A Guide to Human Factors and Ergonomics or Engineered in Japan

A Guide to Human Factors and Ergonomics

Author: Martin Helander

Completely revised and updated, A Guide to Human Factors and Ergonomics, Second Edition presents a comprehensive introduction to the field. Building on the foundation of the first edition, titled Guide to Ergonomics of Manufacturing, the new title reflects the expanded range of coverage and applicability of the techniques you will find in the second edition. Each and every chapter contains new material and some have been entirely rewritten. Drawing on the author's experience in both teaching and industry, the book lays to rest the common myths and misconceptions that surround ergonomics.

Unlike most ergonomics and human factors books that emphasize the physical, this one gives a broad overview of cognitive as well as physical ergonomics. Written in an accessible style, it presents a systems approach to human factors and ergonomics that leads to complete understanding. The author demonstrates how to collect data on users and operators and how to convert the data to good design, and offers a practical guide to the design and analysis of systems. Design oriented, systems oriented, and results oriented, this text provides the tools needed to solve systems problems and develop adequate design solutions.

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Engineered in Japan: Japanese Technology-Management Practices

Author: Jeffrey K Liker

Engineered in Japan presents a unique and comprehensive examination of technology management in the most successful Japanese companies: unique in that all chapters go beyond superficial descriptions of stylized practices to look in depth at particular issues, often contradicting or qualifying the conventional wisdom; comprehensive in that it covers the entire technology life cycle from basic R&D, to development engineering, to manufacturing processes, to learning from the Japanese.
Each chapter is based on original research by noted scholars in the field, and identifies technology management practices that have become a major source of competitive advantage for highly successful Japanese companies. Engineered in Japan documents the best practices from such companies as Toyota, Hitachi, Toshiba, and Nippondenso, and discusses how these technology management practices can be usefully adopted in other cultural contexts.
Going beyond past observations, the authors all delve below the surface of Japanese management approaches. They look more closely than has been done before at how particular methods are applied, and they identify some new practices that have not yet been highlighted in books on Japanese methods.
Presenting recent data that contradict some conventional thinking about U.S.-Japanese differences, they look at old techniques from a new perspective.
"U.S. managers can perhaps learn more from the process of creation in Japan and the organizational structures that support innovation," say the editors in their introduction, "than from the particular approaches, tools, and technologies created." A running theme throughout the book is that Japanese managers andengineers tend to think in terms of systems, focusing not just on the parts but on the connections between them. Engineered in Japan is must reading for technology managers and engineers, along with anyone interested in Japanese business, engineering, and management.

"The particular benefit of this book is that it distinguishes a technology life cycle and analyzes each of its stages: research and development, process and product development, manufacturing management and methods, technology deployment, and organizational learning."--Booklist

"In the end, the edited volume provides a smorgasbord for readers: some will try every offering, others will sample only those which are most appealing."--Journal of Product Innovation Management

BookList

The particular genius of the Japanese has been their ability to adopt, adapt, and apply technology. In 1991, in an effort to learn from ways in which the Japanese manage technology successfully, Congress authorized $10 million for the Department of Defense to establish a cooperative program for U.S. and Japanese industry and technology management training. Part of the program required that the "best practices" in manufacturing and the management of technology be identified, and a number of universities were given grants to conduct studies. Each of this book's 17 chapters is based on original research done by the University of Michigan's Japan Technology Management Program from 1991 to 1993. The particular benefit of this book is that it distinguishes a technology life cycle and analyzes each of its stages: research and development, process and product development, manufacturing management and methods, technology deployment, and organizational learning. Offering a comprehensive overview, this book is recommended for technology and management collections.

Table of Contents:

	Contributors
1	Engineered in Japan: Introduction and Overview	3
2	Basic Research in Japanese Electronic Companies: An Attempt at Establishing New Organizational Routines	17
3	The Growth of R&D Investment and Organizational Changes by Japanese Pharmaceutical Firms, 1975-1993	40
4	Governance Structure and Technology Transfer Management in R&D Consortia in the United States and Japan	70
5	Governing United States - Japan High-Technology Alliances	93
6	Nippondenso Co. Ltd.: A Case Study of Strategic Product Design	115
7	Integrating Suppliers into Fast-Cycle Product Development	152
8	Toyota, Concurrent Engineering, and Set-Based Design	192
9	Competing in the Old-Fashioned Way: Localizing and Integrating Knowledge Resources in Fast-to-Market Competition	217
10	Producing a World-Class Automotive Body	237
11	Japan's Development of Scheduling Methods for Manufacturing Semiconductors	263
12	U.S.-Japanese Manufacturing Joint Ventures and Equity Relationships	278
13	Culture, Innovative Borrowing, and Technology Management	311
14	Does Culture Matter? Negotiating a Complementary Culture to Support Technological Innovation	321
15	Institutional Pressures and Organizational Learning: The Case of American-Owned Automotive-Parts Suppliers and Japanese Shop-Floor Production Methods	346
16	Reflections on Organizational Learning in U.S. and Japanese Industry	365
17	Managing Technology Systemically: Common Themes	380
	Index	400