Award for work on sexual harassment

DATE: 01.05.07   ISSUE 1, 2007
Senior Lecturer Dr Julie Cogin has received an industry award for her work on the environmental factors that cause sexual harassment.

The Australia New Zealand Academy of Management (ANZAM) Best Paper in a Stream Award recognises Dr Cogin’s research contribution to human resource management theory and practice.

leadership style

The leadership style adopted by a manager has a significant impact on the frequency of harassment and the severity of outcomes.

Illustration: Gregory Baldwin

Dr Cogin’s paper was one of 10 Best Paper winners out of 300 presented at a recent ANZAM Conference in Rockhampton, Queensland.

“The results of the research revealed that the leadership style adopted by a manager has a significant impact on the frequency of harassment and the severity of outcomes.

"In addition, an unbalanced job gender ratio and no prior socialisation were also found to be positively correlated with sexual harassment,” Dr Cogin said.

Dr Cogin’s research involved the collection of data from 538 employees in a sample of organisations.

A model was introduced to examine organisational variables and correlations to sexual harassment which was then tested via structural equation modeling.

Dr Cogin’s paper was one of 10 Best Paper winners out of 300 presented at a recent ANZAM Conference in Rockhampton, Queensland.
Photo: Dr Julie Cogin

Dr Cogin’s study is a shift away from the majority of research in the area, which focuses on the frequency of harassment and the associated outcomes to individuals and organisations.

“While these studies provide strong justification for strategies such as policy development, grievance handling procedures and awareness training to be implemented within organisations, they do not help business leaders adopt a strategic orientation to eradicating this growing problem.

“A shift away from a reactive operational perspective once a claim is made towards initiatives geared at prevention is required. Operationalising this argument requires an understanding of what heightens a person’s vulnerability to being sexually harassed,” said Dr Cogin.

Dr Cogin’s other research interests include expatriate selection and value orientation in cross-border managers.