What do human factors and ergonomics professionals value in research publications? Re-examining the research–practice gap

The research–practice gap is of concern in human factors/ergonomics (HF/E) as there is a belief that HF/E research may not be making an impact on practice in the ‘real world’. A potential issue is what researchers and practitioners perceive as important in HF/E journal articles as a primary means of conveying research findings to practitioners. This study examined the characteristics that make scientific journal articles appeal to HF/E researchers and practitioners using a web-based survey. HF/E researchers and practitioners were more similar than expected in judgements of important attributes and the selection of articles. Both practitioners and researchers considered practical significance to be more important than theoretical significance, in direct contrast to professionals from a related discipline – psychology. Well-written articles were appreciated across disciplines. The results signal a strong interest in practical applications in HF/E, but a relative lack of focus on development of theories that should be the basis for practical applications.     

Ergonomic decision-making: a conceptual framework for experienced practitioners from backgrounds in industrial engineering and physical therapy

Ergonomists play an important role in preventing and controlling work-related injuries and illnesses, yet little is known about the decision-making processes that lead to their recommendations. This study (1) generated a data-grounded conceptual framework, based on schema theory, for ergonomic decision-making by experienced practitioners in the USA and (2) assessed the adequacy of that framework for describing the decision-making of ergonomics practitioners from backgrounds in industrial engineering (IE) and physical therapy (PT). A combination of qualitative and quantitative analyses, within and across 54 decision-making situations derived from in-depth interviews with 21 practitioners, indicated that a single framework adequately describes the decision-making of experienced practitioners from these backgrounds. Results indicate that demands of the practitioner environment and practitioner factors such as personality more strongly influence the decision-making of experienced ergonomics practitioners than does practitioner background in IE or PT.     

Citation analysis and bibliometric research in the field of ergonomics

Given that journal impact factors now represent such a “hot” topic in the modern scientific world, it is essential that ergonomists remain fully cognizant of the citation‐based research that has been conducted in our field. This article reviews and examines bibliometric research in the ergonomics profession, ranging from seminal work on content analysis and citation indexing, to some of the latest research describing ergonomics journal lists and longitudinal impact factor trends. Overall, history has shown how citation‐based studies have become increasingly common in the ergonomics field during the past few decades, and, as we move through the 21st century, ergonomics journals continue to mature as a result. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Fitting methods to paradigms: are ergonomics methods fit for systems thinking?

Abstract

The issues being tackled within ergonomics problem spaces are shifting. Although existing paradigms appear relevant for modern day systems, it is worth questioning whether our methods are. This paper asks whether the complexities of systems thinking, a currently ubiquitous ergonomics paradigm, are outpacing the capabilities of our methodological toolkit. This is achieved through examining the contemporary ergonomics problem space and the extent to which ergonomics methods can meet the challenges posed. Specifically, five key areas within the ergonomics paradigm of systems thinking are focused on: normal performance as a cause of accidents, accident prediction, system migration, systems concepts and ergonomics in design. The methods available for pursuing each line of inquiry are discussed, along with their ability to respond to key requirements. In doing so, a series of new methodological requirements and capabilities are identified. It is argued that further methodological development is required to provide researchers and practitioners with appropriate tools to explore both contemporary and future problems.

Practitioner Summary: Ergonomics methods are the cornerstone of our discipline. This paper examines whether our current methodological toolkit is fit for purpose given the changing nature of ergonomics problems. The findings provide key research and practice requirements for methodological development.     

Requirements Engineering and Technology Transfer: Obstacles, Incentives and Improvement Agenda

For many years, research results in requirements engineering (RE) have been developed without much interaction with, or impact on, industrial practice. Why is it so difficult to introduce RE research results into mainstream RE practice? This paper attempts to provide answers to this question by describing obstacles that researchers and practitioners have encountered when they attempted technology transfer. In addition, major incentives for using RE methods are discussed, along with ideas for improving current RE practice. The paper summarises, clarifies and extends the results of two panel discussions, one at the Twelfth Conference on Advanced information Systems Engineering (CAiSE’00) and the other at the Fourth IEEE Conference on Requirements Engineering (ICRE’00).     

