Quantifying an Organisation's Human Factors Capability: Targeting World Class Integration

Many methods track company performance and process integration for quality, productivity, environment and safety. Similar methods do not exist for human factors (HF) even though it has impact on these outcomes. Without a HF specific assessment method it is impossible for managers to know if they are achieving 'world class' HF integration. An assessment tool is under development to address this need. The tool assesses the capability of each functional unit in an organization to manage HF aspects in their processes. This includes organizational strategy, design, maintenance, operations, logistics, marketing, and human resources, among others. For each department, the presence of HF aspects including indicators, process flows, and methods are evaluated. The maturity level of HF integration for each is rated in five classifications, conceptually similar to the Baldridge criteria, to reflect its level of 'world class'. The tool is non-prescriptive as it recognises the validity of different integration approaches. Progression to world class means HF works proactively becoming part of the organization's culture. With this tool companies can evaluate their ability to benefit from HF integration on an ongoing basis. It also provides a quantitative method for research and to benchmark macroergonomic capability in other organizations.