Health care worker (HCW) compliance with personal protective equipment (PPE) protocols is critical for preventing infection transmission but remains a challenge. This study investigated how environmental and task-related factors impact PPE donning, doffing, and in-room compliance among nursing students in a simulated health care setting, using a system's engineering perspective. The study utilized a 2³ factorial design to examine 3 independent variables: computer workstation placement (in/out of room), trash can fullness (full/empty), and work interruptions (phone call/no call). Compliance issues were assessed by a nursing instructor and an experienced PPE researcher who adhered to CDC guidelines. The findings indicated that computer placement inside the patient room significantly increased total, donning, and doffing compliance issues when assessed against strict CDC guidelines. Interruptions significantly increased in-room compliance issues for both assessor types. These results highlight the influence of work system design on PPE adherence. The study suggests that specific environmental and work task factors, such as computer placement and interruptions, can significantly affect health care workers' adherence to crucial PPE protocols. Targeted interventions are needed to improve HCW safety.

To design and evaluate a systems-based approach for safe, efficient, and family-centered mass intrahospital transport (M-IHT) of critically ill neonates during two planned NICU relocations. This prospective QI initiative followed SQUIRE 2.0 guidelines. Work system design was guided by systems-based patient safety frameworks, Operations/Management Science principles, integrating context evaluation with proactive, multidisciplinary, simulation-based planning to mitigate risk and ensure real-time adaptability. Outcomes were evaluated using prospectively collected multi-source data. Both relocations were completed without clinical complications, equipment failures, or service disruption. Staff surveys showed >90% positive responses across domains. Parents reported high satisfaction, perceived safety, and effective communication. Direct observations confirmed smooth coordination, role clarity, workflow adherence, and real-time responsiveness. The work system was successfully reapplied with consistent performance and improved efficiency. M-IHT of critically ill infants was conducted safely and efficiently using a reliable, adaptable, and sustainable system-based framework offering transferable lessons for complex operations.

This study examines the quality of work life (QWL) of food delivery riders in China and its implications for job satisfaction and intention to stay from a quality management perspective. Drawing on ERG and self-determination theories, we view QWL as a human-centered internal quality component shaped by work system design. Five QWL dimensions, such as pay, autonomy, competence, flexibility, and relational challenge, are examined to understand how they influence riders’ satisfaction and retention. Survey data were collected from 253 food delivery riders. Structural equation modeling (SEM) assesses the net effects of QWL dimensions on job satisfaction and retention, while fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) identifies combinations of conditions associated with high and low job satisfaction. The results show that all five QWL dimensions are related to job satisfaction, but only autonomy and relational challenge influence intention to stay indirectly through satisfaction. The fsQCA reveals seven paths to high job satisfaction and three paths to low job satisfaction. Overall, the findings provide insights into how platforms can improve workforce sustainability by supporting diverse work conditions.

This study analyzed the effectiveness of Hospital Management Information System (SIMRS) implementation in improving hospital service performance by examining the interaction between technological, human, and organizational dimensions. A qualitative literature synthesis with a conceptual narrative review design was employed by integrating secondary data from scientific journals, academic books, and health information system policy documents. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis guided by the De Lone and McLean Information System Success Model and enriched with a socio-technical systems perspective. The synthesis showed that SIMRS implementation improved service efficiency, data accuracy, inter-unit coordination, and decision-making quality through better system quality, information quality, and service quality. However, its effectiveness depended on system-user alignment, digital competence, infrastructure readiness, and organizational support. Poor alignment between system design and actual work practices may reduce adoption and encourage workarounds. Therefore, SIMRS should be implemented holistically by balancing technical infrastructure, user capacity building, and adaptive organizational governance.

Context has been invoked as an explanatory concept in philosophy, psychology, and most recently in cognitive systems engineering and computer science. An analysis of how context has been defined suggests that context or its effects are manifest in many ways. Examples of contextualising − the ‘discovery’ of context and its implications − point to a definition of context, one that goes beyond the notion of context as ‘just more information.’ The article considers the implications of a model of contextualising for ergonomic theory and the design of human-AI work systems.

