The current global economic downturn and considerable shifting in industrial and manufacturing activities have disturbed the industrial order. However, human work productivity is still one of the most important components of the industrial economy and a determining factor in global competiveness and influence as well as the potential for technological innovation and advancement. Human Work Productivity: A Global Perspective covers how human productivity affects the industrial economy and competitiveness across the industrial and manufacturing sectors.

Many approaches that have worked historically must now be reexamined and new approaches must be developed. Integrating recent concepts related to human work productivity for modern production systems/organizations, this book examines how ergonomic improvements for the human operator and/or redesign and rearrangement of the workplace can boost individual productivity. It also covers the impact of the aging workforce, reports on an investigation of total productive maintenance, and considers the efficacy of workplace design from a maintenance perspective. Discussions of work hours and their effect on productivity, the impact of technology, and productivity in a health care organization complete the coverage.

In any organization, all components must be considered as an integrated whole for sustained productivity. This book explores these components as independent factors and examines their impact on productivity. It then discusses models integrating these factors, creating a clear understanding of the whole, and details schemes of optimization for putting that understanding into practice.