MPOWER - MHIKO

This study involves 50 countries and is led by Polish researchers and funded by the National Science Centre in Poland.

Professor Jane Parker will conduct the New Zealand leg of the project, involving a survey of employees on micro-, meso- and macro-influences on their work engagement and addiction. Cross-national outputs will include the New Zealand data.

In this ongoing study, MPOWER researchers examine the key characteristics and dynamics of different nations' industrial relations systems in order to benchmark and compare their character and progress.

The fieldwork draws on cross-national, quantitative datasets and qualitative materials.

Research team: Professors Jane Parker, Bernd Brandl, Valeria Pulignano and Patrice Jalette, Associate Professors Nazim Taskin and Fiona Edgar, Mr Andrew Barney, Dr Annie Zhang, Kerem Ceylen and Boem Deng.

Worker autonomy and collective action

This study was supported by the MURF (Massey University Research Fund), investigated the facets of worker autonomy and propensity for collective action in New Zealand workplaces.

Research team: Professor Jane Parker and Associate Professor Nazim Taskin.

The role of managers in progressing gender equity, diversity and inclusivity in New Zealand public service agencies, focusing on Māori and Pasifika

In this 1-year funded study, MPOWER researchers undertook interviews with expert informants and others across 3 public service agencies to assess managers' role in progressing gender equity with particular regard to female Māori and Pacific employees.

The project fieldwork informed the development of a gender equity index for the sector and developed an online network for data on gender equity and its discussion.

The research team is also looking to involve additional countries in the project, with a view to producing comparative academic and professional outputs.

Research team: Professor Jane Parker, Associate Professor Janet Sayers, Doctor Shirley Barnett and Doctor Amanda Young-Hauser.

Governance study

MPOWER researchers collaborated with Professors Andrew and Nada Kakabadse (Henley Business School, UK) on governance surveys of key industry sectors including higher and tertiary education, sports management and charities.

The New Zealand and other country findings formed the basis of comparative study outputs.

Research team: Professor Jane Parker, Professor Jim Arrowsmith and Doctor Nazim Taskin.

Chinese students and career aspirations

This project examined large-scale survey data to assess Chinese tertiary students' desires and needs in the workplace.

Research team: Professor Doctor Jens Mueller, Professor Jim Arrowsmith, Professor Jane Parker, Doctor Nazim Taskin and Doctor Dennis Poh Wah Lee (Shantou University).

2018

Women's career aspirations study (II)

MPOWER researchers used recent, nationally-representative survey data to examine the nature of career success for women in New Zealand, as well as the barriers and facilitators of career progress for women.

Research team: Doctor Nazim Taskin, Doctor Jeff Kennedy and Professor Jane Parker.

Gender equity in NZ public service agencies

MPOWER researchers from Massey, Victoria University of Wellington and AUT examined the role of middle managers in progress gender equity initiatives in New Zealand public agencies.

The team interviewed 70 managers and staff in 4 key agencies, with the study forming part of a larger study involving Australia.

Research team: Doctor Noelle Donnelly, Professor Jane Parker, Doctor Julie Douglas and Doctor Katherine Ravenswood.

Living Wage in NZ

This major Marsden fund-support project spanned 3 years and considered the Living Wage in NZ across a range of stakeholders, using surveys, cases and interview inquiry and 'town hall' type meetings.

Research team: Professor Stu Carr, Professor Darrin Hodgetts, Professor Jane Parker, Professor Jim Arrowsmith and Professor Jarrod Haar, Doctor Siautu Alefaio-Tugia and Amanda Young-Hauser.

Management Capabilities Index (NZ)

The Institute of Management NZ (now Institute of Managers and Leaders Australia and New Zealand (MLANZ)) commissioned MPOWER researchers to undertake a literature review and pilot study which informed the updated MCI 2013 survey.

The researchers also produced a survey report based on the NZ MCI 2018 survey findings and developed a journal manuscript based on an extensive literature review and cross-national MCI survey data.