Global business environmental uncertainty, triggered by "Black Swan" phenomena, demands that organizations transform beyond passive resilience toward anti-fragility capabilities, where Human Resource (HR) systems actually grow stronger through market disruptions. This study aims to analyze the concept of anti-fragility within organizational leadership, explain the role of transformational leadership in shaping anti-fragile employees, and identify organizational strategies for navigating market uncertainty. The approach employed is a narrative literature review using content analysis techniques across various reputable scientific journals, anti-fragility theory, and organizational case studies such as Disney+, Zoom, and Tractor Supply. Research findings indicate that transformational leadership acts as a primary catalyst that builds anti-fragility through intellectual stimulation, decentralized autonomy, and the creation of a culture that learns from failure. Organizational strategies prioritizing resource flexibility, cross-skilling, and optionality have proven effective in converting crisis stressors into opportunities for innovation and performance growth. The contribution of this article lies in the development of an "Anti-Fragile Leadership" conceptual framework that integrates the philosophical principles of anti-fragility into strategic HRM practices. The practical implications provide a guide for organizational leaders to design work systems that are adaptive and proactive toward market volatility, ensuring that organizations not only survive but thrive from chaos.

This research is motivated by the need to improve operational efficiency and service quality at Ella Digital Printing, which still faces obstacles in the form of unstructured workflows, overlapping employee tasks, and the absence of standard service procedures. This research aims to develop a Service Blueprint as an effort to improve operational efficiency and customer satisfaction at Ella Digital Printing. This research uses the Research and Development (R&D) method with stages of analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. The analysis stage is carried out through observation, interviews, and questionnaires to identify problems and service needs. The design stage produces a Service Blueprint and service SOP which are then validated by management experts, work system design experts, and practitioners with a very feasible category. The implementation results show that the Service Blueprint can be implemented well even though it requires initial adaptation from employees. Evaluation through customer questionnaires shows an increase in operational efficiency and customer satisfaction, especially in aspects of service speed, clarity of process flow, and print quality. This study concludes that the development of the Service Blueprint is effective as a business development approach to improve operational efficiency and customer satisfaction at Ella Digital Printing. This research is recommended to be further developed on a wider business object and scale to obtain more comprehensive results.

One of the critical issues in the analysis and design of work systems is the updating of work method descriptions and work process controls. Changes in work methods may originate from product or process engineers or from employees involved in production. Work methods should be documented and incorporated into company documentation in accordance with quality assurance procedures. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a method that supports the creation of production documentation and employs an efficient data analysis technique, such as neural networks. This article presents the application of a deep neural network (DNN) to develop verbal descriptions of production processes based on video recordings. The conversion of visual data into verbal descriptions utilizes a predefined vocabulary of the assembly process. The structure of the DNN and the results of experiments are presented. The proposed approach is useful in developing best practices for identifying working methods tailored to specific needs.

Understanding Ergonomics for Improved Work System Design and Work Culture Development

In the weeding process, farmers still use the conventional method of swinging the sickle horizontally over the weed-covered soil repeatedly until the weed stems are cut and flush with the ground. This process can lead to rapid fatigue, especially in the musculoskeletal system or skeletal muscles. When weeding, the average farmer's back bends at a 90-degree angle while repeatedly pulling out weeds. In designing this machine, an anthropometric approach is used to determine the ergonomic design of the weed mower that provides worker comfort. Anthropometry is the study of human body dimensions and their application in design, including physical geometry, mass, strength, and body characteristics such as shape and size. Humans vary in shape, size, height, and weight. The sample size is 23 workers. Based on the research conducted on the weed, the researchers proposed an ergonomic weed-weeding machine design based on an anthropometric approach. The anthropometric measurements obtained are the height of the weed-weeding machine is 120.7 cm, the width range of the weed-weeding machine is 46.8 cm, and the depth range of the weed-weeding machine is 42.0 cm, using the results of the 50th percentile. The design of this weed-weeding machine is expected to have practical implications, including increased comfort and work efficiency for farmers, which in turn can speed up the weeding process and increase rice productivity. This design is also expected to encourage innovation in the field of work system design and ergonomics.

