Publisher's Synopsis
Rapidly emerging new technology, changing demographic compositions, changing attitudes and values of work forces, and a renewed emphasis on improving productivity and quality of work life have created the need for a true systems approach to organizational design and management. This need can be seen in the burgeoning worldwide development of macroergonomics methods and applications since the first of these international ODAM Symposia was held twelve years ago. Today, what was recognized by but a few researchers and practitioners in the early 1980's is now widely accepted. Microergonomic design, by itself, is insufficient to achieve large gains in productivity, quality, health and safety, and quality of work life: complex sociotechnical systems require a true macroergonomic approach to work system design, and carry-through of that design to the microergonomic level. The recent emphasis on downsizing and re-engineering of work systems to enhance productivity and quality - and the failure of a large majority of these efforts to achieve the intended results - further heightens the importance of taking a human-centered, macroergonomics approach to design.;The papers presented herein reflect that orientation. Included in this volume is a broad selection of papers on theory, methodology, research findings, applications, and case studies from leading professionals throughout the world. These papers serve to provide the reader with a good insight into this approach to work system design, a feel for human factors and ergonomics at the macroergonomic level, and an awareness and understanding of its potential to better the human condition.
