The inaugural 2024 Centre for Transformative Work Design (CTWD) Conference was the first of a kind in bringing over 350 policy makers, practitioners and researchers together from over 15 countries to share and shape ideas about how to make work healthier, happier and more positive and productive.
Taking place in Perth Australia in February 2024, the conference explored questions, such as:
What role does work design play in improving motivation and performance?
Can work design predict the likelihood of leader emergence?
How does job crafting contribute to individual and organisational performance?
Which workplace demands are causing the most burnout, and what strategies can we employ to combat them?
Tailored Thinking were (absolutely) honoured to be invited to present and participate as “distinguished practitioners” and on many occasions had to pinch ourselves to be sharing the same stage as some of the leading thinkers and doers of work design in the world.
Between them, Rob and Charlotte were invited to kick-start the conference with some “conference crafting”, chair an industry panel, deliver a job crafting masterclass, and share insights about how our Job Canvas can improve conversations around work design.
Thank you to everyone at the CTWD and Future of Work Institute at Curtin University for curating such an amazingly stimulating, collaborative, practical and evidence-rich conference.
Some of our key takeaways
This is a summary of some of the key takeaways we (Rob Baker and Charlotte Axon) took from the conference. Like children it is hard to pick favourites, but these are some of the immediate and most prominent observations we made.
As ever when making notes on talks we always worry about diluting ideas or doing speakers a disservice. So we recognise these takeaways are at best a snapshot and at worst (but probably) reductive. Any misinterpretation or misrepresentation of the talks are down to us.
1) Our work needs to get SMARTER (Rob)
One of the models that kept “popping up” in sessions, references and practical resources was the SMART work design model developed by Professor Sharon Parker.
The model identifies 5 key SMART themes to consider when creating, reviewing or re-wiring work: Stimulating, Mastery, Agency, Relational and Tolerable demands.
You can think of these factors as a balanced scorecard when it comes to creating and sustaining great work.
Whilst I’ve long been an admirer of the SMART work design model, a key reflection for me was how practical and powerful the model was in terms of encouraging reflections and discussions about work, wellbeing and performance and how to buffer negative stress and strain.
Sitting in a wonderful masterclass with Cati Thomas and Dr. Arian Kunzelmann gave me lots of practical ideas and case studies about how SMART had been used by organisations to create more meaningful and motivational work.
Key takeaway
The SMART model is a framework that I think should be in the toolkit of all progressive, people-oriented leaders and something we will be referencing more in the work we do at Tailored Thinking.
Exploring further
A great introduction to SMART is the The SMART WORK design website.
2) Hybrid remains a global challenge but one we need to get right (Charlotte)
Does hybrid work remain a hot debate? Yes it does!
Hybrid working was another key theme at the Conference. On one hand, I was struck by how much fantastic research has been undertaken as a result of shifts in working models, spurred on by COVID-19. On the other hand, I was challenging myself to keep asking: “so, what can we do with this?”
Most business leaders weren’t able to wait for research to make critical decisions about where and how work was carried out. The experiments and debates continue in practice as they do in research. However a few conclusions stood out to me from the latest research:
Being in the office won’t necessarily increase belonging - according to Dr Reb Rebele’s latest research, belonging was not related to office attendance or to being co-located with one’s team. However, it was related to employee personality traits, work attitudes, and role characteristics
Variability matters - a consistent pattern of hybrid work is thought to have a more positive impact on workers with caring responsibilities than a pattern with high variability (Dr Bichen Guan)
Choice matters - location autonomy (autonomy to choose where to perform work from) had a positive impact on task-environment fit, which in turn led to greater absorption, higher job satisfaction, and lower mental distress (Associate Professor Matthew Davis)
Hybrid work is fast becoming embedded in work arrangements but I’m not sure I’ve seen much evidence of organisations getting it right. Have you?
Key takeaways
Choice and autonomy are key. It’s unlikely that one approach will work for everyone but it might be helpful to imagine ‘freedom within a framework’ i.e. appropriate flexibility and autonomy within a broader set of shared expectations.
How we define ‘hybrid working’ is important - both for research and practice. The definitions differ, as do people’s arrangements. But if we want to understand something I think we at least need to be clear about what that thing is.
Exploring further
University of Leeds Future Workplace research is featured in this BBC Worklife article: The hidden inflexibility of hybrid work. Matthew Davis is running an online event on April 18 about hybrid working.
3) Let’s bring play to work (Rob)
Photo credit - Andrew Richards
Professor Arnold Bakker opened the second day of the conference with a keynote presentation all about how and why to bring play and playfulness to work.
Similar to (but Arnold argued distinct from) job crafting , playful work design involves finding - often very small ways - to bring energy, playfulness and joy into your work and your workplace. Play can be seen as a resource at work and is associated with positive outcomes such as engagement, performance and flow.
A number of opportunities for playful work design that Arnold referenced stemmed from putting playful constraints or challenges into a work task and then finding ways to navigate around them. And this made sense to me. Working within, and beyond, constraints and boundaries is a key theme I’ve noticed listening and learning about what makes creative professionals say helps them to be so inventive.
