Human Management Factors Research Articles

Lessons learned from implementing a Human Factors programme into an NHS trust*

The interest in employing Human Factors (HF) in healthcare is increasing. There are very few papers that outline an approach to embedding the practical application of HF in healthcare and the lessons that can be learned. The SCReaM HF and Team Resource Management (TRM) programme is not only aimed at raising the awareness and understanding of the science of HF within healthcare, but also to embed its practical application to support staff improve their safety and wellbeing and that of their patients. The programme is divided into three strands: rolling training, HF Projects and HF Engineering. Each strand of the programme supports the use of HF by teaching and applying systems thinking methodology. The programme has been embedded into an NHS Trust and this paper provides a reflection on the approach used to help guide future attempts to integrate HF into an NHS trust.

Understanding the Root Cause of Cybersecurity Incidents Through DuPont’s Dirty Dozen Framework

Cybersecurity incidents, such as data breaches, pose a significant threat to organisations. Shockingly, 95% of these incidents occur due to human errors. Despite organisations making substantial efforts to reduce the likelihood of such occurrences through technological and non-technological means, the frequency of these incidents has been increasing. Previously, organisations relied on technology as the primary barrier to minimise cybersecurity incidents and achieve their objectives. Although research indicates that humans are the weakest link in an organisation's efforts to combat cybersecurity incidents, organisations still consider technology as the key to improving security defences. Therefore, the researchers suggest improving human interventions should precede technological means to overcome the problem. They propose that existing information security plans should consider human factors in cybersecurity risk management. Prioritising an understanding of human factors in managing information security can help organisations identify the relationships between various dimensions of human errors and cybersecurity incidents. To achieve this, the paper suggests solving the human factor problem in cybersecurity incidents by explaining how DuPont's Dirty Dozen framework, commonly used in aviation, can help understand why cybersecurity incidents and accidents occur. The framework lists twelve human behaviours that can be used to understand the relationships between various dimensions of human errors and cybersecurity incidents. By understanding these relationships, organisations can improve their cybersecurity strategies by anticipating, mitigating, and resolving issues more effectively and efficiently.

Impact of human factor management on company productivity: the moderating effect of digitalization

Impact of human factor management on company productivity: the moderating effect of digitalization

The effect of employees' perception of organizational justice on psychological capital and job satisfaction

Employees are the most valuable asset for industries. Therefore, the human factor's labour, effort, and management skills are significant added value for corporate sustainability from a sectoral perspective. Employees contribute to the development of corporate culture, the achievement of corporate goals, and, indirectly, the development of the national economy. In this respect, employees' success is essential for achieving the targeted corporate results. Employees' love for their jobs, adoption of the organization they work for, harmony with their colleagues, and trust in their supervisors will affect the success of their work. The organizational justice approach is a significant driving force behind this success. The primary purpose of this study is to measure the effect of employees' perceptions of organizational justice on their job satisfaction and psychological capital levels. The research covers 451 employees in the education, health, finance, industry, and service sectors. The data obtained from the employees were analyzed using SPSS and AMOS programs, and structural equation modelling was used. As a result, a statistically significant and robust relationship was found between employees' perceptions of organizational justice and their perceptions of psychological capital and job satisfaction. When a workplace environment that will enable human capital to flourish in businesses is created, this capital's current value and productivity will increase.

Problems of the human factor in transport systems

Transport accident statistics and practical safety results indicate that technological solutions cannot ensure the viability (safety, sustainability, reliability and efficiency) of complex systems and structures without addressing human factors. This problem is especially acute for transport systems as highly complex technological and social structures aimed at ensuring the efficiency and safety of an entire sphere of human life. In transportation systems and technologies, the human factor plays a critical role. The successful operation of transport systems requires consideration of the human factor at all levels – starting from the development, design and planning of systems and technologies, training and education to the involvement of society in decision-making processes. Therefore, it is essential to develop the concept of human factor management and analyze the main problems in transport systems associated with the human factor to improve the safety, reliability and efficiency of their functioning. The article is devoted to the analysis of the human factor problem in transport systems and the search for solutions to manage it. The purpose of the article is to analyze the main problems in transport systems associated with the human factor and to develop the concept of human factor management for further search for solutions to improve the safety and reliability of transport systems. A set of instruments was proposed in the study to achieve the goal and solve the set tasks. Problems connected to the human factor in transport systems were analyzed. The main directions for solving problems with the influence of the human factor on the safety of transport systems were systematized. The main principles, models and ways of developing the concept of managing the human factor problem in complex systems, including transport, were outlined. A systematization of the risk management strategy was proposed. A matrix for the relationship between risk management strategies and approaches to managing the safety of complex systems was proposed. A new look at the principle of adaptive ergonomics as an implementation of the tolerance strategy was proposed, and applying the principle of adaptive ergonomics to transport systems was considered. The main motivation of the work is to attract the attention of the scientific and educational community to the problem of human factor and the need to use the concept of human factor management in the educational process to improve the general safety culture in society.

