The relevance of the Team Management Index® for recruitment and teams in an R&D environment

"The need for better practices in recruitment and team formation is evident in both the private and public sector, as both sectors become more competitive. To maximise employee productivity, the selection of individuals for specific job types and the placement of them with other employees, demands careful consideration. This paper examines the use of a behaviour based personality test, the Team Management Index (TMI) which identifies preferred work styles in individuals. The Index was applied to three generic positions in a public research and development organisation. They were Research Scientist, Extension Officer and Technician/ Experimentalist. Preferred workstyles of the most outstanding operatives in each of these three job types showed that a clear model exists for Technician/Experimentalist which might be used in recruitment. No single clear model was found to exist for Research Scientists or Extension Officers. An analysis of psychological subscales showed that Scientists were more often introverted rather than extroverted and analytical rather than belief orientated Technicans were more often introverted than extroverted, practical rather than creative, analytical rather than belief orientated and structured rather than flexible in their approach to work. Extension Officers showed no significant preferences on the psychological sub scales. The less complex a jobs requirements the more effective the TMI appears to be for recruitment. If used correctly the TMI can be a useful tool for team building."--p. 100

Health initiatives to target obesity in surface transport industries : review and implications for action

Lifestyle-related chronic diseases pose a considerable burden to the individual and the wider society, with correspondingly negative effects on industry. Obesity is a particular problem for the Australasian road and rail industries where it is associated with specific cardiac and fatigue-related safety risks, and levels are higher than those found in the general population. Despite this recognition, and the introduction of National Standards, very little consensus exists regarding approaches to preventative health for surface transport workers. A review of evidence regarding effective health promotion initiatives is urgently needed to inform best practice in this cohort. This review draws together research informing the scope and effectiveness of health promotion programs, initiatives and interventions targeting overweight and obesity in safety critical surface transport domains including the truck, bus and rail industries. A number of health interventions demonstrated measurable successes, including incentivising, peer mentoring, verbal counselling, development of personalised health profiles, and offer of healthier on-site food choices – some of which also resulted in sizeable return on investment over the long term

Are sleep education programs successful The case for improved and consistent research efforts

Sleep duration and quality are associated with a range of neuropsychological and psychosocial outcomes in children and adolescents but community awareness of this is low. A small body of literature on sleep education programs in children and adolescents delivered through school-based programs is attempting to address this. A review of the literature found only 8 studies and 4 pilot studies in abstract form. This paper presents these sleep education programs and evaluates their effectiveness. In general, findings suggest that when sleep knowledge was measured it was increased in most programs. However this did not necessarily equate to sleep behaviour change such as increased sleep duration or improved sleep hygiene. Reasons for this are discussed and may include motivation and readiness to change, salience to the individual, delivery, content, time allocation, or methodological underpinnings. This paper attempts to understand this and assess how best to improve future sleep education programs from a theoretical perspective. Specifically, it considers the theory of planned behaviour which may assist in ensuring maximum efficacy for the current and future development of sleep education programs. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd

“Tell them what they want to hear and get back to work”: Insights into the utility of current occupational health assessments from the perspectives of train drivers

Australian train drivers undergo periodic health assessments as part of a nationally standardised approach to reducing sudden incapacitation risk, given the demonstrated potential for occupational and public harm. These assessments occur pre-placement, then every 5 years to age 50, then every 2 years to age 60, and then every year. Despite some reported benefits to rail workforce health indicators since implementation, research suggests the assessments are not operating as effectively as they might. For example, the prevalence of obesity in drivers is higher than in the general population and continues to increase. To improve this, there is a need to understand the experiences of drivers undergoing workplace health assessments. The aims of this study were to examine train drivers’ perceptions and experiences of the assessments, understand how these experiences shape their engagement with the process, and to generate recommendations for improvement from a systems thinking perspective. A qualitative design was used, involving semi-structured interviews within five focus groups of train drivers (n = 29) held across four Australian rail organisations. Questions addressed drivers’ backgrounds, their understanding of the National Standard, experiences of and attitudes towards health assessments, lifestyle risk factors, and personal approach to health and wellbeing. Transcript data were subjected to thematic analysis. Five factors were identified: drivers’ unmet information needs, perceived low reliability and validity of assessment, need for psychological wellbeing assessment and support, maladaptive threat avoidance strategies, and focus on short-term outcomes and compliance. The global theme was reactive organisational culture. Findings suggest that driver engagement with health assessment can be improved by proactively addressing the identified factors in occupational health initiatives and preventative interventions to tackle the burgeoning problem of train driver health impairment

Escaping into a simulated environment: A preliminary investigation into how MMORPGs are used to cope with real life stressors

The mechanisms underlying Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) are complex, and in order to gain a better understanding of the pathways to IGD a broader investigation of the social context and life environment of gamers is important. Little is understood about the real-life experiences of gamers who use internet gaming for relief from real-life problems. This study aimed to explore the types of external stressors internet gamers experience, and the ways in which internet gaming is used to cope with these stressors. As part of a larger psychosocial survey, adult World of Warcraft (WoW) players (N = 217) were asked for comments about a stressful event. Of this sample, 46 participants mentioned WoW in their response. Content analysis was used to analyse key themes relating to external stressors that led players to engage in WoW gameplay. Key themes of real-life stress; health issues; financial problems; and, family and social problems emerged. These findings showed the variety of external stressors that can lead an individual to be motivated to escape through MMORPG play. This study adds to our understanding of the relationship between gamers and video games, specifically in times of stress. Future investigation should examine links to gaming outcomes. © Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2019

Do coping strategies moderate the relationship between escapism and negative gaming outcomes in World of Warcraft (MMORPG) players?

