Associate Professor Kirsten Way
Associate Professor
School of Psychology
+61 7 334 69504
Researcher biography
Dr Kïrsten Way is an Associate Professor and Program Director at the Centre for Business and Organisational Psychology at UQ where she conducts research on safety regulation, work-related mental health, work design, human factors, and occupational health. Her work focusses on psychosocial hazards both systemically and focally (investigating specific hazards such as conflict, bullying, fatigue, and sexual harassment). Dr. Way is an Organisational Psychologist, Occupational Therapist and Certified Professional Ergonomist. She has significant industry expertise having worked as the Director of a private consultancy specialising in WHS and organisational psychology and having held positions for Australian and UK WHS regulatory authorities, including Principal Inspector (Ergonomics), Manager Psychosocial Strategy Unit, and Manager WHS Policy Branch. She has provided expertise to the Australian and UK Governments and, for example, has assisted in the development of the Safe Work Australia Handbook Principles of Good Work Design, NSW's Mentally Healthy Workplaces Benchmarking Tool and The Mentally Healthy Workplaces Strategy 2018-2022, as well as numerous WHS jurisdictions' Psychosocial Regulations and Managing the Risk of Psychosocial Hazards at Work Codes of Practice.
Publications
Book Chapters
Way, Kïrsten A. and Neall, Annabelle M. (2024). Psychosocial risk management. Elgar Encyclopedia of Occupational Health Psychology. (pp. 153-156) edited by Cary Cooper, Paula Brough and Vicki L. Anderson. Cheltenham, United Kingdom: Edward Elgar Publishing. doi: 10.4337/9781035313389.ch47
Neall, Annabelle and Way, Kirsten (2024). Stress management. Elgar Encyclopedia of Occupational Health Psychology. (pp. 182-185) edited by Cary Cooper, Paula Brough and Vicki L. Anderson. Cheltenham, United Kingdom: Edward Elgar Publishing. doi: 10.4337/9781035313389.ch55
Caponecchia, C. and Way, K. A. (2021). Bullying and Violence. The Core Body of Knowledge for the Generalist OHS Professionals. (pp. 1-38) edited by Pryor, P.. Gladstone Park, VIC Australia: Australian Institute of Health and Safety.
Way, Kïrsten (2020). Psychosocial hazards. The core body of knowledge for generalist OHS professionals . (pp. 1-50) Tullamarine, VIC, Australia: Australian Institute of Health and Safety.
Parker, Stacey L., Jimmieson, Nerina L. and Way, Kirsten A. (2013). Occupational Health Psychology. Organisational Psychology: Research and Professional Practice. (pp. 219-242) edited by Sarris, Aspa and Kirby, Neil. Prahran VIC Australia: Tilde Publishing and Distribution.
Way, Kirsten A. (2012). Psychosocial hazards: Bullying, Aggression and Violence. The Core Body of Knowledge for Generalist OHS Professionals. (pp. 1-45) Victoria, Australia: SIA.
Way, Kirsten A. (2012). Psychosocial Hazards and Occupational Health. The Core Body of Knowledge for Generalist OHS Professionals. (pp. 1-45) Victoria, Australia: SIA.
Way, Kïrsten, Jimmieson, Nerina L. and Bordia, Prashant (2011). An integrative framework of supervisor responses to workgroup conflict. New directions in organizational psychology and behavioral medicine. (pp. 191-220) edited by Cary Cooper. Farnham, United Kingdom: Gower.
Way, Kirsten, Jimmieson, Nerina L. and Bordia, Prashant (2011). An integrative framework of supervisor responses to workgroup conflict. New directions in organizational psychology and behavioral medicine. (pp. 191-219) edited by Alexander-Stamatios Antoniou and Cary Cooper. Farnham, Surrey, United Kingdom: Gower.
Journal Articles
Manchha, Asmita V., Tann, Ken, Way, Kïrsten A. and Thai, Michael (2025). Challenging aged care stigma through communication: discursive responses to stigmatising discourses about aged care work and implications for workers' mental health. European Journal of Ageing, 22 (1) 14, 1-14. doi: 10.1007/s10433-025-00844-2
Knox, Sally, Way, Kïrsten A. and Haslam, S. Alexander (2025). 'Whatever your job is, we are all about doing that thing super well': High-reliability followership as a key component of operational success in elite air force teams. British Journal of Social Psychology, 64 (2) e12882, 1-24. doi: 10.1111/bjso.12882
Johnstone, Richard and Way, Kirsten A. (2024). The evolution of regulation to prevent psychosocial harm in Australia. Australian Journal of Labour Law, 37 (3), 271-294.