Human Healthcare and Its Pharmacy Component from a Safety Point of View.

Healthcare plays a crucial role in public and national safety as a significant part of state activity and a component of national safety, whose mission is to organize and ensure affordable medical care for the population. The four stages of the genesis of healthcare safety development with the corresponding safety models of formation were defined: technical, human factor or security management, systemic security management, and cognitive complexity. It was established that at all stages, little attention is paid to the issues of the formation of the pharmaceutical sector's safety. Taking into account the development of safety models that arise during the four stages of the genesis of safety science, we have proposed a model of the evolution of pharmaceutical safety formation. At the same time, future research is proposed to focus on new holistic concepts of safety, such as "Safety II", evaluation and validation methods, especially in the pharmaceutical sector, where the development of this topic remained in the second stage of the evolution of science, the search for pharmaceutical errors related to drugs.

A view of agile organizations: bibliometric analysis

Agile organizations represent a transformation in the search for convergence in relation to the dynamic challenges of the environment, market transformations and the growing complexity of social systems. The objective of this study was to develop a descriptive bibliometric study to identify research trends on agile organizations. Web of Science and Scopus databases were used to retrieve scientific production. Bibliometric indicators of production, collaboration, visibility, and impact were analyzed. The analysis of 150 documents, with the total participation of 340 authors, showed a growth rate of 4% per year in the time interval from 1995 to the beginning of 2023. Dominant trends were identified with respect to the research topic, the first referring to the human factor, organizational innovation and organization and management, and the second, agile methods, agile transformations, agile software development and agile organizations.

Asset criticality and risk prediction via machine learning in wind farms: problem-based educational activities in a smart industry operations course

Smart industry and Industry 4.0 are terms which are often used interchangeably. They characterise industry that capitalises on optimising processes through the successful integration of advanced digitalisation and manufacturing technologies, while applying sound organisation and human factors management principles. Equipping the current and future generation professionals with the necessary skills and personal qualities needed for the transition to Industry 4.0, and its extension to Industry 5.0 has been targeted by academic and professional education. Lessons learned from existing studies point to problem-based learning as an effective mechanism for the internalisation of interdisciplinary concepts, methods, and technologies. This paper outlines the formulation and experience gained from educational activities within the context of a smart industry postgraduate MSc course. The aim was to bring together methods for process and data integration, technologies such as machine learning, and management aspects, targeting domains relevant to smart industry. An educational activity was designed relevant to risk prediction within the asset management of wind farms. With scenarios of diverse criticality assumptions, marking the importance of Industry 5.0, results obtained from the educational activity show that students excelling in individual dimensions of smart industry are valuable contributors in a team setting, but a sound holistic understanding and competences across all three pillars of smart industry are needed for best learning objectives.

DESIGNING HUMAN-MACHINE SYSTEMS: TRANSFORMATION OF A DESIGNER’S THINKING

Industry 4.0 became a powerful impetus for the development of man-machine systems, which, on the one hand, increased their efficiency and reliability and, on the other hand, made them super-complex. As a result, this led to an increase in the complexity of human-machine system management and the manifestation of the human factor. The consequence is that, currently, the main cause of accidents and disasters is the human factor. Thus, the safety of human-machine systems largely depends on the person's psychological and physiological characteristics. The article shows that the study of a person's characteristics is the basis for the development of a human factor management system. The essential element of the human factor management system is the systemic ergonomics thinking of the human-machine systems designer. This type of thinking is formed as a result of training and the gradual acquisition of eco-ergonomic design skills. To explain the importance of the formation of eco-ergonomic thinking in human-machine systems design, eco-ergonomic thinking evolution is presented in the work. Through the analysis of the sequence of the development of ergonomic thought, it is shown how the approach to ensuring the safety of human-machine systems has changed from the middle of the 20th century to the present. The next stage of the work was the analysis of eco-ergonomic, human-oriented, risk-oriented, and strategic thinking. Based on the analysis results, a hierarchy of thinking types is built, and their role in the formation of systemic ergonomics thinking in human-machine systems designing is shown. The main feature of the designer’s systemic ergonomics thinking is the priority of finding a solution to the problem in the system operation through research and analysis of human-machine interaction. Based on the obtained results, the importance of the formation and development of systemic ergonomics thinking is substantiated. It is shown how to implement the formation of a designer's systemic ergonomics thinking of human-machine systems through the training system.

