The ergonomics society the society's lecture 1996 ergonomics and the quality movement

In a wide variety of business settings, both ergonomics and quality initiatives are being undertaken. As ergonomists we cannot ignore those simultaneously occurring programmes. At best we should be able to contribute to and learn from them; at worst we need to be aware of possible adverse human consequences of quality initiatives. The quality movement is examined for its ergonomic implications, and current ergonomics/ quality interactions are reviewed. The future of both ergonomics and the quality movement are considered to derive new directives for interaction. These directions comprise strategic issues, systems approaches to organization design and leadership, measurement-based operations, the impact of technology, teams and the change process and human error studies. It is concluded that interactions between ergonomics and the quality movement can benefit both.