Research team: Professor Jane Parker, Doctor Fatima Junaid and Doctor Nazim Taskin.

Management development study

This MPOWER-Critical Management Studies Special Interest Group study was part-funded by the School of Management and Marketing and examined the roles and impacts of HR and line managers via an online survey.

Research team: Doctor Damian Ruth, Professor Jane Parker and Jane Halteh.

2017

Political economy policy analysis training of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretar

Professors Jane Parker and Jim Arrowsmith ran a training course on policy analysis for PIFS policy analysts and other staff in Suva, Fiji. As well as powerpoint and interactive sessions, they provided a comprehensive resource book for use in and outside the course.

Women's careers and aspirations study (I)

MPOWER, in collaboration with Convergence Partners (executive recruiters): survey of women's careers and aspirations.

Summary findings and recommendations

Escaping the low skill, low pay, low commitment and low performance work cycle

This MPOWER project involved survey, case and interview research in 4 sectors (health, retail, manufacturing and not-for-profit) in New Zealand to explore how both productivity and employee engagement can be enhanced by better people-management practices.

Research team: Professors Jim Arrowsmith, Jane Parker, Drs Nazim Taskin, Shane Scahill and Fatima Junaid.

Executive Education Study

MPOWER researchers collaborated with the Institute of Management New Zealand (IMNZ) and the Knowledge Exchange Hub at Massey on a nationwide study of executive education (EE).

A national survey in 2017 focused on:

• the scale of EE in NZ
• characteristics of executives and others using EE training providers
• the kinds of subjects on which firms are keen for their executives to receive training
• key training delivery modes.

Summary of headline findings

2016

The Warehouse Group

MPOWER researchers worked with TWG on the design and roll out of a survey of TWG staff, gathering information about perceptions on career paths, opportunities and challenges.

Following a pilot among senior management at TWG, the survey was issued to all TWG staff. A draft report was prepared and some survey respondents opted to take part in follow-up survey and focus group interviews in October. The initial report was extended to include the results from this latter activity.

Living Wage Research

A multi-disciplinary team of cross-College and cross-campus MPOWER researchers undertook a University-funded study of the Living Wage (LW) in New Zealand.

The MPOWER team produced a series of journal articles and papers from this project, as well as presented survey and case study findings to the HR Institute of New Zealand's HR Executive Forum, Diversity Works (formerly the EEO Trust) and at the Living Wage Movement of Aotearoa New Zealand AGM.

Project findings have also been presented at the British Universities Industrial Relations Association Conference in the UK, the Labour, Employment and Work (LEW) Conference in Wellington and the Australia and NZ Academy of Management (ANZAM) Conference.

Research team: Professors Jane Parker (School of Management and Marketing), Stuart Carr (School of Psychology) Jim Arrowsmith (School of Management and Marketing), Jarrod Haar (AUT University) and Dr Christian Yao (Victoria University of Wellington).

2015

Nauru Employment Policy

Professors Jim Arrowsmith and Jane Parker were funded by the ILO to undertake a situational analysis to inform the development of a new National Employment Policy in Nauru.

The study involved desk research and in-depth interviews in Nauru with key representatives from Ministries, line government, and other agencies. A report was presented in Nauru by Prof. Arrowsmith in September 2015.

This project was the latest in a series of ILO policy-oriented studies that translated into journal articles, published reports, collaboration among Massey researchers, and teaching materials for HR and employment relations classes at Massey and the University of the South Pacific.

2023

• Professor Patrice Jalette (University of Montreal, Canada) was an international academic visitor to MPOWER.
• Doctor Katy Jones (Manchester Metropolitan University, England) was an international academic visitor to MPOWER.

