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The Good Bloke in Contemporary Australian Workplaces: Origins, Qualities and Impacts of a National Cultural Archetype in Small For-Profit Businesses

Taylor, Christopher George
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6757-4637
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1566171729886909

Abstract Details

2019, Ph.D., Antioch University, Leadership and Change.
This study explored the nature and significance of a common but widely misunderstood phrase encountered in Australia: The Good Bloke. Underlying this enquiry was awareness, based on the researcher’s personal and professional experience, that the idea of a Good Bloke powerfully influences individual perceptions of leaders in Australian small-to-mid sized for-profit firms. The study commenced with an exploration of the origins and history of the phrase, tracing it to the 1788 arrival of a disproportionately male Anglo-Celtic population was composed significantly of transported convicts. The language and mores of this unique settler population evolved for two centuries based on relationships, primarily among males, where Good Bloke characteristics were key to success and survival. This research entailed a qualitative phase leading to a detailed quantitative analysis. The qualitative Phase 1 included semi-structured interviews and focus group research to broadly identify ostensible characteristics and qualities of the Good Bloke. A survey was administered to 354 Australians. Results were subjected exploratory and then, confirmatory factor analysis, yielding three main factors of a Good Bloke: being relatable, fair/inclusive, and affable. A major additional finding was that while both men and women manifest these qualities, the Good Bloke still has an inherently gendered nature, a legacy of Australian history. A second survey of 301 Australians from small to medium enterprises was followed by structural equation modelling to explore the connection between Good Bloke factors and employees’ experiences of engagement, satisfaction, and commitment. Implications are discussed for the Good Bloke ideal’s continuing relevance, including appreciation of differential impact on gender and other categories that make many contemporary Australians less readily perceived as Good Blokes. I conclude that the term Good Bloke can have a constructive role in Australian culture. The key challenge is exploring how the positive nuances associated with the term become incorporated into the development of future generations whilst acknowledging and addressing the term’s limitations, in order to support fuller and more meaningful inclusion in Australian business and society. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA: Antioch University Repository and Archive, http://aura.antioch.edu/ and Ohiolink ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu/
Elizabeth Holloway, Ph.D. (Committee Chair)
Tony Lingham, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Stephen Bygrave, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
352 p.
Behavioral Psychology; Behavioral Sciences; British and Irish Literature; Business Education; Cultural Anthropology; Gender Studies; History of Oceania; Literature of Oceania; Management; Modern Language; Personal Relationships; Personality; Psychology; Sociology
Australia; Authenticity; Factor Analysis; Employee Engagement; Gender in the workplace; Good Bloke; Leadership; Structural Equation Modelling

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Taylor, C. G. (2019). The Good Bloke in Contemporary Australian Workplaces: Origins, Qualities and Impacts of a National Cultural Archetype in Small For-Profit Businesses [Doctoral dissertation, Antioch University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1566171729886909

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Taylor, Christopher. The Good Bloke in Contemporary Australian Workplaces: Origins, Qualities and Impacts of a National Cultural Archetype in Small For-Profit Businesses. 2019. Antioch University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1566171729886909.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Taylor, Christopher. "The Good Bloke in Contemporary Australian Workplaces: Origins, Qualities and Impacts of a National Cultural Archetype in Small For-Profit Businesses." Doctoral dissertation, Antioch University, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1566171729886909

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

antioch1566171729886909
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© 2019, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Antioch University and OhioLINK.