of the physical work environment. Research in Organizational Behavior, 32, 3-22.

Project duration and delivery

The four-week student project will require on-site participation in research activities.

Project overview and significance of the study

The Winter Project extends from a current study of nonprofit brand vulnerability. This project uses a case study approach involving Surf Life Saving Queensland (SLSQ) - a leading authority on coastal and aquatic safety. This project aims to identify how marketing actions and relationships co-created with internal and external stakeholders may expose the nonprofit brand to uncertainty and risk, which impacts the brand experiences of stakeholders.

SLSQ has a strong brand heritage that has evolved from its history and integration into Australian culture (Mort et al., 2007). However, does the brand’s heritage signal social inclusion, or exclusion? How does SLSQ brand resonate with contemporary diverse multicultural Queensland communities? This is an important consideration when 1 in 5 Queensland are now born overseas (Queensland Government, 2022). Cultural shifts also raise questions about the broader brand’s identity and SLSQ needs research insight to guide how shifts in gender and multicultural brand meaning expose SLSQ brand vulnerabilities with its existing membership.

The proposed student project aims to:

1. commence a literature review of intersectionality in marketing, focused on race and gender
2. identify useful studies of “white aesthetics” discourses in markets and/or the application of intersectionality as critical social theory applied in marketing.
3. prepare interview transcripts for qualitative data analysis – checking interview transcriptions for clarity and formatting.
4. work collaboratively with the research team to code the interview transcripts using Nvivo
5. present preliminary findings – reporting and presentation to SLSQ (partner organisation).

22 depth interviews have been completed with managers (n=3), volunteers (n=6) and everyday beachgoers (n=13) about knowledge and experiences with SLSQ services and brand. The student will assist in preparing data for analysis and collaborating with the project researchers to interpret the data and present preliminary findings.

Expected outcomes and deliverables

Student participation in this project will build skills and capability in managing and analysing qualitative data and presenting preliminary findings to a partner organisation. The expects skills development for the student include:

1. skills in preparing and organising qualitative data interviews for data analysis
2. training in Nvivo qualitative data analysis software
3. working in collaboration with the business researchers to draft a preliminary findings report that can be presented to the partner organisation (SLSQ).

Deliverables on conclusion of the 4 week period will include:

1. Research report
2. Participation in a team presentation to the partner organisation (SLSQ).

Suitable for:

This project is open to applications from students with a background in branding and marketing who have completed their 2nd or 3rd year of studies in marketing.

Or, a 3rd-year humanities or sociology student with some experience in qualitative analysis.

The project is open to an undergraduate or postgraduate student, with an expressed interest in learning more about qualitative inquiry approaches.

Primary supervisors

Dr Josephine Previte (Primary Supervisor)
Dr Cassandra France

Will you be collaborating with an external organisation on this project?

Yes, the research involves the Nonprofit Organisation Surf Life Saving Queensland. On conclusion of the project our goal is to present preliminary findings to the partner organisation.

Further information

Interested students should contact Dr Josephine Previte at j.previte@business.uq.edu.au prior to submitting an application to discuss their interests and current level of research skills.

Project duration and delivery

4 weeks - can be completed in person or remotely. Some in-person/on-site attendance is required for interviews with First Nations tourism businesses.

Project overview and significance of the study

Brisbane will welcome the Olympic and Paralympic Games to Australia in 2032, in more than 30 venues around Queensland. An independent economic assessment has forecast that the Games could deliver $8.1 billion in economic benefits for Queensland (KPMG, 2021), with the tourism sector being a key recipient through increased visitation and destination awareness.

Opportunities to ‘profile and celebrate First Nations culture and experiences’ have also been recognised as a key outcome and the opportunities could create social legacies, well beyond the Games (Department of Premier and Cabinet, 2019). However, the Games also have the potential to have a detrimental impact on the environment (Cerezo-Esteve et al., 2022), First Nations communities (O'Bonsawin, 2015) and those already disadvantaged by socioeconomic circumstances prior to the events (Derks et al., 2020). Further, despite assumptions that the tourism sector will benefit from the Games, research has shown this is often not the case, and/or the benefits and expected outcomes are often overinflated.

