ABSTRACT

Improvement of human-work environment interaction remains one of the main goals of ergonomics. Contemporary interactions however, become more and more complex. Workplaces go through rapid and critical changes that involve both organizational and technological, as well as social, economic, political and many other aspects. While it was enough to concentrate on one-to-one relations in the past (i.e. classic man-machine interaction), today work environment requires flexible, interdisciplinary and multilevel approaches. It is reflected in the growing tendency to apply participatory work systems (i.e. in shift work, see Kogi 2000) and in the observation that cooperation becomes the leading type of interaction between individuals, groups and organizations (Wilson 2000).