Some examples that Arnold shared included, seeing how many emails he could respond to in an hour (he got an audience applause for mentioning his record of over 100!), adding works of art into his presentations, finishing presentations on time to the exact second, and setting himself writing challenges like making every paragraph the exact same number of words.
Key takeaway
Small positive, proactive and playful changes to how we do and think about our work can have (really) positive results. Opportunities to bring play and playfulness to work are everywhere - you just need to notice and nurture them.
Exploring further
I would recommend the article section of Arnold Bakker’s website which is a treasure trove of resources which can all be downloaded.
4) Work design can be used as a tool for making organisations more inclusive (Charlotte)
I was really pleased to see a whole symposium focused on the role of work (re)design in fostering more inclusive organisations. It was especially interesting to hear examples of how people with disabilities have had positive and meaningful working experiences as a result, and how overall quality of work can be increased as a result of greater inclusion.
Associate Professor Christine Soo recommended a co-designed and person-centred approach to work whereby voice and agency are encouraged, mindsets shift to seeing ability rather than disability, and caregivers are recognised as knowledge brokers. At organisation level this requires a psychologically safe environment, collaborative approach to problem solving, and a culture that values innovation.
Key takeaway
With circa 15% of the world’s population affected by disability (ILO, 2020), and mental health challenges expected to gain in prevalence in the working population (WHO, 2022b), the challenge of removing barriers to work and creating meaningful work opportunities will only grow. There’s lots we can do, but we need to do it now. As Professor Fred Zijlstra put it: “The sustainable employability of people is at stake”.
Exploring further
This research paper explores how an Inclusive Work Redesign (IWR) strategy can create feasible job opportunities for job seekers from vulnerable groups, and have a positive impact on organisational performance.
5) We need to change our thinking about how we recharge and refresh (Rob)
Photo credit - Andrew Richards
Sometimes a takeaway or inspiration can come from an unexpected place. Conference takeaways don’t always come from formal presentations or keynotes. This was the case for me with Professor Sabine Sonnentag’s contribution to the “fan-side” chat of leading researchers in the field of work design.
Sabine made a fleeting reference to the importance of rest and recovery and highlighted the often overlooked need for us to be more deliberate and intentional in how we recharge and recuperate from work (and life). This made me think about my own approach to managing my time and energy at work and at home, and made me realise how seldom we consider or talk about factors outside of work that impact on energy and wellbeing at work.
Key takeaway
Time matters - not all rest and recovery is created equal and recovery and recuperation is a critical - but seldom discussed - component of creating sustainable employee wellbeing, motivation and performance.
Exploring further
In this research paper Sabine gives an overview of current and future focus in the field of recovery from work.
6) Legislation spurs action and attention (Charlotte)
We didn’t go 5 minutes without hearing someone mention “psychosocial safety”. We were curious, and realised that this had been the focus of recent, significant changes to legislation within Australia (and a driver for people attending the conference). In fact, psychosocial safety/hazards was the focal point of around 13 different conference presentations.
Psychosocial hazards are anything in the design or management of work that increases the risk of psychological or physical harm - for example, job demands, low job control, poor support, lack of role clarity, etc. The amended Work Health and Safety Regulations prescribe how organisations have a duty to consider and review approaches to managing psychosocial risks and fostering mentally healthy workplaces.
Key takeaway
Legislation can be a propeller of change and transformation, and the trend appears to be towards a focus on organisations’ duties.
If you’re ahead of the game you’re less likely to get caught out when inevitable changes to legislation occur.
Exploring further
During the conference Jim Kelly, the Executive Director of Operations & Enforcement (acting) for Safework NSW launched a detailed guide for employers on how to make your workplace psychologically healthy and safe by changing work, not the worker. You can read this here.
7) Future of Job Crafting is bright (and getting brighter) (Rob)
Professor Maria Tims (author of some of the most cited and recognised job crafting articles and studies) started her keynote presentation by sharing a story involving a conversation with a University colleague. When Maria mentioned she had been invited to give a keynote on the future of job crafting, her colleague was surprised. She remarked “don’t we know everything there is to know about job crafting?”
And as Maria outlined, whilst research to date about job crafting is more compelling than ever there are many future job crafting themes that were worthy of scholarly interest and investigation.
Areas where Maria felt research could be strengthened and developed included: more intervention studies, particularly around embedding job crafting within organisational processes.
Aside from Maria’s keynote, there were lots of papers and presentations about job crafting. One of my favourite of these was delivered by Dr Elisa Lopper on the “bright side of avoidance crafting.”
Studies have previously found negative associations between avoidance or preventative job crafting (where you are trying to avoid, change or reduce negative or challenging aspects of your work) and employee outcomes such as employee energy and engagement. However a take away from a diary-study by Elisa (and colleagues) found that avoidance crafting was not always harmful for employees’ wellbeing, and cognitive crafting (i.e. reframing or distancing yourself from negative aspects of work), could help to reduce exhaustion.
Personally, I found Elisa’s work interesting, because I have shared the view that the power of avoidance crafting has been overlooked in the past.
