Transcript Lecture 2 - Purdue University

IE 486 Work Analysis & Design II
Vincent G. Duffy, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
School of Industrial Engineering
and Department of Agricultural & Biological
Engineering
Purdue University
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Lecture 2- Macroergonomics
IE 486 Administrative
• Wickens text on reserve; electronic
version (full version) of Freivalds text is
also in library catalog
• Re: CPS Clickers – we’ll use them in Feb.
• Today – ch.19
• Next week – ch.6 & 7 in Wickens
• Lab schedules revised – show today
– Times include sections on Friday 8:30, 10:30,
1:30 and 3:30.
Macroergonomics
• The chapter we will refer to is Ch. 19 in
Wickens (titled Social Factors)
• The chapter is comprised of key elements
among the social AND organizational
factors
• Macroergonomics addresses the social
and organizational aspects
Social factors
• Ch.19 in Wickens
• impact of groups and teams on performance
• how technology supports groups and teams
– Why care about groups and teams in Work Analysis &
Design?
• Individuals vary with respect to performance and error
• So do teams
– Consider
• Performance, task/goals, people/team characteristics –
capabilities and limitations
Social factors
QOTD Q.1. Why care about groups and
teams in Work Analysis & Design?
• Individuals vary with respect to performance and
error
• So do teams
– Besides ‘system/technology characteristics’
– Consider also
• Performance, task/goals, people/team
characteristics – capabilities and limitations
Characteristics of teams
• ‘All teams are groups, but not all groups
are teams’
– teams tend to have the following
characteristics
• group perceived as a work unit by members & nonmembers
• interdependence (reliance on one another) and
‘shared’ outcome
• role differentiation
• interdependent relations with other groups
Team performance
• In a complex, dynamic environment with
‘safety’ considerations, communication
and job performance typically decline
• Communication has a strong impact on
performance (see also p.499 in 2nd ed.)
Team training
• Emphasizes the acquisition of ‘team skills’
• Computers/specialized software can support
communication and coordination
– see also groupware p.500 2nd ed.
• they can
•
•
•
•
provide anonymity
impose structure on the process
provide workspace for ideas or writing
reduce ‘disapproval’ and counterproductive behavior such as
‘minority’ exercising authority and control
Decision and communication
support systems
• Decision support can increase confidence in
decisions
• Communication support can decrease
domination of the group by a few
– however, communication support also can decrease
overall cooperation and consensus building
• (see also refs. By Nunamaker, Az.State).
• Collocated teams outperform distributed teams
– reducing visual access significantly impacts group
dynamics (p.604; 1st ed.)
Difficulties in remote collaboration
• ‘Whether advances in technology can
overcome the disadvantages of distance
collaboration is not clear.’ (p.503, 2nd ed.)
Organizational factors
• Microergonomics - focus on individual workers
• Macro ergonomics - address performance and
safety at the social and organizational levels
– rather than only the physical and cognitive levels.
• Why is it needed?
– “In understanding ‘accidents’ in high-hazard industries
decisions must be understood in context” p.503-504,
2nd ed.
Organizational change - barriers
• Barriers
• Training may be costly
• stockholders would prefer pay dividends rather than reinvest
in the company
• managers may lose power and authority
• many people naturally resist change
• reward structures typically don’t support ‘change’
– employee participation (participatory ergonomics) can
help to overcome these barriers (p.504)
• As is shown in recent literature on ‘user access
for all’-Social; and ‘intranets & organizational
learning’, more research is needed
Types of systems
• Described in relation to degree of complexity
and coupling
– These are dimensions affecting performance and
safety
– Degree of complexity and coupling has implications
for the likelihood of catastrophic failure
• Highly complex, tightly coupled systems are vulnerable to
catastrophic failure
– Work design specialists may study events leading to
failures at Chernobyl, Three mile island, Challenger,
now: Katrina
• Considering the team/organizational aspects
Types of systems
• Complexity refers to the number of feedback
loops, interconnected subsystems and invisible
unexpected interactions
– Nuclear power and petrochemical plants are complex
– behavior of one subsystem may affect many others,
and these interactions can be perceived only
indirectly
• Coupling refers to the degree that there is little
slack and a tight connection between
subsystems
– Tightly coupled system examples – just-in-time supply
chain – a disruption in part system quickly affects
other parts of the system
Types of systems
• Combinations and System characteristics
• (See table 19.1 on p.493).
• Q.2 What are examples of each?
– High Complexity & Low Coupling
– Low Complexity & Low Coupling
– High Complexity & High Coupling
– Low Complexity & High Coupling
Types of systems
• Combinations and System characteristics
• Q.2 What are examples of each?
– High Complexity & Low Coupling
• Universities, Government
– Low Complexity & Low Coupling
• Traditional manufacturing
– High Complexity & High Coupling
• Nuclear power, Airplane, air travel
– Low Complexity & High Coupling
• Marine transport, rail transport, JIT Supply chains