To ensure positive outcomes are maximised, and negative impacts appropriately managed, planning for legacy outcomes for First Nations tourism businesses will be important. As such, this study seeks to understand and identify First Nations tourism businesses’ preparedness to leverage the Games, including perceptions of opportunities and challenges. These findings will be used to make recommendations, through the Queensland First Nations Tourism Council, to the Queensland government regarding policy, processes and systems that need to be put in place to ensure legacy outcomes are maximised and First Nations businesses are key beneficiaries of the Games.

To achieve this study aim, interviews will be undertaken with a sample of First Nations tourism businesses in Queensland.

Expected outcomes and deliverables

This project will be conducted within the Queensland First Nations Tourism Research and Innovation Hub, a division of the Queensland First Nations Tourism Council and partnership between The University of Queensland and Griffith University. The Hub is chaired by Professor Lisa Ruhanen (UQ) and A/Professor Michelle Whitford (Griffith University).

The project will provide a unique opportunity for a student to work closely with the Queensland First Nations Tourism Council, the independent and peak advocacy industry body for First Nations tourism in the state, as well as First Nations tourism businesses and state government representatives.

Students will gain skills in interviewing and data analysis, and be involved in writing up a report of the findings and disseminating the findings to businesses and government agencies.

Students will be expected to: conduct a background review of existing research to inform interview questions, schedule interviews, attend interviews with a member of the project team, and assist with preliminary data analysis and coding. Students will also have the opportunity to contribute, and be named as a co-author, on the final report.

Suitable for:

This project is open to applications from students in their 2nd-3rd year with a preference for students with a background in tourism and/or business and marketing. Students with backgrounds in fields related to the project topic are encouraged to apply.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students are particularly encouraged to apply.

Primary supervisors

Professor Lisa Ruhanen.

Will you be collaborating with an external organisation on this project?

Queensland First Nations Tourism Council, First Nations tourism businesses, government agencies, Griffith University.

Further information

For more information, please contact Professor Lisa Ruhanen at l.ruhanen@uq.edu.au.

Project duration and delivery

4 weeks and applicants will be required to undertake interviews with public museum officials, participate in ethnographic data collection, and analyse qualitative data on-site for the project.

Project overview and significance of the study

The institution of a public museum is conceptualised as an important place of social inclusion in society (Sandell, 1998). Places of social inclusion such as a public hospitals, libraries, & universities are ingrained with meaning and values that society over time have conferred upon them. By definition, institutions are taken for granted in their societal capacity to continue to perform their function, providing citizens with a sense of durability and stability in access to services. Yet environmental jolts can disrupt the often taken for granted role that public institutions play, and certainly their capacity to be places of social inclusion. Scholars have observed that these places of social inclusion can become precarious and highlight the role that place custodians, defined as professionals working inside the place of social inclusion, play when these places are disrupted (Wright et al, 2020). These custodians may feel a strong sense of belonging to the community, and perform their work to preserve the future of tradition and ongoing access to the public institution. Moreover, they maintenance work may be driven by a set of moral emotions which become resources that allow them to meaningful engage in response to environmental jolts.

• This project aims to explore how public museums as a place of social inclusion responds to the environmental jolt of digital disruption. People go to museums for leisure, to be surrounded by culture and tradition, potentially to find peace, inspiration, and a sense of community. Digital disruption- which allows access to museum collections in digital space- challenges this notion as it does not necessarily require the museum to be open, does not depend on the ‘foot traffic’ of visitors, and throws into question the meaning of place. This project seeks to understand how museum staff interpret this digital disruption and meanings of space versus place. There are a range of roles within a public museum, ranging from directors to attendants (employees, students, volunteers), so we expect the responses of custodians to vary. This project seeks to understand the museum workers’ motivation and thoughts when their work shifts from the materiality of museum practices (Blagoev et al, 2018) to a digital world, potentially shedding light on how society more broadly can maintain places of social inclusion in a digital age.

