ABSTRACT
A major limitation in discussing ergonomics in the context of different regions of the world is the lack of common experience. Facts and data may explore and refl ect the nature of ergonomics within a given environment, but as ergonomics is always framed by a specifi c sociocultural environment we have to consider the nature of ergonomics in multicultural as well as multidisciplinary ways. A practical obstacle to cross-cultural comparisons of ergonomics exits in the extent to which one is able to comprehensively overview the compared cultures in both a quantitative and qualitative manner. Success in this endeavor is linked to an individual experience that, again, has its experiential limits according to the individual’s biography. International exchange may broaden the view, but it has its limitations because of the inherent difference between a reader or visitor’s perspective and a responsively interacting perspective. This is a challenge for all domains which are linked to a cultural environment as part of a study (Kaplan, 1995). It is particularly relevant
when individuals discuss regions that have very different developmental and cultural backgrounds, for example industrially developing countries (IDCs) compared to industrially advanced countries (IACs) (O’Neill, 2000). Understanding ergonomics at the level of international exchange thus rests on the extent to which one can bridge the gap between socioculturally different regions.