In industrial companies, both large and small-scale, performance is the main indicator of organizational success. Optimal performance can be achieved if the organization implements a healthy and effective organizational culture. On the contrary, an improper organizational culture can lead to conflicts between employees and stakeholders. Conflicts often arise that can cause work discomfort. The impact is to reduce work morale, negatively impacting performance and leading to a decline. Therefore, organizations need to build a culture that considers the human factor. One approach that can be applied is the concept of ergonomics, which integrates physical, cognitive, and organizational aspects to create a comfortable work environment so that employees can work healthily and effectively. This study aims to analyze the role of ergonomics on organizational culture and its implications in improving worker performance in the SME environment. This study uses a quantitative approach, supported by field observations and structured interviews with workers and managers of SMEs. Data analysis was carried out using the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) method. The results of the study show that ergonomic aspects that have a significant effect on the formation of organizational culture with a loading factor value greater than 0.7 include physical ergonomics through workload variables (with work duration indicators), work environment variables (with temperature, humidity, lighting, and noise indicators), and equipment and equipment variables (with indicators of tool and machine design conditions, cognitive ergonomics (with indicators of perception, logical reasoning, and working relationships); and organizational ergonomics through work system design variables (with communication indicators and task variations) and work organization variables (with organizational structure indicators). These findings confirm that improving ergonomics not only creates a healthier and more efficient work environment but also strengthens organizational cultural values, which ultimately positively impacts the overall performance of SMEs

The manufacturing industry still relies heavily on manual labor to take advantage of human flexibility. As work-related injuries increase, the importance of ergonomics in engineering is becoming more recognized. However, in small and medium-scale manufacturing, the application of ergonomics has not yet received sufficient attention. The aim of this study is to review literature on the application of ergonomics in work system design, identify common approaches, analyze the impact of ergonomics, and provide recommendations for more effective implementation. A descriptive qualitative approach with a literature review of Google Scholar-indexed articles was used. The analysis concludes that ergonomics application in manufacturing is growing, with a predominant use of quantitative methods. Additionally, integrating physical, cognitive, and organizational ergonomics has positively impacted innovation and job satisfaction. Based on these findings, future research should focus on developing integrated ergonomic interventions, long-term studies, and economic analyses to improve ergonomics implementation.

Traditional motivation theories position desire as the precursor to action, but contemporary neuroscience reveals a more nuanced mechanism: effort itself generates the neurochemical signals that sustain motivated behavior. Dopaminergic pathways respond not primarily to reward consumption but to goal pursuit, effort expenditure, and progress detection. This reversal has profound implications for how organizations design work systems, structure goals, and support sustained performance. Rather than waiting for intrinsic motivation to emerge, evidence suggests that behavioral activation—initiating effort even in low-motivation states—triggers dopamine release that reinforces continued action. This article synthesizes research from neuroscience, organizational psychology, and behavioral economics to examine how effort-motivation loops function, their impact on individual and organizational outcomes, and evidence-based interventions that leverage these mechanisms. Organizations that structure work to emphasize visible progress, effort recognition, and iterative achievement create neurobiological conditions for self-sustaining motivation, reducing dependence on external incentives while improving wellbeing and performance outcomes.

Obstetric medicine is a complex healthcare domain requiring the simultaneous care of multiple patients, making it an ideal setting to apply systems and resilience engineering approaches. This study conducted two literature reviews. The first one focused on systems engineering and the other on resilience engineering to examine how these methods have been used in surgical environments. Over 2,000 articles were screened from major databases. Findings show that while resilience engineering has gained more traction in healthcare literature, systems thinking is less frequently applied. The SEIPS and RETIPS frameworks offer structured ways to understand variability in clinical environments and provider adaptation. By identifying gaps in how these methods are used, especially in labor and delivery, this study provides direction for future research. Integrating both approaches may enable more effective tools for capturing provider feedback and designing work systems that improve safety, performance, and adaptability in obstetric care.