As museums face a reduction in public funding, the digital disruption poses both opportunities and challenges to this place of social inclusion and is potentially forcing leaders of public museums to revisit the role and function of the public museum. Museums must increasingly prove their value to society, demonstrating their role in contributing to building and strengthening the community, and addressing social issues (Sandell, 1998). How this value is conceptualised, measured, and promoted is a contested space and can often become a clash of institutional logics where organisations wrestle with the potential contradictions of corporate, managerial, and professional logics. Therefore, the choice on how to respond to environmental jolts such as digital disruption is a question of the public museum’s own survival but also one that maintains the museum as a place of social inclusion.

Expected outcomes and deliverables

Scholars will develop their skills in data collection e.g. interviews, archival data, and ethnographic research in this project. Scholars will also be well-positioned to offer analytical insights that will help drive the development of a research publication in an organisational theory journal. Finally, scholars may have the opportunity to present high-level findings to external organisations.

Suitable for:

This project is suitable for master's students who have demonstrated aptitude in their undergraduate studies. Given some of the commercial challenges confronting public museums, the applicant should also have an element of ‘real world’ experience e.g. consulting work to ensure the research findings are not overly abstract.

Primary supervisors

Dr Jonathan Staggs

Will you be collaborating with an external organisation on this project?

Queensland Museum

Further information

Students are expected to make contact with the supervisor prior to making an application. Emails can be sent to j.staggs@business.uq.edu.au.

Reference List

• Blagoev, B., Felten, S., & Kahn, R. 2018. The Career of a Catalogue: Organizational Memory, Materiality and the Dual Nature of the Past at the British Museum (1970-Today). Organization Studies. 39, 12, 1757-1783.
• Sandell, R. Museums as Agents of Social Inclusion, Museum Management and Curatorship. 17:4, 401-418, DOI: 10.1080/096477798004018704
• Wright, A., Meyer, A., Reay, T., & Staggs, J. 2020. Maintaining Places of Social Inclusion: Ebola and the Emergency Department. Administrative Sciences Quarterly. 66, 1, 42-85.

Project duration and delivery

This project will last four weeks and the applicant will be required to be on-site for at least the last two weeks of the project at St Lucia campus.

Project overview and significance of the study

This proposed project aims to understand how advocacy for accessibility at events is enacted, and the responses to this form of advocacy by the event industry.

Approximately 20% of Australians live with a disability (Darcy, 2012), and a greater proportion experience temporary mobility impairment through age, illness and injury. Events are occasions that are consciously planned and created to mark specific celebrations or achieve particular social, cultural or corporate goals and objectives (Allen, 2011). While events bring people together and create bonds and experiences that foster communities, those with mobility impairments can often be marginalised – inadvertently or intentionally.

While such accommodations have been explored from a demand perspective, ultimately encouraging a louder voice for the advocacy of accessibility, there is a paucity of research on the responses from the event industry to such demands. Lack of industry response to calls for accessibility at events has necessitated individual advocacy through feedback and complaints which, when combined with collective actions such as legislation, are seen as impetus for change towards a more inclusive events environment in the future.

Therefore, this research has the following objectives:

1. To understand the obstacles encountered by event attendees who are mobility-impaired (permanently or temporarily) and their carers
2. To explore the experiences which lead to advocacy for accessibility directed at event managers and organisers
3. To analyse the responses from event managers and organisers in regard to these forms of advocacy.

Data will be gathered through interviews conducted with people who have attended events while experiencing mobility limitations (through disability, age, illness or injury; permanently or temporarily), and have advocated for improved accessibility through feedback, complaints or other communication with event managers and/or owners.

Purposive sampling will ensure a spread of experiences across different types of events (such as community gatherings, festivals, business events, and sporting events). The interviews will explore the types of barriers to entry, participation and communication that were encountered, the types of accessibilities advocated for as a result, and the responses received from event managers or owners as a consequence. The results of this study will be analysed using thematic analysis, with the aim to develop a conceptual model of the service recovery journey through accessibility advocacy.

Expected outcomes and deliverables

The scholar can anticipate a research project in which they will develop knowledge about social inclusion and travel accessibility, and gain interview skills which will be vital to developing qualitative data collection capabilities. Interviews will be conducted under the guidance of the research team, with a view to developing in-depth interviewing skills that will give the scholar a head-start into future research opportunities. The scholar will also be involved in initial thematic coding exercises, which will inform the final project report.

