Relationship between job design, macroergonomics, and productivity

Technological advancement and human development have always shared a close relationship. This is especially true in manufacturing systems with human operators. The harmony between the manufacturing and human systems is emphasized in a sociotechnical systems approach. This article first presents examples of job design where human factors have been applied. Second, it explores the relationships between microergonomics, macroergonomics, and the concept of self-organizing systems. Finally, it demonstrates how job design and macroergonomics can be integrated to create self-organization, which leads to higher productivity. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.