BackgroundThe increase in people with complex chronic health conditions is stressing the US health care delivery system. Community pharmacies play a role in ensuring patients’ safe medication use for chronic care management (CCM), but their efforts are undermined by volatile work demands and other system barriers. Medication safety in community pharmacies is a multidimensional issue shaped by the work system and interactions among pharmacists, primary care providers, and patients.ObjectiveThe objective is to create and evaluate a system of CCM that supports safe medication use. The CCM system design will focus on creating and evaluating a Medication Safety Map (MedSafeMap) for patients with complex chronic health conditions. This study has three aims: (1) identify and define community pharmacy work system design requirements for safe medication practices, enabling resilient performance; (2) design and develop MedSafeMap, a feasible and sustainable solution, to facilitate safe medication practices through resilient performance; and (3) implement MedSafeMap in community pharmacies and pilot-test its impact on pharmacy staff attitudes, behaviors, and performance.MethodsThis study will leverage participatory design and human factors engineering methods throughout the 3 aims. For aim 1, four rounds of qualitative observations within 6 pharmacy sites will be conducted to parse areas MedSafeMap could address. Two rounds of interviews with pharmacists and technicians from each of the sites will be used to expand upon areas of interest identified during the observations. Observational and interview data will be used to construct functional resonance analysis method models and resilience narratives to map both risks and best practices within the system based on daily workplace factors. For aim 2, focus groups with pharmacist and technician stakeholders will be guided by participatory stakeholder engagement to inform prototyping for MedSafeMap. Simulation-based research involving standardized patients in CCM scenarios will be used to test and refine MedSafeMap components. Finally, for aim 3, MedSafeMap will be implemented in pharmacies. Observations using the work observation method by activity timing (WOMBAT) for the time and motion study will aid in understanding how MedSafeMap impacts pharmacy staff workflow. We will assess adoption challenges and resilience-focused attitudes, behaviors, and performance to support CCM.ResultsAs of August 2025, all 6 pharmacy sites have been recruited. Three of the 4 rounds of observations, 2 rounds of interviews with 12 pharmacists and 12 technicians from the study sites, and the 6 focus groups have been conducted. Preparations for the simulations are ongoing.ConclusionsMedSafeMap is an innovative approach that will guide pharmacists and technicians in safely providing care to patients with complex chronic health conditions. It will help them navigate the complex tasks and communications between the pharmacy, patient, and primary care provider arising with this type of complex care.International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/69011

Background, The prospect of oil palm plantations is currently rising significantly to become a favourite business. However, the work activities of TBS loading-unloading workers are still performed without paying attention to ergonomic aspects and have the potential for MSDs. Aim: To map the potential MSDs of TBS loading-unloading workers, serving as a basis for improving the work system. Methods: The inclusion sample of TBS loading-unloading workers was observed and interviewed using the NBM questionnaire to diagnose potential MSDs resulting from MMH work activities. Ergo-MMH was applied to provide recommendations for improving work system design based on the AT and SHIP approaches. Results: The primary causes of MSDs are unnatural working attitudes and excessive muscle tension resulting from work systems that are not designed per the limitations of workers. Twelve body parts are directly involved in MMH activities. Conclusions, Possible MSDs on the back, left and right shoulders, right and left upper arms, right forearm, left and right wrists, left and right hands, and upper and lower neck. Implication, Ergo-MMH-based mapping of potential MSDs in manual material handling activities of TBS loading-unloading workers for the academic world; research, theory development, and education. For society, public awareness, community development, and social support. For the nation and state, work safety, economic growth, and public health. For the international community, international collaboration, standards development, and technology development