Konsortialforschung

Design-oriented research in the Information Systems (IS) domain aims at delivering results which are both of scientific rigor and of relevance for practitioners. Today, however, academic researchers are facing the challenge of gaining access to and capturing knowledge from the practitioner community. Against this background, the paper proposes a method for Consortium Research, which is supposed to facilitate multilateral collaboration of researchers and practitioners during the research process. The method’s design is based on a self-evaluating design process which was carried out over a period of 20 years. The paper’s contribution is twofold. First, it addresses the science of design, since it proposes guidance to researchers for practitioner collaboration during the process of artifact design. Second, the method is an artifact itself, hence, the result of a design-oriented research process.     

The IEA contribution to the transition of Ergonomics from research to practice

The future growth of ergonomics as a scientific discipline will require a greater focus on methods to transition research findings into practice. Whilst the International Ergonomics Association (IEA) and the Federated Ergonomics Societies provide opportunities to promote exchange on ergonomics research and collaboration in research programs, the future sustainability of the domain will be dependent on the provision of ongoing educational opportunities in ergonomics and the transitioning of the research findings into practice. This transition will require greater external focus outside the ergonomics profession in working in collaboration and partnership with other professional associations, governments and international agencies. Practical tools that are targeted towards particular user groups within the community, workplace, and governments will enhance the opportunities for the transition of ergonomics research into practice. Focus on extramural initiatives such as Ergonomics Checkpoints, integration of the ergonomics design process into the International Organisation for Standardization Guidelines, and the incorporation of ergonomics into the World Health Organisation research programs will ensure that the positioning of ergonomics will continue at an international level.     

Politics of Practical and Academic Knowledge: A Q‐Method Analysis of Gauging Community Disaster Resilience

This research analysed strong opinions, held by emergency management practitioners and researchers, about developing a regional framework of community resilience indicators. A group of practitioners and another group, of researchers, were planning an International Centre of Excellence, focused on community disaster resilience in Wellington, New Zealand. Five participants from each of the researcher and practitioner groups volunteered to better identify opinion factors among these groups, using Q‐methodology. One perspective supporting complicated analysis to inform strategic decisions was particular to the researcher group. Practitioners shared an opposition to insular, top‐down decision making. Both groups perceived a need to evaluate opportunities for improving post‐disaster outcomes. These perspectives helped develop the International Centre of Excellence and inform comparable approaches to community disaster resilience.     

World War II and other historical influences on the formation of the Ergonomics Research Society

Little has been written about wartime ergonomics and the role this played in prompting the need for a society dedicated to ergonomics within the UK, namely the formation of the Ergonomics Research Society (ERS) in early 1950. This article aims to fill this gap in our understanding of the history of ergonomics in the UK and provide further details of the types of research undertaken by wartime research groups and committees such as the Institute of Aviation Medicine, Medical Research Council Applied Psychology Unit and the Flying Personnel Research Committee. In addition, the role of societal developments such as wartime links with the USA, the post-war drive to increase productivity and collaboration with industry and the recommendations of government committees in stimulating the work of the ERS are described in detail. This article also offers some reflection on present-day ergonomics in the UK and how this contrasts with the past. STATEMENT OF RELEVANCE: This article will provide practitioners with a historical perspective on the development of ergonomics from its roots in the Second World War. These developments shed light on current trends and challenges within the discipline as a whole.     

A critical review of the systems approach within patient safety research

The application of concepts, theories and methods from systems ergonomics within patient safety has proved to be an expanding area of research and application in the last decade. This paper aims to take a step back and examine what types of research have been conducted so far and use the results to suggest new ways forward. An analysis of a selection of the patient safety literature suggests that research has so far focused on human error, frameworks for safety and risk and incident reporting. The majority of studies have addressed system concerns at an individual level of analysis with only a few analysing systems across multiple system boundaries. Based on the findings, it is argued that future research needs to move away from a concentration on errors and towards an examination of the connections between systems levels. Examples of how this could be achieved are described in the paper. The outcomes from the review of the systems approach within patient safety provide practitioners and researchers within health care (e.g. the UK National Health Service) with a picture of what types of research are currently being investigated, gaps in understanding and possible future ways forward.     

