Cultural factors and implementation of ergonomics in developing countries : (an industrial psychological study of selected cultural factors with specific reference to the transfer of technology within the eastern Mpumalanga Province, one of nine provinces of South Africa)

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: When considering the attitude of a workforce towards their work and ways ofincreasing their motivation, attention must be given to their culture. Attitudes within In this study the influence of culture on the implementation of ergonomics wasstudied with specific reference to the transfer of technology in developing countries.Cultural diversity factors such as language/communication, religious beliefs,anthropometrics, educational background time, ethnicity values, attitude and valueswas measured using a specially designed questionnaire. It was completed by eighteenmanagers representing seven large industries in the Mpumalanga province.The cultural factor with the highest significance was 'time'. Others with highsignificance were educational background, attitude, language/communication andvalues. Ethnicity values, anthropometrics and religious beliefs were cultural factorswhich was not considered to be significant, however the population was very smalland it is considered that they do contribute towards the implementation ofergonomICS.Training, imported technology and management are external factors, which make auseful and practical contribution to the subject of Ergonomics and the implementationthereof in organizations. If understood, cultural factors provide a much richerenvironment and different viewpoints, which can increase productivity by theeffective use of technology.an organization are due to the attitudes that exist in the culture from which themembers of the organization have come. Management practices, therefore, must copewith the attitudes and prejudices of the cultures within the organization. Thesecultures have been influenced by many factors like religious doctrine and history, notprimarily concerned with the efficiency and productivity of the organization.Ergonomics aim at the optimization of the interaction between human and machineand the operating environment. This can provide the information necessary topromote an acceptable and efficient interaction between human-machine andenvironment in any form of a human-at-work system.In the process of technology transfer from Industrial Developed Countries toIndustrial Developing Countries, emphasis is laid on economic progress. Althoughimprovement of the economic situation and the standard of living is important toachieve, neglecting ergonomic considerations is both economically expensive andsocially disturbing, thus creating negative effects in the country acquiring thetechnology.Ergonomics serve as a link between human factor considerations and the transfer oftechnology. A comprehensive systems model of Ergonomics was used, whichindicates the interaction between facets emphasizing information as a core dynamicprocess, which can be useful to ensure optimality of choices of technology.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University