Key takeaway
The evidence around job crafting continues to grow and I hope 2024 is a year of greater engagement with leaders and organisations with this concept. It’s also time to rethink “avoidance crafting”. There are potential specific benefits from consciously mentally detaching from negative aspects at work that protect us from exhaustion.
Exploring further
This “state of the art” overview of the job crafting research is a great summary paper.
8) Conference Crafting was a hit! (Charlotte)
Photo credit - Andrew Richards
We kicked off the Conference with some crafting (naturally). Rob introduced the concept of ‘Conference Crafting’, and people loved it!
We asked everyone to write down a ‘Conference Crafting Goal’ that they could commit to over the two days. For example, planning how to take notes, learning how work design can impact EDI, making 10 new connections, taking 10 minutes to get outside before eating lunch, etc.)
The most common type of goal related to skill crafting (e.g. deliberately deepening knowledge of a specific topic, or broadening knowledge on a new area of interest), which is not surprising for a conference! Relationship crafting was the next most common type of goal, and this really shone through in how friendly, welcoming and open people were.
Of course we checked back at the end, and were pleased to learn that 98% of respondents successfully achieved their goal to some extent by the end of the conference, and 82% agreed that setting a goal positively shaped or changed their behaviour at the conference. 98% would recommend conference crafting for other conferences and events.
Key takeaway
Crafting has endless practical applications, and it can be both fun and surprising to explore its use in different contexts. Different types of crafting referenced at the conference included: life crafting, leisure crafting, career crafting and playful crafting.
Exploring further
Let us know if you’re interested in using crafting for your event or conference. It’s easy but effective.
9) Work design for a digital world is more important than ever (Rob)
Photo credit - Andrew Richards
Professor Sharon Parker ended the conference with a fascinating closing keynote looking at the future of work design. Her talk was framed around how to create a positive work future which we would be excited for our future generations to participate in.
Some of the questions Sharon shared that she argued we should be considering included:
When is it OK for machines to be completely autonomous?
Who should be accountable when machines make bad decisions?
How do we shift the mindsets (and demographics) of technology designers?
Sharon gave a number of stories and examples of how the pace of technological innovation (particularly when it came to robotics and AI) had outstripped opportunities for us to reflect on the positive and negative implications of its deployment.
As Sharon talked I was reminded of Jeff Goldblum’s character Dr. Ian Malcolm famous line in Jurassic Park:
"Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should."
To create a more positive future world of work Sharon argued and articulated the need for a social technical approach, and specifically the deliberate deployment of technology in a way which considered both the ‘social’ (think human) and ‘technical’ (think technology and systems).
Sharon argued that the need for good work design principles and frameworks - which were being researched and showcased throughout the conference - were more important than ever.
Key takeaway
It is critical for organisations and policy makers to respond and invest in work design principles today, before too many technological decisions chasing short term evolution and efficiency are made at the cost of humanity tomorrow.
Exploring further
This paper from Sharon Parker and Gudela Grote gives an overview of work design in a digital world (and builds on research and previous writing).
10) It’s tricky - but very possible - to combine work and play (Rob & Charlotte)
Photo credit - Charlotte’s amazing selfie skills
This was a complex trip with lots of moving parts. We were very ambitious in what we gave ourselves to do. There was so much we wanted to see, people we wanted to spend time with, and work goals we wanted to achieve. So when people asked “what brings you to Australia?”, the answer was a bit convoluted. It felt like a waste to travel all that way and not make the most of the opportunities - but this also meant having fun. (Sometimes we had to schedule that too!)
Key takeaways
We found it helpful to:
Apply a travel crafting approach. E.g.: thinking about small things that will make the travel more enjoyable such as planning what podcasts to listen to; arranging to catch up with familiar faces; or treating yourself to one night in a nice hotel (this helps after a full day of travel!)
Compartmentalise work and play by having ‘working days’ and rest days. To be honest our work was often super fun and energising, but it was nice to disconnect on rest days.
Exploring further
“When work is good it’s transformative” - we learned that both from the research and our own experience. Do you think your employees are experiencing work as transformative? In what ways?
11) Some other things
And here are some other things things that we could have written more about:
Multiple examples of how the Job Demands Resource (JDR) Model is still being used when studying wellbeing, job crafting and work design (Eva Demerouti gave a fantastic key note on this).
The launch of a landmark study of Australian university staff mental health, working conditions and wellbeing (the interactive way this was reported allows detailed breakdowns by demographic information),
Fantastic feedback and engagement with Tailored Thinking sessions including the Job Canvas and the use of Job Crafting cards. We have made amends to our Job Canvas based on this feedback.
How Agile Leadership creates High Performing teams.
Practical ways that wellbeing and psychosocial wellbeing is being brought to life (as showcased by the likes of Lucas Finch from Xero, Dave Burroughs from Westpac, Tamara Wakeman from Comcare, Judy Chi from Thrive at Work and Jessica Reynolds).
Missed out on attending the conference? The Conference is offering Recordings Only tickets that you can access at your own pace. To register for access, please visit their website.
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We hope you enjoyed reading our summary of this ground-breaking conference. We would love to hear some of the reflections of your own.