Industry engagement with control research: Perspective and messages

Despite the enormous benefit that has accrued to society from control technology and the continued vitality of control science as a research field, there is broad consensus that the practitioners of control and the academic research community are insufficiently engaged with each other. We explore this concern with reference to the oft-cited theory/practice gap but also from an industry perspective. The core of this article is comprised of ten “messages,” intended primarily for researchers interested in the practical impact of their work, that we hope shed insight on the industry mindset. Results from surveys and other data are cited to underpin the points. Some educational synergies between industry and academia are also noted. To highlight the continuing relevance of control science to industry, several recent examples of successful, deployed advanced control solutions are presented. The authors of this article are members of the IFAC Industry Committee, formally established in 2017 with objectives that include (per the updated IFAC Constitution) “increasing industry participation in and impact from IFAC activities.”     

全同态加密文献计量分析研究

全同态加密在不解密的情况下,能够对密文数据进行任意处理。这种特殊的性质能够立竿见影地解决数据隐私安全问题。目前全同态加密已经成为学术界、工业界乃至商业界的热门话题。随着全同态加密技术的不断成熟,尤其是目前全世界对个人信息隐私安全的重视,如何从知识体系的角度对其进行详细分析对社会各界有重要的意义。文献计量分析方法是分析某项科研主题现有研究工作的重要方法,鉴于目前在全同态加密领域缺少基于文献计量分析的研究工作,从文献计量学的角度开展全同态加密文献计量研究。选取Web of Science（WoS）与中国知网（CNKI）作为参考文献数据库,对2009年到2020年的所有全同态加密相关论文筛选后进行文献计量分析。对收集到的论文运用CiteSpace进行了辅助的统计分析,给出了对同态加密近年来的发展、发文期刊、高引用论文、基金资助机构以及实际应用趋势的分析,为全同态加密的应用与实践提供指导。     

Ergonomics in the Design of Consumer Products in Japan*

Abstract

This paper discusses some characteristics of ergonomics in the design of consumer products in Japan

1.The aims of the Japanese Ergonomics Research Society.

2. Various kinds of ergonomics organizations.

3. The standardization of anthropometric measurement.

4. The activity of some organizations.

5. The purpose of the ‘ manikin ’ in the ergonomics of consumer products.

6. Newly developed instrumentation.

7. The basic research and new methodologies necessary to promote ergonomics research for consumer products.

8. The problem of multivariate function.

9. The relationship between designers, engineers and ergonomics researchers.

10. The multivariate data on ergonomics available for designers or engineers.

11. Some now ideas about ergonomics in the design of consumer products in Japan     

Participatory ergonomics in design processes: the role of boundary objects

The aim of this paper is to introduce the concept of boundary objects in order to better understand the role of objects in participatory ergonomics (PE) design processes. The research question is: What characterizes boundary objects in PE processes? Based on two case studies, we identify eight characteristics of boundary objects and their use, which make them particularly useful in PE design processes. These characteristics go beyond the object itself and extend into the context of their use. We argue that the selection of boundary objects in PE processes is of great importance, since different objects enable workers’ participation and collaborative design in different ways. The framework developed may serve to provide criteria to guide practitioners and intervention researchers in the selection of objects to facilitate a PE process. The paper concludes with a list of recommendations for ergonomic practitioners that are based on the framework.     

Social commerce research: An integrated view

Social commerce has quickly emerged as a new area of inquiry for both practitioners and researchers, suggesting the potential impacts of social media and social networking technologies and services in shaping commercial channels on and off the Internet. This essay starts by providing a brief overview of social commerce research and practice in light of the wide attention it has drawn in the industry. Then, we propose a research framework with an integrated view of social commerce that consists of four key components: business, technology, people, and information. The framework helps us understand the development of social commerce research and practice to date. Subsequently, we report some preliminary findings from a bibliometric study of academic and industry publications in social commerce to reveal recent trends and research topics, as well as some verification of the research framework. Finally, we discuss five articles in this special issue and categorize them in terms of the proposed social commerce research framework.     

