I am
part of the University of South Australia Work and Stress Research Group, although
currently located in the Forensic and Applied Psychology Research Group offices. I obtained a First Class Bachelor of Arts Honours
Degree (Psychology) at the University of Adelaide in 1999, and also have 22 years
experience working within the SA public sector.
I am undertaking a collaborative PhD
research project with the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) to look at the role of
trust in that organisation. My supervisors
are Assoc Professor Maureen Dollard and Professor Tony Winefield.
The number
of stress-related work cover claims in DCS is the highest among all SA public sector
agencies. Theories and models of work stress have not explicated the role of trust in the
experience of work stress/strain. Whilst there is a general consensus among scholars about
the importance of trust in organisations, there is less agreement about the
conceptualisation, definition, and measurement of
trust, and how trust forms, evolves, and changes through organisational experiences.
The aim of the study is to establish
what trust is; identify and define the key elements of trust; its antecedents and
consequences; ascertain how trust is related to worker reactions to the work environment,
in terms of strain, health, well-being, job satisfaction, and effectiveness; identify what
action is required to increase trust in the workplace; implement an intervention; and
evaluate the intervention.
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