Work Analysis for White Collar Based on Job-Relevant Knowledge and Work Processes

本项目的目标是开发白领工作分析方法及其辅助工具。在本研究中，提出的方法以及工具被应用于几个实际工作，如产品设计，研发，设施设计和生产控制。我们对这些工作进行了工作分析，目的是重新设计工作，以提高工作效率。在过去的三年里，本项目获得了以下结果：(1)提出了一种分析白领工作的方法，特别关注与工作相关的知识和工作流动。在这种方法中，根据与特定工作的内容和背景相关的工作要求，将与工作相关的知识分为六类。员工所拥有的知识的有效性从如何使用知识块的角度来评定为五分制。所提出的方法还包括对知识依赖性的分析，即知识所依赖的更多条件，以及知识的适用性，即知识何时适用于/曾经/将适用于一个人的工作。采用这种方法，确定了与各种工作相关的知识集。(2)应用(1)中提到的工作分析方法，对两个不同的工作进行了深入的案例研究，即设施设计和生产控制。在这些案例研究中，建议的方法允许我们揭示工作流程和员工对这些工作的知识。研究还发现，知识有效性与一些生产力测量指标之间存在明显的相关性，比如每年对设计的处理次数和领导项目的数量。(3)使用通用电子表格软件Excel开发了支持(1)中提出的方法的工作分析工具原型。(4)将上述工具应用于几个工作，以检验其在工作分析中的实用性，并获得进一步改进的几点。(5)采用问卷调查的方式，找出违反白领生产力的因素。这份问卷被分发给了日本一家大型制造公司的所有白领员工。通过主成分分析，对工作效率和工作质量问题的回答数据进行了分析。(6)作为(1)中提到的方法的补充，我们提出了一种EMR（眼动记录）方法来进行工作分析。将该方法应用于高铁驾驶任务和电视广告观看过程中的认知行为分析。作为这些应用的结果，我们确定了例如，在设计师的意图和观众的实际观看模式之间的认知过程的差异。采用EMR方法还揭示了CM设计参数对观众观看模式的影响。在子弹头列车的应用中，我们评估了一种新的列车驾驶舱界面设计，并提出了这种方法对其实际设计实践的几点启示。(7)作为本课题的总结，我们根据研究结果提出了白领职业岗位设计和再设计的指导方针。特别是，我们提出了以用户为中心的方法作为工作设计的新范式，并通过案例研究对这种方法进行了检验。少

The objectives of the present project is to develop methodologies on work analysis of white collar and its supporting tool. In this study, the proposed methodology as well as the tool were applied to several real jobs such as product design, R ＆ D, facility design and production control. We performed work analyses of these jobs for the purpose of job re-design to improve their productivity. The following outcomes were obtained by the present project for the last three years :(1)A methodology for analysing white collar work was proposed specifically focused on job-relevant knowledge and job-flow. In this methodology, job-relevant knowledge is classified into six categories in terms of job requirements that are connecting to content and context of a particular work. Effectiveness of knowledge that an employee possesses is rated in five point scale from the aspect of how to work with the knowledge piece. The proposed methodology also includes analyses of knowledge dependency, i.e., what c … More ondition the knowledge depends on, and of knowledge applicability, i.e., when the knowledge is/was/will be applicable to one's job. Employing this methodology, knowledge sets relevant to a variety of jobs were identified.(2)In-depth case studies were performed for two different jobs, i.e., facility design and production control, applying the work analysis methodology mentioned in (1). In these case studies, the proposed methodology allows us to uncover work processes and employees' knowledge for these jobs. A clear correlation was also found between knowledge effectiveness and some productivity measurements such as amount of annual treatment of design and the number of projects having leadership.(3)A prototype of work analysis tool which supports the proposed methodology mentioned in (1) was developed using a general-purpose spreadsheet software, Excel.(4)The above-mentioned tool was applied to several jobs to examine its usefulness in work analysis and to acquire several points for its further improvement.(5)A questionnaire-based survey was conducted to elicit factors of violating white collar productivity. The questionnaire was distributed to all the white collar employees working within a big manufacturing firm in Japan. The factors were acquired by the principal component analysis applying responded data both on the efficiency and the job-quality questions.(6)As a complementary approach of the methodology mentioned in (1), we presented an EMR (eye-movement recording) approach to work analysis. This approach was applied to analysis of driving task of the bullet train and of cognitive behavior during watching TV commercials (CM's). As results of these applications, we identified e.g., differences in cognitive processes between the designer's intention and the viewer's actual watching patterns. Effects of CM design parameters on the viewer's watching patterns were also uncovered employing the EMR approach. In the bullet train application, we evaluated a new interface design of train coclkpit and presented several implications of this approach to its actual design practices.(7)As summary of the present project, we presented guidelines of job design and redesign of white collar professions based on the results obtained in this study. In particular, we proposed a user-centred approach as a new paradigm for job design, and examined this approach by a case study. Less