Computer-aided learning for the education of patients and family practice professionals in the personal care of diabetes

Diabetes Mellitus is approaching pandemic proportions across the globe. It is a disproportionately expensive condition, accounting for 5-9% of annual NHS expenditure. Family practices often play a huge role in the care of diabetic patients. Many GPs elect to play a larger role in diabetes care, but the increasing burden on the multidisciplinary secondary care team means that some of the burden has to fall to family practitioners. In order to provide a high standard of care, the practitioner requires access to continuing education regarding diabetes care. The value of patient education is undisputed. In light of this situation a computer-aided learning (CAL) system is being developed for the education of both patients and practitioners concerning diabetes and its care. The proposed system takes a two pronged approach, being aimed at both patient and practitioner. This interactive system employs multimedia technology to teach practical skills and promote and consolidate theoretical understanding. It is hoped this system will improve patient self-care, and in the long-term reduce the incidence of diabetic complications and their associated costs.     

Green ergonomics: definition and scope

This paper demonstrates that the goals of ergonomics (i.e. effectiveness, efficiency, health, safety and usability) are closely aligned with the goals of design for environmental sustainability. In this paper, the term ‘green ergonomics’ is conceptualised to specifically describe ergonomics interventions with a pro-nature emphasis. Green ergonomics is focused on the bi-directional connections between human systems and nature. This involves looking at (1) how ergonomics design and evaluation might be used to conserve, preserve, and restore nature and (2) how ecosystem services might be harnessed to facilitate the improved wellbeing and effectiveness of human systems. The paper proposes the scope of green ergonomics based on these bi-directional relationships in the areas of the design of low resource systems and products, the design of green jobs, and the design for behaviour change. Suggestions for further work in the green ergonomics domain are also made.

Practitioner Summary: Given the enormous environmental challenges facing modern industrial society, this paper encourages ergonomics science to embrace a pro-nature understanding of work design and research. This paper sets out the role for green ergonomics based on an appreciation of the human–nature connections that have been integrated with our understanding of ergonomics science and practice.     

Using a Fit-Viability Approach to Explore the Determinants of E-Government Maturity

E-Government diffusion is of interest to both researchers and practitioners. The purpose of this study is to investigate electronic government maturity and its determinants. We use the Fit-Viability Framework to assess e-Government Maturity in diverse countries. We empirically test the impact of task-technology fit (TTF) and viability on e-government maturity at the country level. The results of partial least squares (PLS) analysis indicate that TTF characteristics along with a country’s viable resources and level of e-government development have a significant impact on e-government maturity. Implications for research and practice are discussed.     

Ergonomics contributions to company strategies

Managers usually associate ergonomics with occupational health and safety and related legislation, not with business performance. In many companies, these decision makers seem not to be positively motivated to apply ergonomics for reasons of improving health and safety. In order to strengthen the position of ergonomics and ergonomists in the business and management world, we discuss company strategies and business goals to which ergonomics could contribute. Conceptual models are presented and examples are given to illustrate: (1) the present situation in which ergonomics is not part of regular planning and control cycles in organizations to ensure business performance; and (2) the desired situation in which ergonomics is an integrated part of strategy formulation and implementation. In order to realize the desired situation, considerable changes must take place within the ergonomics research, education and practice community by moving from a health ergonomics paradigm to a business ergonomics paradigm, without losing the health and safety goals.     

‘1966 and all that’: Trends and developments in UK ergonomics during the 1960s

The 1960s represents a key decade in the expansion of ergonomics within the UK. This paper reviews trends and developments that emerged out of the 1960s and compares these with ergonomics research and practice today. The focus in particular is on the expansion of ergonomics as a discipline within industry, as well as more specific topics, such as the emergence of areas of interest, for example, computers and technology, automation and systems ergonomics and consumer ergonomics. The account is illustrated with a detailed timeline of developments, a set of industrial case studies and the contents of important publications during the decade. A key aim of the paper is to provide the opportunity to reflect on the past and the implications this may have for future directions for ergonomics within the UK.

The paper provides practitioners with an insight into the development of ergonomics in the UK during one of the most important decades of its history. This is especially relevant given the fact that in 2009 the Ergonomics Society celebrates its 60th anniversary.