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    Nursing care delivery : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology at Massey University, Turitea Campus, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2001) Hamilton, Charmaine Elizabeth
    The delivery of safe, efficient and effective nursing care requires knowledgeable senior executives and nurses who collaborate, have the common and primary goal of meeting patient need, and a shared understanding of nursing care delivery. The aim of this research was to explicate executives' and nurses' understanding of nursing care delivery in the Crown Health Enterprise (CHE) setting. Between March and December 1997 61 executives or senior nurses from 18 CHEs participated in semi-structured interviews. The interview tapes were transcribed and biographical details and some data relating to organisational structure were summarised. The remaining data were analysed using content analysis. Seven themes were identified. Organisational structure was seen as a self-contained entity. Systems approaches were not used. Planned, systematic and ongoing evaluation of structural change and care delivery was not evident. The resource implications of proposed changes were not canvassed. Little was known about the nature of nursing work in the CHE. There was a desire for closer links between nursing practice and nursing education. The approach to nursing research was fragmented and ad hoc. The findings indicate an overall lack of knowledge about nursing care delivery and the nature of nursing work in the reformed health care environment. It is suggested that the primary reasons for this are the paucity of international and national research on these subjects and a fragmented approach to the management and development of nursing in New Zealand. The findings also suggest a lack of sophisticated resource management and evaluation expertise. To ensure the development of innovative nursing practice/care delivery models and systems that will meet New Zealanders present and future need for nursing care it is strongly recommended that priority be given to identifying the nature and scope of nursing work. It is also recommended that: An independent nursing research unit with a capacity to carry out national and longitudinal research in nursing is established. An independent national agency to oversee the management and development of nursing in New Zealand is established. The Ministry of Health commission a review of health management education.
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    The triangular working arrangement : a qualitative study of the relationship between Auckland temporary staffing agencies, their client organisations and temporary clerical workers : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2010) Davy, Doreen
    This research explored the triangular working relationship between employers, temporary staffing agencies and clerical temporary workers. The study used a qualitative approach to investigate the interdependent relationship between these three groups within the context of the buoyant Auckland labour market of 2006 and 2007. Findings are based on in-depth interviews using a grounded theory methodology. Participants comprised ten employer representatives, ten employment agency consultants and twenty female agency clerical workers. Interviews with the employer representatives revealed that employers expected agencies to facilitate swift and unproblematic access to a reliable, hardworking and disposable workforce. Unfortunately, labour market conditions meant that agencies were increasingly unable to meet this requirement. In consequence, employers developed various strategies designed to limit their dependency on agencies. These tactics helped solve employers’ staffing needs but created problems for agencies. Agencies function as intermediaries between employers and workers. In order to operate profitably they need to generate a demand for their services and have a reliable supply of good quality workers. According to agent respondents, these conditions existed at the start of the last economic boom but had now changed. An oversupply of agencies, coupled with an undersupply of temporary workers meant that agencies were finding it increasingly difficult to meet their clients’ needs. Agencies used various strategies to try and overcome these problems but were seldom able to meet the needs of both their clients and their workforce. Although temporary workers were in a more favourable position in the labour market, this did not translate into improved working conditions. Temporary worker respondents described social alienation, poor pay and benefits and monotonous assignments as commonplace. In consequence, most respondents eventually left temporary work for permanent employment. This research has demonstrated that labour market conditions and the structural conditions of temporary work strongly influenced the activities of each group in the triangular working relationship. The aims, expectations and behaviours of the three sets of participants were often mutually incompatible which limited the manoeuvrability of each group. This created outcomes which were often unintended, and frequently suboptimal, for all three parties.
