Organization and Management of Human Factors in High Technology Organizations

Abstract

The Technical Group on Organizational Design and Management is interested in determining organizational characteristics of successful firms which have Human Factors Groups or Departments within their structure. Of particular interest is the organizational design employed by these companies and how the human factors function is incorporated into this framework. Also of interest is the degree of differentiation and the extent to which integrating functions have been or are now present in the organization. One way to learn about these considerations is to examine organizational programs, noting initial design, subsequent changes, management practices, and problems encountered in initiating human factors efforts. Another method by which we might learn about alternative management systems, organizational design, and problems encountered is to consult those who have the responsibility for managing human factors programs in large, high technology organizations which have incorporated the human factors function into their design.