АВТОМАТИЗАЦИЯ ВСЕХ ПРОЦЕССОВ УПРАВЛЕНИЯ ЧЕЛОВЕЧЕСКИМИ РЕСУРСАМИ КАК ОСНОВНОЙ ТРЕНД 2023 ГОДА

As a result of global changes, traditional approaches to HR management have become obsolete and there is now a trend towards full automation of HR processes. Paper-based and purely human factors in management have lost their relevance. In their place has come digitalization. Its relevance arose because of the need for flexible and rapid response to emerging issues in the course of business processes. This paper examines the major changes in human resource management using digital tools, their impact on workflow, recruitment and on onboarding, employee monitoring and maintaining the corporate climate in companies. Statistical data, charts and graphs have been used to support the theoretical aspects outlined by the authors of this paper.

Are critical success factors for cybersecurity just technical issues Cybersecurity management and the human factor

Purpose- With the rapid advancement of information and communication technologies, businesses are facing growing security risks. The prevalence, intensity, and complexity of cyber attacks worsen these vulnerabilities, leading to a rising focus on cybersecurity. Enterprises exposed to such cyberattacks might not only face considerable financial losses but also experience data breaches, operational interruptions, harm to their reputation, regulatory penalties, legal expenses, reduced competitive standing, and increased insurance premiums. In this concept study discusses the importance of human factors in cybersecurity management. While organizations spend billions on information technology systems and software to detect and prevent cyber threats, individuals play a critical role in managing these risks. Methodology- Through a review of literature and statistical data, study examines the factors contributing to cybersecurity breaches, the allocation of resources to address them, and proposes potential solutions. Findings- In the workplace, most research on cybersecurity focuses on employees as the most important source of vulnerability. In the literature review, it is understood that an employee’s carelessness and lack of awareness pose the greatest risk to cybersecurity. However, businesses often fail to show sufficient attention to human behavior in their efforts to keep organizational data secure and to plan security strategies. It is important to note that effective cybersecurity management requires not only technical controls but also the management of human factors. Meanwhile, security expenditures in enterprises are often disproportionately allocated to technology investments, with 97% being spent on technology investments, despite the fact that over 85% of breaches are attributable to human factors. Conclusion- In the literature review, it is understood that cybersecurity management is not only related to technical controls, but also the management of human factors is of critical importance. The management of individuals is also an essential cybersecurity responsibility. It is important to adopt a holistic approach to cybersecurity management includes both technical and human perspectives. Cybersecurity awareness has significant benefits for businesses to effectively manage cybersecurity which can be achieved by developing appropriate training programs and foster a cybersecurity culture. Keywords: Cybersecurity, cybersecurity management, cybersecurity awareness, technology investments, human factor JEL Codes: M12, M15, L86

ERGONOMIC THINKING IN THE DESIGN OF HUMAN-MACHINE SYSTEMS

In the era of Industry 4.0, human-machine systems have become highly complex and contain a large number of elements and sources of information. It increases the complexity of human-machine system management, which leads to the manifestation of the human factor phenomenon. The consequence is that currently, 70% to 90% of accidents and disasters are related to the human factor. Therefore, the safety of human-machine systems largely depends on human abilities, cognitive, behavioral, and psycho-physiological features. It is shown that the study of individual characteristics of a person will allow the management of the human factor in the human-machine system. The crucial point of human factor management is the availability of systemic ergonomic thinking in the designer of the human-machine system. The formation of such thinking is connected with learning and the gradual acquisition of the necessary knowledge and skills. To understand the principles of ergonomic thinking formation, the evolution of ergonomic thinking in the design of human-machine systems is shown. Due to analysis of the sequence of ergonomic thought development, it is shown how approaches to ensuring the safety of human-machine systems have been rethought from the middle of the 20th century until now. Currently, the global social processes and technologies of Industry 4.0 have fundamentally changed the concept of “work”, parameters of the labour market, and safety requirements and caused the emergence of a new model of the labour paradigm “Work 4.0”, which, in turn, became the driver of the revision of the concept of “workplace” established in society and the emergence of the digital workplace. The article presents the definition of a “digital workplace” and analyses its essential characteristics. The next stage of the work was a model of the structure of the engineer’s ergonomic thinking, the main feature of which is the priority of solving the problems of human-machine interaction. The work also shows that ergonomic thinking is one of the elements of safety culture. In combination with other elements such as a human-centered approach, ecological thinking and others, ergonomic thinking creates a space of a safety culture. Based on the presented results, the importance of engineers’ ergonomic thinking is substantiated. It is shown how to implement the formation of ergonomic thinking through the training system.