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    Enhancing positive work relationships and the school environment : an exploratory case study of teachers' emotions : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2010) Yee, Sarah Anne
    The experience of work life is saturated with feelings or emotions (Ashforth & Humphrey, 1995). For humans, as with any social animals, our survival and day to day functioning rely heavily on the communication and perception of emotions (Ashkanasy, Härtel, & Zerbe, 2000b). When attention is paid to increasing awareness and understanding of emotion in our work lives, and how those emotions affect others, there is potential to improve interpersonal interactions and develop more positive, supportive work relationships. The work environment is largely dependent on the quality of these relationships and connections between organisational members (Carmeli, 2009). Despite the centrality of work relationships within organisations, researchers are yet to fully understand the dynamics and the processes that nurture and sustain positive interpersonal relationships at work (Ragins & Dutton, 2007). Collegial relationships are particularly important in organisations such as schools, where the way that staff interact with one another not only affects their job performance and the quality of their work life, but also the lives and learning abilities of their students. The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding how collegial interactions, relationships, and the school environment may change when staff are trained in emotional skills. This research was a smaller, parallel study contributing to a larger three year project – Te Aniwaniwa: Warming up the Classroom Emotional Environment. A mixed method approach utilised quantitative information from questionnaires to assess the school environment and morale, and qualitative information from weekly diaries of emotional interactions and semi-structured interviews. All of the teaching and support staff from a local primary school attended workshops to enhance their emotional skills based on the Harvey-Evans (2003) model of the classroom emotional environment. Although statistical analyses were not sensitive enough to detect changes in quantitative data from questionnaires due to a small sample size (N=18), qualitative information collected from weekly diaries and interviews suggested that staff were noticing changes to their day to day interactions with one another and improvements to their professional relationships. Interview themes highlighted some of the day to day behaviours and expectations that may be important in laying solid foundations on which positive relationships can be built. By delivering training to individuals within School A to enhance their emotional skills, this programme encouraging the development of an atmosphere where emotions could be expressed, understood and managed more effectively. The implications of these results are not necessarily restricted to management and staff relationships in schools but may also be extended to other occupational settings where individuals are required to support one another and share ideas and resources.
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    Psychological and workplace attributes that influence personal web use (PWU) : a dissertation presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Industrial/Organisational Psychology, Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2008) Polzer-Debruyne, Andrea M.
    Using the Internet during work time for personal interest is defined as personal web use (PWU), yet only limited knowledge is available on why people engage in varying degrees in this activity. To address this shortcoming, this research project tested a heavily moderated theoretical model of thirteen psychological and workplace attributes expected to influence differences in individuals’ PWU: moral norms, boredom, workgroup norms, workload, use of the ‘ledger neutralisation strategy’, certainty about PWU rules, attitude towards work, reactance, supervisor treatment, attitude towards PWU control, status, tenure and social loafing risk. Five facets of PWU were measured as separate criterion variables: past frequency, habitual PWU, duration, and two PWU activity types. Data for the model testing was gathered through an extensive on-line questionnaire. The responses of 267 participants with varying demographics and work situations were used to test the theoretical model, using moderated regression analyses. Significant interactions were explored further through the Modgraph procedure. The model testing results showed that PWU was more common in respondents who morally approved of PWU and who were bored at their work. How often people engaged in PWU (either out of habit or in general), for how long and in what types of activities, was influenced by specific combinations of the remaining attributes. Only four of the hypothesised twelve interactions played statistically significant roles, only habitual PWU was influenced by workload; and only information-seeking activities were influenced by workgroup norms. Attributes with ‘revenge’ connotations were noticeably absent as significant influences. The findings are discussed in some detail. To further explore the context of PWU, thematic analysis was undertaken of answers to two open-response questions provided by a sub-sample of 119 participants. Results supported the role of workplace boredom in PWU situations, specified the moral issues of PWU approval, and suggested that PWU is best understood and examined in the wider context of organisational culture. The thesis concludes with synthesis and discussion of statistical and qualitative analyses results, identifying the contributions the research has made to the field of study. Suggested practical applications of the findings, limitations of the research project and suggestions for future studies conclude the documentation.