Towards optimal cognitive functioning at work, Improvements in - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
A Case for Cognitive Ergonomics: Towards optimal cognitive functioning at work, Improvements in Health & a Reduction in COST Michaela Burton, M.A. Industrial Relations and Human Resources Global Development, B.A. Hons. What are Business
To elicit the most productive Employee behaviours:
JOB SATISFACTION (Rayton, 2006) ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT (Allen and Mayer, 1990) MOTIVATION (Latham, 2004) Reminder (Sample represents a Population)
Ergonomics: “The Application of the human biological sciences in
conjunction with the engineering sciences to the worker and his/her working environment so as to obtain maximum satisfaction for the worker which at the same time enhances productivity.” (International Labour Organization)
Cognitive Ergonomics: Cognitive Ergonomics is a branch of ergonomics
that places emphasis on sustainable performance of worker by enabling cognitive processes at the workplace.
Work System: Workers and their environment should be considered as an
interactive and joint cognitive system (Hollnagel and Woods, 2007).
Ergonomics: Maximizes safety & healthiness of work environments
To enable work practices and workflows that will empower individuals to use tools more effectively, as well as devices, artifacts, or technology. 1970s – Technology became more salient and important – Knowledge Economy Cognitive Ergonomics is concerned with the Human Computer interaction This involves interaction between people (user) and computers Proposed Theme: Proactive (designs) – Prevention (mal-health) – Achievement (Outcome)
O’Donnell (2009), has identified the five types of well-being:
Emotional, Intellectual, Physical, Social, Spiritual
According to (O’Donnell, 2009), (Fisher, et al., 2004) and (Wood, et al., 2007), these well-being factors can all be measured from different behavioural features such as: **Job Satisfaction, Commitment and Work-Life Balance**
“Job satisfaction is the positive mindset related to the worthwhile aspects of a job that can lead to quality in performance (Fisher, et al., 2004).”
If this is true, then it is crucial to find methods that support Well-Being How do we Operationalize methods of Support? Cognitive Ergonomics!
Motivation – Set of energetic forces that originate both from within,
and from the interaction of the an individual’s environment (Pinder, 1998):
Needs Theory (Maslow) – Job Characteristics that match needs =
Fit
Personal Traits - Job Design, Person/Context Fit, or Goal
Orientation
National Culture (Global Landscape) – Shaping an inclusive work
environment
Numerous studies have shown that setting a specific difficult goal leads
to significant increases in employee productivity (Locke & Latham, 1984).
In a survey of companies from Dun’s Business Rankings, Terpstra and
Rozell (1994) found a significant correlation between goal-setting and
Engineers and scientists who set goals for their scores on a behavioural
index of their performance had higher subsequent performance than those who were urged to do their best (Latham et al., 1978).
Self-efficacy correlated positively with subsequent performance (Brown &
Latham, 2000a).
GOAL-SETTING THEORY (Latham, 2004) – ASSOCIATED WITH MOTIVATION According to meta-analysis, goal-setting theory is one of the three most
important approaches to work motivation to appear in the last 30 years Passion – Actual Desire to Complete the task/work Tenacity – Energy devoted/Direction towards goal Communicated Vision – Shared information and understanding Self-Efficacy – Task-specific Confidence Venture Growth – Actual Performance Outcomes that develop the business
Essentially, human response to technology depends not only on goal outcomes
(individuals adapt relatively well to poor design via compensatory mechanisms; Hancock & Warm, 1989; Hockey, 1997, 2003) but also on the experience of the interaction itself.
Designing technology to enhance well-being in terms of effective
psychological functioning may thus be termed eudaimonic (welfare/happiness)
Principles for motivational design can also facilitate long-term well-being that
is characterized by effective psychological functioning, or eudaimonia (Ryan & Deci, 2001).
Engaging in video game play several hours per day may provide opportunities
for short-term pleasure but it also may induce poor long-term psychological or physical health (e.g., Park, 2007; Smyth, 2007).
Physical Ergonomics • body dimensions
Cognitive Ergonomics focuses on and seeks to improve: Attention Perception Memory Reasoning Motor Response
Human beings have a limited ability to process information at the focus of attention The capacity of working memory is about 4 items without rehearsal, information
fades from the working memory in less than 30 seconds
In the auditory domain, a noise that includes detectable speech sounds may impair
perception, attention, and other forms of processing of linguistic information.
