ABSTRACT
Technological advancement and human development have always shared a close relationship. This is especially true in manufacturing systems with human operators. In this chapter, the harmony between the manufacturing or technology and human subsystems is emphasized using a sociotechnical systems approach. This paper first presents examples of job design in which human factors have been applied. Second, the paper explores the relationships among micro-ergonomics, macroergonomics, and the concept of self-organizing systems. Finally, the paper demonstrates how job design and macroergonomics can be integrated to create self-organizations that lead to higher productivity. It also addresses the new trend of manufacturing systems called “cell systems.”