Hon, Carol K.H., Sun, Chenjunyan, Way, Kïrsten A., Jimmieson, Nerina L., Xia, Bo and Biggs, Herbert C. (2024). Psychosocial hazards affecting mental health in the construction industry: a qualitative study in Australia. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 31 (8), 3165-3192. doi: 10.1108/ECAM-07-2022-0617
Horberry, Tim, Harris, Jill, Cliff, David, Dodshon, Philippa, Lee, Joanna, Lim, Nigel and Way, Kïrsten (2024). Fatigue management in mining: current practices and future directions. Journal of Work Health and Safety Regulation, 2 (2) 23-004, 145-155. doi: 10.57523/jaohlev.oa.23-004
Madigan, Cassandra, Johnstone, Kelly, Way, Kirsten A. and Capra, Mike (2024). When Is Legitimating Legitimate? An Exploration of Health and Safety Professionals’ Use of the ‘Legitimating’ Tactic When Attempting to Influence Work Health and Safety. Journal of Work Health and Safety Regulation, 1-19. doi: 10.57523/jaohlev.oa.23-001
Sun, Chenjunyan, Hon, Carol K. H., Way, Kïrsten A., Jimmieson, Nerina L. and Xia, Bo (2024). Need for recovery among site-based construction practitioners in Australia: a latent class analysis and multinomial logistic regression. Journal of Management in Engineering, 40 (1) 04023048, 1-10. doi: 10.1061/jmenea.meeng-5594
Hodroj, Batoul, Way, Kïrsten Agnes, Scott, Theresa L., Wright, April L. and Manchha, Asmita (2023). Does context count? The association between quality of care and job characteristics in residential aged care and hospital settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Gerontologist, 63 (6), 1012-1027. doi: 10.1093/geront/gnac039
Manchha, Asmita V., Tann, Ken, Way, Kïrsten A. and Thai, Michael (2023). Reconceptualizing stigmas in aged care: a typology of stigmatizing discourses in the aged-care context. The Gerontologist, 63 (6), 1000-1011. doi: 10.1093/geront/gnac192
Sun, Chenjunyan, Hon, Carol K. H., Way, Kïrsten A., Jimmieson, Nerina L., Xia, Bo and Wu, Paul Pao-Yen (2023). A Bayesian network model for the impacts of psychosocial hazards on the mental health of site-based construction practitioners. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 149 (3) 04022184, 1-14. doi: 10.1061/jcemd4.coeng-12905
Way, Kïrsten A., Jimmieson, Nerina L., Manchha, Asmita and D’allura, Louise (2023). Shared perceptions of fatigue management in workgroups: a cross-level moderator of the negative impact of work spillover on custodial officer outcomes. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 50 (4), 009385482211435-577. doi: 10.1177/00938548221143532
Manchha, Asmita V., Way, Kïrsten A., Thai, Michael and Tann, Ken (2023). “The Stigma is what you do”: Examining the relationship between occupational stigma and worker outcomes in the aged care context. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 42 (2), 221-230. doi: 10.1177/07334648221129849
Manchha, Asmita V., Way, Kïrsten A., Tann, Ken and Thai, Michael (2022). The social construction of stigma in aged-care work: implications for health professionals’ work intentions. The Gerontologist, 62 (7), 994-1005. doi: 10.1093/geront/gnac002
Hon, Carol K.H., Sun, Chenjunyan, Xia, Bo, Jimmieson, Nerina L., Way, Kïrsten A. and Wu, Paul Pao-Yen (2022). Applications of Bayesian approaches in construction management research: a systematic review. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 29 (5), 2153-2182. doi: 10.1108/ecam-10-2020-0817
Madigan, Cassandra, Way, Kirsten A., Johnstone, Kelly and Capra, Mike (2022). Differences between managers’ and safety professionals’ perceptions of upwards influence attempts within safety practice. Journal of Safety Research, 81, 203-215. doi: 10.1016/j.jsr.2022.02.012
Sun, Chenjunyan, Hon, Carol K.H., Way, Kïrsten A., Jimmieson, Nerina L. and Xia, Bo (2022). The relationship between psychosocial hazards and mental health in the construction industry: a meta-analysis. Safety Science, 145 105485, 105485. doi: 10.1016/j.ssci.2021.105485
Madigan, Cassandra, Johnstone, Kelly, Way, Kïrsten A. and Capra, Mike (2021). How do safety professionals’ influence managers within organizations? – a critical incident approach. Safety Science, 144 105478, 105478. doi: 10.1016/j.ssci.2021.105478
