ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses the factors that affect how well people carry out their work. It looks at how people can analyse performance problems systematically to discover how typical issues are affected by cultural issues. The provision of clear information about how to carry out a task includes the delivery of appropriate training. Thomas Gilbert describes this as the need to be given scientifically designed training that matches the requirements of exemplary performance. Anyone familiar with the training needs analysis process will know that it is vital to be able to describe the target group for the training. Most of the research that has been done into cultural aspects of ergonomics has focused on the issue of technology transfer, a term used to describe the process of introducing new technologies into low-income or newly industrializing countries. Workplace analysis needs to take into consideration how the work required is viewed in the setting of the local culture.