Suitable for:

This project is open to applications from students who are interested in qualitative research, event management and/or marginalised communities. A general curiosity about people and their experiences is highly advantageous for this position, alongside a sensitivity towards people with mobility issues, as the role will involve interviewing people with mobility impairments (permanent and temporary) and their carers. Final-year undergraduate students or postgraduate students can apply. Students with prior research experiences or who have interests in diversities and inclusiveness are preferable. We welcome students from cross-disciplinary backgrounds such as psychology, sociology, tourism or business.

Primary supervisors

Dr Faith Ong and Dr Jie Wang (Tourism Discipline, UQ Business School) will be the primary supervisors for this position.

Further information

If you would like to know more about the project, you can contact Faith at f.ong@business.uq.edu.au.

Project duration and delivery

4 weeks. The program can be completed under a remote working arrangement, but some on-site attendance would be preferred.

Project overview and significance of the study

The research program investigates the interdependence on different types of innovations and the sustainability of innovation outcomes during and post-pandemic. The hypotheses are being investigated on a large sample of Australian SMEs. Multiple waves of survey data have been collected and the project will move into a data analysis and literature review. Depending on skill levels, the successful candidate can either do data analysis, literature review or both.

Expected outcomes and deliverables

Scholars may gain skills in data analysis and systematic literature review.

Suitable for:

Essential is the ability to work with and review innovation literature. Prior background knowledge in innovation or related business fields is preferred, but not required.

A good ability to write in English is required in order to learn how to write reviews.

Please indicate in the application your level of statistical skills to work with survey data in programs such as SPSS or STATA.

Primary supervisors

Dr Henri Burgers.

Will you be collaborating with an external organisation on this project?

The project involves collaboration with scholars from QUT.

Further information

Applicants are welcome to contact the supervisor at h.burgers@uq.edu.au if they would like further information.

Project duration and delivery

4 weeks from 26 June – 21 July 2023.

Project overview and significance of the study

Space impacts on collective and individual creativity within the arts and culture sector (Drake, 2003), as creative workers respond to and construct the spaces within which they make and/or manage art (Lippard, 1997). Relocating to purpose-built premises designed to enhance human-environment relationships can foster originality, excellence, and success (Maheshwari & Werd, 2019). Yet, despite a growing literature on organisational artifacts/aesthetics and the connections between the physical environment of work and organisational behaviour (e.g., Ayoko & Ashkanasy, 2019), little attention has been paid to workplaces within the arts and culture sector, and how physical space might support individual, organisational, and sector-wide creativity and wellness. While many Australian arts companies do not own their premises, several that do have begun seeking to embed sustainability principles within all levels of their organisations. One notable example is the Queensland Ballet, which recently redeveloped its historic Thomas Dixon Centre to align with WELL building certification standards (Potrč Obrecht, et al., 2019).

This research uses Queensland Ballet’s redevelopment of the Thomas Dixon Centre as a case study through which to begin identifying qualitatively the relationships between space, creativity, wellness, and sustainability. The proposed study has two main aims:

1. To identify whether (and, if so, how) the Thomas Dixon Centre (TDC) refurbishment meets its design intentions as both a workplace and a community hub
2. To identify how the new TDC space impacts creativity, wellness, and sustainability for individuals, the company, and the wider arts and culture sector.

Expected outcomes and deliverables

The Winter Research Scholar will work with Drs Kate Power and Remi Ayoko to complete a literature review addressing how physical space contributes to individual and organizational creativity, wellness, community, and/or sustainability.

The main student deliverable will be a written literature review that:

1. contributes to both the final stage of data analysis and the discussion (in scholarly publications) of our research findings
2. provides context for our analysis, to be included in a confidential Industry Report prepared for Queensland Ballet.

Suitable for:

This project is open to applications from Honours and master’s students with relevant experience in the arts, business, and/or psychology.

Primary supervisors

Dr Kate Power

Will you be collaborating with an external organisation on this project?

Queensland Ballet.

Further information

For more information, please contact Dr Power at k.power@business.uq.edu.au.