Popple, Sam, Way, Kïrsten, Johnstone, Richard, Croucher, Richard and Miller, Peta (2021). A comparative analysis of Inspector responses to complaints about psychosocial and physical hazards. Regulation and Governance, 17 (1), 234-249. doi: 10.1111/rego.12447
Manchha, Asmita V., Walker, Nicole, Way, Kïrsten A., Dawson, Danielle, Tann, Ken and Thai, Michael (2020). Deeply discrediting: a systematic review examining the conceptualizations and consequences of the stigma of working in aged care. The Gerontologist, 61 (4), e129-e146. doi: 10.1093/geront/gnaa166
Way, Kirsten A., Jimmieson, Nerina J. and Bordia, Prashant (2020). Supervisor conflict management climate and emotion recognition skills: implications for collective employee burnout. International Journal of Conflict Management, 31 (4), 559-580. doi: 10.1108/ijcma-03-2019-0054
Way, Kïrsten A., Burrell, Lisa, D’Allura, Louise and Ashford-Rowe, Kevin (2020). Empirical investigation of authentic assessment theory: An application in online courses using mimetic simulation created in university learning management ecosystems. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 46 (1), 1-19. doi: 10.1080/02602938.2020.1740647
Madigan, Cassandra, Way, Kïrsten, Capra, Mike and Johnstone, Kelly (2020). Influencing organizational decision-makers – what influence tactics are OHS professionals using?. Safety Science, 121, 496-506. doi: 10.1016/j.ssci.2019.09.028
Way, Kirsten, Kannis-Dymand, Lee, Lastella, Michele and Lovell, Geoff P. (2018). Mental health practitioners’ reported barriers to prescription of exercise for mental health consumers. Mental Health and Physical Activity, 14, 52-60. doi: 10.1016/j.mhpa.2018.01.001
Way, Kirsten A., Jimmieson, Nerina L. and Bordia, Prashant (2016). Shared perceptions of supervisor conflict management style: a cross-level moderator of relationship conflict and employee outcomes. International Journal of Conflict Management, 27 (1), 25-49. doi: 10.1108/IJCMA-07-2014-0046
Johnston, Venerina, Way, Kirsten, Long, Maryann H., Wyatt, Mary, Gibson, Libby and Shaw, William S. (2015). Supervisor competencies for supporting return to work: a mixed-methods study. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, 25 (1), 3-17. doi: 10.1007/s10926-014-9511-z
Way, Kristen A., Jimmieson, Nerina L. and Bordia, Prashant (2014). Supervisor conflict management, justice, and strain: multilevel relationships. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 29 (8), 1044-1063. doi: 10.1108/JMP-04-2012-0120
Way, Kïrsten A., Jimmieson, Nerina L., Bordia, Prashant and Hepworth, Graham (2013). Self-labelling versus behavioural experience of workplace bullying: differences in sector- and industry-level prevalence and sources. Journal of Health Safety and Environment, 29 (2) 29-221, 83-102.
Graves, Rod J., Way, Kïrsten, Riley, David, Lawton, Clare and Morris, Len (2004). Development of risk filter and risk assessment worksheets for HSE guidance - 'Upper limb disorders in the workplace' 2002. Applied Ergonomics, 35 (5), 475-484. doi: 10.1016/j.apergo.2004.03.011
Conference Papers
Manchha, Asmita, Way, Kirsten, Tann, Ken and Thai, Michael (2023). Planning for the Aged Care Workforce of the Future- Implications of Stigma on Health Professionals’ Intentions to Work in Aged Care. Australian and New Zealand Society for Geriatric Medicine Annual Meeting, Brisbane, QLD Australia, 10-12 May 2023.
Manchha, A., Tann, K., Way, K. and Thai, M. (2022). Choosing to challenge occupational stigma: implications for workers’ mental health. 35th ANZAM Conference, Brisbane, QLD Australia, 5-7 December 2022. Gold Coast, QLD Australia:
Manchha, Asmita, Way, Kirsten, Tann, Ken and Thai, Michael (2022). Understanding stigma in the context of working in aged care.. National Conference of Emerging Researchers in Ageing, Online, 10 November 2022.
Manchha, Asmita, Way, Kirsten, Tann, Ken and Thai, Michael (2022). Understanding internalised stigma in aged care workers: negative psychological and job outcomes. Australian Association of Gerontology conference, Adelaide, SA Australia, November 2022.
Manchha, Asmita, Tann, Ken, Way, Kirsten and Thai, Michael (2022). Stigmatising discourses in the context of the Australian Royal Commission into Aged Care. Australian Association of Gerontology conference, Online, November 2022.
