A macroergonomic compatibility index for manufacturing systems

Abstract

Macroergonomic compatibility (MC) refers to the extent to which macroergonomic factors and elements interact positively with humans. Unfortunately, no research has ever developed an index to measure MC. To address this gap, we propose a macroergonomic compatibility index (MCI), validated among manufacturing work systems. MCI takes as basis the perceptions of middle and senior managers regarding the implementation of macroergonomic practices (MPs) in their companies. The data were collected through the macroergonomic compatibility questionnaire (MCQ), and such information was supplemented with the opinion of ergonomics experts to obtain the ideal weightings of the MPs analyzed in the variables. The MCI was developed using dimensional analysis, and it includes an ideal solution. Due to their imprecise nature, macroergonomic variables were analyzed through linguistic terms. To demonstrate the capability of our model, we used the MCI to measure the macroergonomic compatibility of manufacturing companies located in Chihuahua, Mexico. The results indicate that the MCI is an effective tool for measuring MC.