Full course description
How can we rethink the way we work to increase job satisfaction and the wellbeing of employees, and improve productivity?
We know the nature of work is changing, and the future is all about working smarter. But what does that mean in practice for employee and employer?
Research shows good work design practices have positive impacts on individuals, teams and organisations – preventing harm, improving wellbeing and lifting productivity. Changes to work practices as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic gave us a glimpse of the benefits of doing things differently and many of us are now keen to make some permanent changes.
This course gives you the understanding and the tools to redesign your own and others’ work to promote happier, healthier employees and more successful businesses. SMART Work Design principles can play a key role in workplace transformation. The SMART framework covers five key themes – Stimulating, Mastery, Agency, Relational and Tolerable Demands.
You will explore the SMART framework to create and redesign jobs to increase satisfaction, reduce stress and lead to a flourishing organisation.
This credential is particularly suitable for:
- Professionals and managers overseeing the transition to new working arrangements and roles with an interest in designing healthy work.
- Businesses or Government departments wanting to provide a professional development program for employees and managers around performance and productivity.
By completing this credential you will learn to:
- explore work design concepts and how they drive employee health, wellbeing and performance
- analyse the characteristics of your own job and reflect on how to make positive changes
- redesign your own work for optimum productivity and wellbeing
- evaluate how managers can better design work for their employees
- discover the challenges facing managers who design employees’ roles
- apply your newfound knowledge to redesign the work of your team or colleague
Key Topics
Your learning journey includes access to three online modules, live discussion with expert facilitators and a final assessment.
Module 1 - What is SMART Work Design?
In this module we'll explore:
- what work design is and why work design matters
- the meaning of SMART work design principles
Module 2 - Bottom-up / individual approaches to job redesign
In this module we'll explore:
- what a bottom-up approach to work redesign means
- different types of bottom-up redesign in the context of SMART work
- job creating - a specific form of bottom-up approach
- how to redesign your own role using job crafting and SMART work design principles
Module 3 - Top-down / Manager-led approaches to job design
In this module we'll explore:
- the different between formal and informal approaches to work redesign strategies
- various top-down approaches to work re-design and how they link to the SMART model
- different managerial approaches in working with teams (face to face and virtual)
- socio-techinical systems thinking in relation to formal work re-design
Live Q&A and discussion
You will have a chance to ask questions directly to our facilitators in two live Q&A sessions via Blackboard Collaborate (more details coming soon). You are encouraged to participate in the online discussion and exchange ideas with other learners. If you are unable to attend, the session will be recorded and will be made available for later viewing.
Final Assessment
To successfully complete this credential, you are required to pass a final assessment. You will be asked to apply your skills and knowledge to assess your current job (or a previous job) by using a SMART Work Design Survey tool, and then create a work re-design for this job.
Monday 17 February 2025
Course starts and access to online modules opens
Wednesday 5 March 2025 (12-1pm AWST)
Live online Q&A session #1
Course introduction and assessment details*
Wednesday 2 April 2025 (12-1pm AWST)
Live online Q&A session #2
Course discussion and reflections*
Sunday 13 April 2025
Final assessment submissions deadline
Tuesday 17 February 2026
Access to course content ends
*All Q&A sessions will be recorded and will be made available for later viewing, if you are unable to attend.
Program Director
Professor Sharon K. Parker is an ARC Laureate Fellow, Director of the Centre of Transformative Work Design (based at Curtin University's Future of Work Institute) and a John Curtin Distinguished Professor in Organisational Behaviour. Sharon is a world-leading researcher on the topic of work such as proactivity, mental health and job performance.
Sharon's research has been cited more than 26,000 times internationally and she has been recognised as one of the world's most influential scientists and social scientists in the 2019 Highly Cited Researchers list released by the Web of Science Group, as well as the 2020 World's Top 2% Scientists list by Stanford University. Throughout her career, Sharon has attracted competitive research funding worth over $40,000,000.
Sharon K. Parker
Dr Lucinda Iles is an Organisational Psychologist Registrar, and a postdoctoral research fellow at the Centre for Transformative Work Design (CTWD) at Curtin University. She conducts research on work-related mental health and well-being, work design, and the ageing workforce. Currently, Lucinda is the lead postdoctoral researcher on the Design for Care project, a research project that aims to understand how work redesign interventions can be leveraged in the healthcare and social assistance industry to support employee mental health and wellbeing.
Dr Cheryl Yam is a Registered Psychologist with a background in Industrial and Organisational Psychology, and a postdoctoral research fellow at the Centre for Transformative Work Design (CTWD) at Curtin University. She conducts research on work-related mental health and well-being and specialises in the study of work design and other psychosocial hazards and their influence on various aspects of work. She works with Professor Sharon Parker on the MARS Program Landmark Study, a research and evaluation project on mental health, sexual harassment, emerging mine safety issues and related workplace initiatives to improve mental health, wellbeing, culture and respect in the WA mining industry.
Once you successfully complete and pass the final assessment, you'll earn a digital badge that is instantly shareable to your social networks (including LinkedIn) which showcases your new skills and knowledge mastery.
This credential provides foundation knowledge in a discipline and doesn't require previous knowledge.
You will also earn 5 credit points which are in line with Australian Qualification Framework Level 8 criteria, ensuring comprehensive theoretical and/or technical knowledge of the credential. 100 credit points are required to earn a Graduate Certificate at Curtin.
“The learnings from the course helped immensely in distilling this work using the SMART approach and provided useful insights into how I could use the SMART model to be more effective.”
“I found the course to be very insightful into how work design can have such an impact on overall well being, morale and being productive at work. It is interesting to learn how different and practical of crafting and shaping jobs and the recovery steps that can be taken as well. I will definitely look at introducing the concepts to my team and seeing if we can explore more.”
“I have nothing but good things to say about this course. I thoroughly enjoyed reading every module — a very well-designed and engaging course indeed. I am glad that I took this course. I am putting the knowledge into practice with my current team. I am definitely recommending this course to the managers in my department.”
Curtin Credentials focus on five themes, which have been carefully curated based on what's most relevant and valuable to professionals today, and in the future. This credential fits within the following theme:
Thrive and adapt in the changing world of work by developing and broadening your skillset in a range of areas including work design and cognitive flexibility.
For more information on this, or any other questions about Curtin Credentials, please email the Future of Work Institute at fowi-creds@curtin.edu.au or call (08) 9266 4668.
*Curtin may cancel or reschedule a credential at any time and for any reason as it sees fit. The Start Date and the other details of this credential are provided as a general guide only and may change from time to time.
✝This credential involves 30 hours of online resources, readings, activities and assessments. However to pass and earn 5 credit points, you may need to commit further time.
^Learning is done completely online.
§Price subject to change. Please check price at time of purchase.
Start: 17 February 2025*
Duration: 30 hours
Length: 8 weeks✝
Delivery Mode: Online^
Price: $699 (incl. GST)§
Print Version: Download