Human factors in manufacturing. The need for a consistent strategy

It has become increasingly obvious over the last decade that the companies that propser in the 1990s will be those that successfully adopt a progressive approach to human factors. Though this is clear, what is less so is how managers should undertake such major changes. This article approaches this question by, first, describing how, from a study of the implementation of new technology in manufacturing companies, we came to view strategic planning as a central and essential process for tackling the issue of human factors. It then describes and discusses one company's experience of attempting to develop a strategy that challenged existing structures, functions, and jobs. In conclusion, the article draws attention to the need for managers to share/develop a common vision, and work as a consistent, cohesive, and stable unit, and to recognize the extended timetable necessary to achieve the types of changes required.