Reflections on RRI in “TAS for Health at Home”

We reflect on our experiences using Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) in the project “TAS for Health at Home”. Driven by a multi-disciplinary research team that consisted of experts in mental health, stroke rehabilitation, management of multiple sclerosis, human factors, human-computer interaction, privacy, cybersecurity, architecture, and Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) groups, the project aimed at eliciting user perceptions of autonomous systems supporting healthcare regimes at home. We discuss the home as a unique place to consider RRI approaches and reflect on the actual process of carrying out RRI within the project, including the multi-disciplinarity of the project, our engagement with PPI groups, and how we involved the wider community concerned with Trustworthy Autonomous Systems (TAS). We conclude by summarising our reflections and providing a first step towards RRI-based guidelines for developing healthcare technology for the home.

Risk management of human factors in airports screening process

Screening process at airports is considered as a critical element for airport security. The screening checkpoints are a component of the airport infrastructure that constitutes a contribution to the security of nations. Regarding the human factor in screening checkpoints, there is an opportunity to consider their specificities within the scope of risk management. This study aimed to develop a consistent tool (risk matrix) which serves as a guide for airports to assess and map human factors in the screening checkpoints. The research method involved four phases, namely: Phase 1: Criterion-conceptual design of the Risk Matrix Modeling; Phase 2: Instrument Construction; Phase 3: Instrument validation; and Phase 4: Practical application of the instrument in a real airport operational context. The risk matrix structure comprises four methodological steps (context, risks, assessment and response) and presents criteria that were not used for this purpose, such as residual risks analysis and financial impact dosimetry linked to administrative measures arising from quality control actions. The tool consists of eleven correlated spreadsheets and is a useful model for mapping human factors (HF-AVSEC) under the security scope. The main results from this study are: (i) the elaboration of a conceptual model for the human factors risk matrix in AVSEC; (ii) the establishment of criteria for the human factors risk matrix; (iii) the development of a practical instrument modeling for AVSEC human factor management (HFM-AVSEC); (iv) validation of the risk matrix criteria by an expert panel working in Class AP-3 and Class AP-2 airports; (v) the application of the matrix in two Brazilian airports (Class AP-2 and Class AP-3), constituting a pioneering, practical and effective contribution to the AVSEC in terms of risk management at airports. The proposed matrix can be replicated by organizations in the aviation industry and by other entities structured as complex and socio-technical systems.

Interactions among the human and organizational factors within the public sector regarding epidemic prevention and control.

The management of human and organizational factors (HOFs) within the public sector directly concerns the efficacy of epidemic prevention and control (EPC). Insufficient examination of such HOFs has led to defective countermeasures. This study attempts to comprehensively identify the HOFs within the public sector critical to EPC and investigate their interactions with the weighted network theory. A total of 55 HOFs were identified, and their interactions were assessed and visualized in the Chinese context. Then, the established weighted network was analyzed to investigate the interactions and diagnose critical factors and sectors. The analysis shows that there are strong interactions among HOFs, and that the human and organizational risks emerging from administrative departments of public health, centers for disease control and prevention, and medical institutions act as the key risk sources in the complex interconnected EPC system, exacerbating risk and causing a significant domino effect. It is recommended that the authorities devote more resources to the core sectors and endeavor to reinforce those critical HOFs by implementing closer risk communication, collaboration, and response. This study may deepen and broaden the authorities' awareness and understanding of interactions among HOFs regarding epidemic mitigation, and strengthen their capacity to perceive, evaluate, and manage these factors in a proactive and effective way, thereby facilitating the success of EPC.

