Large-scale regional economic development: Macroergonomics in theory and practice

Ergonomics has traditionally focused on improving such indices as productivity, health and safety, and quality of work life. Such improvements are necessary to individuals and organizations, but may not be sufficient, as emphasized by the recent focus on community ergonomics and other `macrosystem' concerns. Ergonomists have begun to apply their technologies to go beyond traditional measures to impact regional economic development. A model for ergonomics in regional economic development was developed from a successful 10-year intervention in New York State. After presenting this model in terms of organizational design and core processes, two industrial cases are summarized to help validate the approach. Two large plants and industrial employers were threatened with closure. Macroergonomic assessment, research, and intervention led to significant job retention, facilities expansion, and job creation. Within 5 years, the approach was credited with several turnarounds, retaining and expanding thousands of jobs and transforming the regional economy.