Practically speaking, teams and executing team goals means accomplishing
personal goals and reducing external stimuli while executing.
Thinking back to Goal-Setting theory, and using the Cognitive Ergonomics principle
Monsell, S., “Task Switching”, Trends in Cognitive Sciences, volume 7, issue 3, March 2003, pp. 134–140
Laboratory tests have demonstrated the significant costs that can be incurred in
‘task switching’
Outcomes: Switch cost (group) Generally, responses take longer to initiate on a ‘switch trial’ than on a ‘non-
switch’ or task-repetition trial, often by a substantial amount (e.g. 200 ms relative to a baseline of 500 ms)
Preparation effect (group) If advance knowledge is given of the upcoming task and time allowed to
prepare for it, the average switch cost is usually reduced.
Reasonable number of objects/information for each individual (different threshold
for each individual)
Decreasing unnecessary visual information, background speech, and interruptions
while someone performs acute tasks
Usage of external memory aids and visualizations for memory aid Reducing task switching and the need to perform simultaneous tasks Listing information and arguments relevant to the problem to be solved or the
decision to be made
Using graphics to represent relevant factors and their connections Constructing common understanding by using all teammates input for unified
documents
What is the best way to present information to the user? Can the user detect the information that we are presenting to them? If we are presenting a lot of information to the user, should we be
presenting it using more than one sensory channel (e.g., visual and auditory channels are often both used for alarm information)
Is this chair comfortable over an 8 h working day? Can the user get their task done with this application? Is the font used in this interface readable? Have we made the most important information in this interface stand
Is this interface esthetically appealing to the user demographic I am
interested in?
Will the user get the information they need in a timely fashion if
there is an emergency?
Empirical Evidence – Costs Associated: (Shikdar, and Sawaqed, 2003) showed that neglecting the ergonomic
principles and practices at workplaces can lead to physical exhaustion, emotional depression and a decline in productivity.
Their study shed light on issues of motivation, training employees and
handling resources effectively.
Another practical consideration: The number of long-term disability claims in Canada is rising with
depression being the most common occupational disability
A reminder that depression is both biologically and environmentally onset
(O’Donnell, 2009) has identified five types of well-being in employees that
can manifest in optimal workplace behaviours: Job Satisfaction, Commitment, Work-life balance (Jernigan, et al., 2002).
Well-being factors measured:
Emotional, Intellectual, Physical, Social, Spiritual
When well-being of employees is optimal, commitment level will improve,
and they will perform better (Bates, et al., 2003).
According to the psychological contract, improvement in an individual’s
psychological contract will cause for better employment relationship-building and overall improved employee behaviours (Aggarwal and Bhargava, 2009).
Dependent Variable: Employee Well-being Independent Variables: Work Comfort, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Work Design, Working Hours N= employees of a public sector bank, a private sector bank, non-banking financial company; 105 people. Location: Kerela, India. Structured Questionnaire of 39 items. Cognitive Ergonomics was responsible for 70.1% of the variance in results relating to Employee wellbeing (the dependent variable
Positive Correlation between Work Comfort and Employee Well-being (r=0.44) Employee Well-being and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) correlation was significantly weaker (r=0.221) Employee Well-being and Working Hours was negatively correlated at (r= - 0.378) Concluded that Work Comfort and HCI have a significant positive correlation, whereas the Working Hours has
a significant negative correlation with Employee Well-being.
Major Recommendations from study: Financial Service Companies should consider work hour designs in conjunction with task completion. The comforts in job design may promote employee Well-being and relieve them from job tension Relief from job tension can grant better physical and mental health conditions. Sansil S. K., Vinith Kumar Nair, Hareesh, N. Ramanathan (2013).
European Agency for Safety and Health at Work European Association of Cognitive Ergonomics Foundations for Designing User-Centered Systems: What System Designers
Need to Know about People (book)
Compensation: Fourth Canadian Edition (book) THANK YOU!
In attendance: IBM Bank of Montreal Rotman School of Business