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Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance pp 1–10Cite as

Organizational Ergonomics

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Synonyms

Human factor; Organizational ergonomics; Participatory process; Systems theory; User-centered design

Definition

Ergonomics and the human factor subdivision into organizational, physical, and cognitive (though none functions in isolation) is more recent with the overarching systems ergonomics focusing the theoretical background. The International Ergonomics Association (IEA 2016) definition is “the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of the interactions among humans and other elements of a system, and the profession that applies theoretical principles, data, and methods to design in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance.”

Introduction

The human interface with their tools and environment (Mumford 1963), like chairs or cars, has been largely discussed. More recently the focus shifted to how people work in organizations and the mental processes that contribute to procedural adaptation.

In case of “chicken or the egg” (Fig. 1), the...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Upper Iowa University, Fayette, IA, 52142, USA

    S. Mackenzie Glander-Dolo

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  1. S. Mackenzie Glander-Dolo
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Correspondence to S. Mackenzie Glander-Dolo .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, USA

    Ali Farazmand

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Glander-Dolo, S.M. (2016). Organizational Ergonomics. In: Farazmand, A. (eds) Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_3030-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_3030-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-31816-5

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