This paper explores the integration of ergonomics into work system design to enhance employee performance and well-being in the manufacturing sector. The primary objective of this research is to identify and analyze how the application of ergonomic principles can optimize the work environment, which in turn positively impacts employee productivity and reduces work-related injuries. The research employs a qualitative approach, using in-depth interviews and observations with employees and managers from several manufacturing companies. The findings indicate that the implementation of ergonomics not only improves physical comfort but also has a positive psychological effect, such as increased job satisfaction and motivation. Additionally, ergonomic work designs have been found to reduce fatigue and injuries, thereby improving operational efficiency and lowering costs related to absenteeism and health insurance claims. This study recommends that manufacturing companies become more proactive in integrating ergonomics into their work systems to support the long-term well-being of employees. The results are expected to serve as a reference for company policies and further research on the implementation of ergonomics in industrial work environments.

Recent successes in artificial intelligence (AI) have ignited debate over its role in human-machine systems—specifically, whether an AI system should be viewed as a tool or a teammate. This article consists of a set of essays that explore this question from a macrocognitive viewpoint. These essays reveal similarities across stances, and divergences regarding interpretations of the teammate metaphor. Discussions include concerns about potential risks and effects of the teammate metaphor on users, in addition to expressions of the value of the metaphor for work system design. The essays highlight the role of metaphors in both enhancing and stifling design creativity, the blending of metaphors in design, and the need for empirical evaluation to guide clear design choices. Moreover, regardless of which approach is adopted, the “technology-first” mindset of system developers, the emphasis on relatively simple human-machine interactions over complex, evolving work systems, and the insidious effects of AI on human expertise all challenge progress in the design of macrocognitive work systems. The essays present some specific research directions.

In gravitational wave measurement and inter-satellite laser communication systems, the relative rotation and motion between the transmitter and receiver terminals introduces small angular deviations over a link distance of thousands of kilometers, which need to be measured with high accuracy and sensitivity. The heterodyne coherent angle measurement has a higher measurement accuracy and detection sensitivity compared with the traditional direct detection technique, which performs angle measurement through the phase of a beat frequency signal. In this paper, we propose a four-quadrant heterodyne coherent angle measurement technique with μrad accuracy and nW-level detection sensitivity. A mathematical model of a differential wavefront sensing (DWS) angle solution was formulated, and a Monte Carlo simulation system was built for performance testing. An experimental system was devised to assess the accuracy and sensitivity of the heterodyne coherent measurement method and to compare the performance with that of the direct detection method. The experimental results showed that for azimuth and pitch axes, the accuracy of the heterodyne coherent angle measurement was 2.54 μrad and 2.85 μrad under the same signal power of −16 dBm, which had a 5-fold improvement compared with direct detection. The sensitivity of the heterodyne coherent detection was −50 dBm at the 20 μrad accuracy threshold, which was a 1000-fold improvement compared with direct detection. This research is of great significance for the phase measurement and tracking system in the field of gravitational wave detection and has a guiding role in system design work in the field of inter-satellite laser communication.

In the existing Under Graduation Education system, Projects has the important role to develop the practical experience and implementation as per the industrial standard to their theoretical knowledge attained in their curriculum. But in order to monitor the same we are now considering the various predefined template based paper work for monitoring the projects. Parallelly, in the industry we are utilizing the various project management tracking tools such as JIRA, Rally and Salesforce etc. for handling the projects. Our primary goal is to implement the industrial project management tool methods and develop an ecosystem to manage the project evaluations in the colleges using the Project Management tracker tool. In this Project Tracker Management Tool for College is an all-encompassing software solution for tracking of academic projects. This tool has been created to meet the requirements of students, lecturers, and administrators by offering a delineated platform for division of batches, project track, due dates for the projects. It tracks for different phases that are included under whole development work like analysis, system design, coding, testing and maintenance work etc. Through the utilization of this tool, colleges may raise a more structured and cooperative environment, thereby eventually enhancing the quality and efficiency of academic project management.