Manchha, A. V., Tann, K., Way, K. A. and Thai, M. (2022). Discursive responses to countering stigmatizing discourses about aged care and worker outcomes. EGOS Colloquium, Vienna, Austria, 7-9 July 2022. Vienna, Austria:
Bontrup, Carolin, Johnston, Venerina, O'Leary, Shaun and Way, Kirsten (2022). Exploring barriers and enablers of work ability among older workers – a qualitative approach. 33rd International Congress on Occupational Health 2022 (ICOH 2022), Online, 6–10 February 2022. Incheon, Republic of Korea: Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute. doi: 10.1016/j.shaw.2021.12.1049
Sun, C., Hon, C. K.H., Jimmieson, N. L., Way, K. A. and Xia, B. (2022). Evaluating the need for recovery from work for site-based construction practitioners in Australia. World Building Congress 2022, Melbourne, VIC Australia, 26-30 June 2022. Bristol, United Kingdom: Institute of Physics. doi: 10.1088/1755-1315/1101/3/032036
Manchha, Asmita, Tann, Ken, Way, Kirsten and Thai, Michael (2021). Understanding stigmatising discourses in aged care: applying linguistics to the Australian Royal Commission into Aged Care. Australian Systematic Functional Linguistics Association, Brisbane, QLD Australia, September 2021.
Manchha, Asmita, Way, Kirsten, Tann, Ken and Thai, Michael (2021). Social construction of the stigma of working in aged care in the context of COVID-19: implications for health professionals’ work intentions. European Group for Organizational Studies, Online, July 2021.
Hodroj, Batoul, Way, Kirsten, Scott, Theresa, Wright, April and Manchha, Asmita (2021). A meta-analysis of work factors impacting quality of care and counterproductive work behaviours in residential aged care and hospitals.. 54th Australian Association of Gerontology Conference, Sydney, Australia, 9-12 November 2021.
Manchha, Asmita, Walker, Nicole, Way, Kirsten, Tann, Ken, Thai, Michael and Dissanayaka, Nadeeka (2020). So you work in aged care…‘oh’ An exploratory study of social evaluations and the stigmatization of aged care workers. European Group for Organizational Studies, Online, 2-4 July 2020.
Way, Kirsten A., Burrell, Lisa, D'Allura, Louise and Ashford-Rowe, Kevin (2019). Creating authenticity in online learning and assessment: the use of emotion in mimetic simulation. 79th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, Boston, MA United States, 9-13 August 2019. Briarcliff Manor, NY United States: Academy of Management. doi: 10.5465/ambpp.2019.11634abstract
Way, K. A., Jimmieson, N. L. and Bordia, P. (2010). The role of supervisors in managing workgroup conflict: Implications for employee adjustment. 70th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, Montreal, Canada, 6 - 10 August 2010.
Way, K.A., Jimmieson, N. L., Bordia, P. and Hobman, E. V. (2010). Development of a psychosocial risk assessment tool to aid compliance with health and safety legislation: The people at work project. 27th International Congress of Applied Psychology, Melbourne, VIC, Australia, 11-16 July, 2010.
Department Technical Report
Gane, E., Brakenridge, C., Johnston, V., Khan, A., Way, K. A., Healy, G., Zerguine, H. and Nisar, M. (2022). Evaluating changing environmental, psychological, and organizational characteristics of working from home and their impact on work and health outcomes of employees. A report for the Office of Ergonomics Research Committee (USA), Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland.
Thesis
Way, Kirsten (2013). Multi-level effects of supervisor third-party responses to workgroup conflict on employee strain. PhD Thesis, School of Psychology, The University of Queensland.
Research Reports
Firth, Ian, Way, Kirsten and Li, Yiqiong (2024). Decision making about psychosocial hazards and risk in workplaces: a scoping review. Middletown, DE, United States: INPLASY: International Platform of Registered Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Protocols. doi: 10.37766/inplasy2024.11.0057
Horberry, T. , Harris, J. , Way, K. , Hill, A. , Lim, N. , Dodshon, P. , Lee, J. and Cliff, D. (2023). Fatigue management in the Queensland mining industry and its relationship with mental health: final report to Office of the Commissioner Resources Safety and Health. Brisbane, Australia: Queensland Government.
Knox, Sally, Way, Kïrsten and Haslam, Alex (2022). Are identity leadership and shared social identity associated with the highly reliable behaviour of military personnel? Protocol for a systematic review. Middletown, DE, United States: INPLASY: International Platform of Registered Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Protocols. doi: 10.37766/inplasy2022.5.0063