Doprinos interkulturnog menadžmenta razvoju kulturne kompetentnosti u zdravstvenom sektoru

Globalization is changing the way we look at the world and affecting the healthcare sector. There is a need to implement intercultural competence among healthcare workers. The postulation of intercultural medicine was created due to the influence of cultural barriers to effective healthcare. In order to avoid cultural stereotypes due to the decisive role of human factors in management of health care institutions, it is necessary to be well acquainted with the intercultural human resource management. Population migration and globalization leads to the need for education in order to understand the influence of cultural factors on effective health care. The concept of cultural competence in health care encompasses strategies, responsible management and employee behavior and as such provides the basis for effective functioning in an intercultural environment.

Causation Analysis for Bridge-Tunnel Hybrid Construction Accident based on FISM-DEMATEL

Identifying the causation mechanism of bridge-tunnel hybrid accidents is particularly important to deeply understand the occurrence and causes underlying all kinds of accidents. In response to this problem, this paper makes full use of a large number of accumulated accident cases to develop an accident causation analysis framework based on FISM-DEMATEL to study the relationship between the risks of construction and the mechanism of accident occurrence. The framework uses fuzzy theory to classify the risk factors and the trigger relationships between them contained in the accident, and forms the reachability matrix between risks. Then, the ISM model is used to construct the hierarchical structure between risks and reveal the mechanism of accidents. The importance of risks is quantified with DEMATEL model as well. In the case study based on the data of bridge and tunnel hybrid construction accident cases, the results show that management factors are the most root risks, and the management of human factors and object factors is of significance to cut off the transmission of accident chains. The results also show that the proposed framework is applicable to other single type or hybrid construction projects. Finally, the corresponding management suggestions are offered.

Digital human factor management

Now culture of manage safety, health and wellbeing in the mining industry needs a scientifically sound new approach to the training process for professionals at all levels. Insufficient qualification of employees and managers in occupational safety, health and wellbeing has a negative impact on the occupational injury rate, and the current occupational safety, health and wellbeing management system does not allow to instill in employees compliance with the requirements for their own safety. To improve the quality of employees training in safe work practices and to ensure their health, safety and wellbeing in processes, a new training process has been developed and implemented based on a video-based continuous learning system. The innovation will make it possible to manage the human factor by improving employees competence, increasing the efficiency of the system OSH management, taking prompt corrective action, reducing injury rates and retaining human resources.

Human work sustainability tool

The work environment influences workers’ well-being and contributes to the growth of personal experiences. In fact, working in an unhealthy workplace can cause stress, frustration, and anxiety. Therefore, companies have to deal with the workers’ well-being in the work environment, making the management of human factors a crucial aspect. In this context, the introduction of Industry 4.0 technologies can support workplace monitoring and improvement. Some researchers propose structured methods that consider several ergonomic domains together; however, it is necessary to create platforms that support data collection, elaboration, and correlation in an integrated way. Accordingly, this paper presents a tool that supports the monitoring of operators’ activities, the data analysis, and the implementation of corrective actions to make the workplace socially sustainable. Preliminary tests were conducted to assess the functionality of the tool architecture and two use cases are presented. They focus on posture analysis and stress detection by inertial sensors and unsupervised machine learning algorithms, respectively.

Quantitative evaluation of spatial scale effects on regional water footprint in crop production

The water footprint of crop production (WFP) is among the most comprehensive agricultural water-consumption evaluation tools because it describes the amount, type, and location of water consumed. However, existing literatures on WFP quantification and evaluation are only aimed at a specific spatial level, and currently, there is a lack of quantitative research on the effects of different spatial levels on the variation in WFP. Herein, we calculated the spatial distribution of wheat WFPs in China from 2000 to 2014 at five different spatial levels: crop field, county, river sub-basin, provincial, and large river basin. In addition, we analysed and compared the key driving forces of wheat WFP at these spatial levels, focusing on meteorological and human management factors. Each spatial level had distinct spatial distributions. Human management factors demonstrated more significant effects on the WFP of large river basins, but the meteorological factors were the key drivers at smaller spatial levels. In conclusion, our study quantitatively revealed a non-negligible effect of spatial scale on WFP. Thus, for large river basins, agricultural water resource managers at each spatial level must clarify their different priorities across spatial levels while formulating water-saving and regulation measures.