2022

• MPOWER members presented living wage research at the ADAPT International conference in Bergamo, Italy on 24-26 November 2022.
• Professor Mike Bresnen (Machester Metropolitan University, England) visited MPOWER and gave a public lecture.
• Doctor Wahab Shahbaz and Professor Jane Paper received the 2022 Labour and Industry Best Paper (Research Insights) Award, presented at the Association of Industrial Relations Academics of Australia and New Zealand (AIRAANZ) Conference at the University of Sydney (online) in February.
• Professor Jane Parker (MPOWER co-director) chaired the 2022 HRD National HR Summit in Auckland (online) on 7 April.

2021

• Professor Jane Parker presented on the living wage at the International Labour and Employment Relations Association (ILERA) World Congress (online) and on gender equity in the public service at the World HR Congress in Sri Lanka (online).

2019

• Researchers from MPOWER, the Ending Poverty and Inequality Cluster (EPIC) in Massey University's School of Psychology, and the School of Management at AUT won the research team category of the Human Resources Institute of New Zealand (HRINZ) 2019 NZ HR Awards. Their application centred around their major Marsden-funded project on the Living Wage in New Zealand. The stream and overall winners of the awards were announced at the HRINZ Award Dinner at the SkyCity Convention Centre on 28 February.
  Photos of the event
  
• Distinguished Visitor, Professor Christian Welz, of the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, (Eurofound) was a guest at Massey from February-March 2019.
  Visit Eurofound

2018

• MPOWER researchers presented their work-in-progress for their Marsden-funded project on the Living Wage in New Zealand to the Living Wage Movement of Aotearoa NZ, 25 July.
  LWMANZ 2018 powerpoints.pptx (1,899 KB)

2017

• MPOWER co-director, Professor Jane Parker was the recipient of the HRINZ 2017 NZ HR Award - HR Researcher of the Year. Another MPOWER researcher, Professor Jarrod Haar (AUT) received the award in 2016.

2016

• MPOWER researchers presented in sessions and a plenary session on the Living Wage at the British Universities Industrial Relations Association (BUIRA) Conference in Leeds, UK, June.

2015

• MPOWER-TWG The Warehouse Group (TWG) and MPOWER launched their research collaboration partnership.
• MPOWER researchers, Professors Jane Parker and Jim Arrowsmith, were funded by the ILO to provide a situational analysis of employment (policy) in Nauru.
  
  Nauru employment policy project (3,427 KB)

