3. Development of the Ergonomics Climate Assessment
To develop the Ergonomics Climate Assessment, we created two
parallel measures to assess the design and modification of work in
relation to operational performance and well-being, respectively. A
value for both of these is necessary for an ideal ergonomics climate;
however, it is possible for a company to place more emphasis on
one than on the other. The parallel nature of our measure allowed
us to test how a relative priority for each can influence relevant
outcomes.
All questions specifically reflect the key ergonomic concept of
designing and modifying work to improve the focus of interest
(performance or well-being). Thus, there is a scale for the facet of
well-being-focused (WE) ergonomics climate and another scale for
the facet of performance-focused (PE) ergonomics climate. It is
important to note that these facets are not overarching measures of
an organization's value for well-being or performance, but rather
measures of the organization's climate for ergonomic practices
related to those goals. More specifically, ergonomics climate is not
overall organizational climate; it is specifically focused on the
climate surrounding ergonomic practices, such as designing and
modifying work, with the goal of aiding organizations who wish to
adopt or expand such practices.
We developed items that reflected policies and practices that
corresponded to each of the four ergonomics climate factors
(management commitment, employee involvement, job hazard
analysis, and training and knowledge). The company involved in
the study had “factory metrics” that were analogous to “performance
metrics,” and because employees were accustomed to this
terminology, “factory metrics” were referenced in the survey. Parallel
versions of each questionnaire item were written to reflect the
different facets. For example, an item under management
commitment read, “My supervisor emphasizes the importance of
designing and modifying work to improve factory metrics,” and its
parallel item was, “My supervisor emphasizes the importance of
designing and modifying work to improve worker well-being.” On
the actual questionnaires, these items were placed side-by-side to
draw attention to the different facets, and the terms were printed
with bold text. The dimensions and items of the Ergonomics
Climate Assessment were tested in a pilot study before any further
validation efforts were undertaken, as described in the Methods
section.