A link between escapist motivations for playing Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) and negative outcomes associated with play has been previously established. However, not all escapists experience the same level of negative gaming outcomes, and the underlying mechanisms have yet to be explored. The purpose of this study was to determine if individual differences in engaged and disengaged coping styles could explain differences in outcomes. Cross-sectional survey data from adult players of World of Warcraft (WoW) were collected (N = 217), using measures of negative gaming outcomes, escapism, and individual coping style. Primary analysis revealed that disengaged coping strategies were positively correlated with both escapist motivations and negative outcomes, and the engaged coping strategies of Problem Solving and Social Support were negatively correlated with negative gaming outcomes. The main analyses revealed that the relationship between escapist motivations for play and negative gaming outcomes was moderated by problem-focused coping strategies. This study offers novel insight into video game research, demonstrating that individual coping styles play a role in moderating the relationship between gaming motivation and the negative outcomes associated with video gaming

Safety for industry, threat for drivers? Insights into the current utility of heath [sic] assessments for rail

The rail driver workplace is full of challenges for effective health management, posing a significant threat to the sustainability of the industry. In Australia, train drivers undergo periodic health assessment as part of a nationally standardised approach to reducing sudden incapacitation risk; however, studies suggest that the current assessment protocol is not operating as effectively as they might. To improve this, there is a need to understand the experiences of drivers undergoing workplace health assessments, and how they engage with them. Drawing on research of known barriers and enablers of positive health status, this study sought to examine train drivers’ perceptions and experiences of recurring organisational health assessments and how they subjectively engage with this process. Five focus groups with train drivers (n = 29) were held across four Australian rail organisations, seeking to gain their understanding of the National Standard and their attitudes towards health assessments. Transcript data were subjected to thematic analysis. Preliminary findings identified four primary factors: drivers’ unmet information needs, low perceived assessment reliability and validity, need for psychological assessment and support, and the use of maladaptive assessment-threat avoidance strategies. This paper presents an overview of these preliminary findings and suggests that driver engagement with health assessment may be improved by proactively addressing these factors in occupational health initiatives and preventative interventions to tackle the growing problem of train driver health impairment. © 2019, Springer Nature Switzerland AG

Investigating the formal countermeasures and informal strategies used to mitigate SPAD risk in train driving

Various countermeasures are used to mitigate signal passed at danger (SPAD) events on railways, yet they continue. While risk factors that destabilise cognitive processes have been identified, less has been published on the relationship between these factors and the informal strategies that drivers themselves adopt to reduce individual SPAD risk. This study aimed to address this gap and used a participative approach to collect and thematically analyse data from 28 drivers across eight rail organisations in Australia and New Zealand. The results showed not all formal countermeasures were considered effective, and identified several informal strategies. These aimed to reduce task disruption, service distortion and maintain connectedness to signals. While some evidenced redundancies in the task and cab, others did not reduce baseline risk. This paper explores the relationship between the established risks and identified strategies towards evaluating the utility of formal and informal mitigations. The research has application to the investigation of collision risk in all transport domains

Fatigue-proofing : a new approach to reducing fatigue-related risk using the principles of error management

In this review we introduce the idea of a novel group of strategies for further reducing fatigue-related risk in the workplace. In contrast to the risk-reduction achieved by reducing the likelihood an individual will be working while fatigued (e.g., by restricting hours of work), fatigue-proofing strategies are adaptive and protective risk-reduction behaviours that improve the resilience of a system of work. That is, they increase the likelihood that a fatigue-related error will be detected and not translate into accident or injury, thus reducing vulnerability to fatigue-related error. The first part of the review outlines the theoretical underpinnings of this approach and gives a series of ethnographically derived examples of informal fatigue-proofing strategies used in a variety of industries. A preliminary conceptual and methodological framework for the systematic identification, development and evaluation of fatigue proofing strategies is then presented for integration into the wider organisational safety system. The review clearly identifies fatigue-proofing as a potentially valuable strategy to significantly lower fatigue related risk independent of changes to working hours. This is of particular relevance to organisations where fatigue is difficult to manage using reductions in working hours due to operational circumstances, or the paradoxical consequences for overall safety associated with reduced working hours

Sleep for heart health: Investigating the relationship between work day sleep, days off sleep, and cardiovascular risk in Australian train drivers

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in train drivers is associated with health conditions that can result in sudden incapacity. Drivers are at high risk on several CVD risk factors with research suggesting that sleep may predict CVD risk, however this relationship has not yet been explored. This study investigated the link between sleep and CVD risk, in relation to hours of work day and days off sleep. N=309 Australian drivers completed cross-sectional survey. A CVD risk score was calculated by summing scores from behavioural and biomedical risk factors. Sleep was most frequently cited as the main reason for decline in perceived health status. Main analyses showed that shorter work day sleep (M=5.79 h) was a significant predictor of increased CVD risk (p=0.013). This relationship was moderated by days off sleep, such that when days off sleep (M=8.17 h) was higher, the effect of work day sleep on CVD risk was weaker (p=0.047). Findings indicate the amount of sleep a driver obtains on non-work days may compensate for adverse health outcomes. Successful management of fatigue in safety critical occupations appears essential not only for the prevention of safety hazards, but also for the long-term health of shift workers. Further investigation is warranted