Alakavuklar, O. (2022). [Book review] In praise of democratic market socialism in the 21st Century. Organization, published online before print. doi: 10.1177/1350508420928525 (forthcoming).
Alefaio-Tugia, S., Andrews, M., Afeaki-Mafileo, E., Satele, P., Carr, S., Haar, J., Hodgetts, D., Parker, J., Arrowsmith, J., Young-Hauser, A., and Jones, H. (2022). Shifting the Poverty-Lens for Sustainable Livelihoods: A Pasifika Perspective on A Living Wage. In Tū Rangaranga, Massey University Press.
Almond, P., Edwards, T., Kern, P., Kim, K. and Tregaskis, O. (2021). Global norm-making processes in contemporary multinationals. Human Resource Management Journal, 1–19.
Amoah, P. and Eweje, G. (2021). Barriers to environmental sustainability practices of multinational mining companies in Ghana: an institutional complexity perspective. Corporate Governance.
Arrowsmith, J. (2022). Four entries (Annualized hours, Overtime, Shift work, Working time) in A. Wilkinson and S. Johnstone (eds.) Encyclopedia of Human Resource Management. Cheltenham and Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar. 2nd edition.
Arrowsmith, J. (2022). HR Trends: HRNZ Member Survey, 2021. Wellington: Human Resources New Zealand. https://hrnz.org.nz/fileadmin/News/HRNZ_Trends_Survey_Report_2021.pdf
Asad, M., Aizaz Zafar, M. and Sajjad, A. (2022). The Impact of Supervisory Communication Apprehension on Subordinates' Job Performance: An Empirical Study in Pakistan. Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business. 9(32).
Barton, R., Béthoux, E., Dupuy, C., Ilsøe, A., Jalette, P., Laroche, M., Navrbjerg, S. and Larsen, T. (2021). “Understanding the dynamics of inequity in collective bargaining: Evidence from Australia, Canada, Denmark and France”, Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, 27(1): 113-128.
Bechter, B., Braakmann, N., and Brandl, B. (2021). Variable Pay Systems and/or Collective Wage Bargaining? Complements or Substitutes? Industrial and Labor Relations Review 160(1): 43-64.
Brandl, B. (2021). The cooperation between business organizations, trade unions, and the state during the COVID-19 pandemic: A comparative analysis of the nature of the tripartite relationship. Industrial Relations (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/irel.12300)
Brandl, B. (2021). Trust as the cement in the employment relationship? The role of trust in different workplace employment relations regimes. Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance 8(1): 80-96.
Franke, L. and Pulignano, V. (2022). Labour control and commodification strategies within a food delivery platform in Belgium, Digital Platforms and Algorithmic Subjectivities; University of Westminster.
Haar, J., Nguyen, R. and Brougham, D. (2022). Support Perceptions, Organisational Citizenship Behaviours, and the Mediating Role of Cultural Wellbeing: Are Effects Stronger for Ethnic Minority Workers? The New Zealand Journal of Employment Relations.
Jalette, P. and Barton, R. (2021). Stratégies des multinationales pour reconfigurer le périmètre de l’entreprise et l’aire de la négociation collective en Tasmanie, Négociations, 35: 89-105.
Muszyński, K., Pulignano, V., and Marà, C. (2022). Product markets and working conditions on international and regional food delivery platforms: A study in Poland and Italy. European Journal Of Industrial Relations.
Parker, J. and Alakavuklar, O. (2022). Union collective action, social movement unionism and worker freedom. International Labour Review. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ilr.12356
Parker, J. and Donnelly, N. (2022). Historical developments in the gender pay gap in Aotearoa New Zealand: A longitudinal employment relations critique. Labour History, (forthcoming).
Parker, J., Donnelly, N., Sayers, J., Young-Hauser, A., Barnett, S., Paea, S. and Loga, P. (2022). Women’s Equity Progress in Aotearoa New Zealand’s Public Service. In H. Conley and P. Koskinen Sandberg (eds) Handbook on gender and Public Sector Employment, Edward Elgar (forthcoming).
Plester, B., Kim, H., Sayers, J. and Carroll, B. (2022). “Show us what you’ve got”: From experiences of undoing to mobilizing agentic vulnerability in research. Gender, Work and Organization. 29(1), 58-78.
Pulignano, V. and Morgan, G, (2022). The Social Foundations of Precarious Work: The role of unpaid labour in the family. Faces of Precarity: Critical Perspectives on Work, Subjectivities and Struggles. Bristol University Press.
Sajjad, A. (2022). Beyond shareholder value: a framework for stakeholder governance. Corporate Governance: The International Journal of Business in Society. (book review).

• May 2025 (PDF, 3MB)
• January 2024 (PDF, 3.5MB)
• October 2023 (PDF, 3 MB)
• June 2023 (PDF, 4 MB)
• March 2023 (PDF, 4 MB)
• January 2023 (PDF, 4 MB)
• November 2022
• July 2022
• May 2022
• March 2022
• December 2021
• September 2021
• June 2021
• March 2021
• January and February 2021

• Parker, J. 2019. How recruitment questions affect pay equity. Massey University
• Blumenfeld, S. 2019. Launch of Fair Pay Agreements working group. Tertiary Education Union, 27 May
• Welz, C. 2019. UK faces stressful Brexit week as EU tightens the screws on London. March. National Business Review

Parker, J. and Taskin, N. 2018. The long and winding road: women’s career experiences and aspirations. Te Mohiotanga (CDANZ journal), 17 April