Systems
Management Research Group
Methodology and Work Psychology Unit
Institute of Cognitive Sciences
Gerhard-Mercator-University Duisburg
FRG
Psychological,
educational and mediatoric professionals cooperate within the Systems
Management Research Group (Forschungsgruppe Systemmanagement, FOGS) as a part
of the Methodology and Work Psychology Unit of the Institute of Cognitive
Sciences at the Gerhard-Mercator-University Duisburg.
This research group, founded by
PD Dr. H.-Peter Musahl in 1985, has expanded ist main focus in safety research
to problems of a holistic safety and health management within complex
man-machine (i.e. socio-technical) systems and to psychological aspects of
environmental protection and of quality management. The central ideas of
applied work can be characterized by the psychological concepts of learning and
cognition as well as by the organizational principle of participation. Due to
the fact that FOGS is a part of the Methodology and Work Psychology Unit high
methodological standards of project and data management procedures are
ensured.
Past and current projects were
all designed, developed, executed and evaluated under strict and constant
cooperation with external partners from different industries and institutions.
Extensive evaluative studies show substantial positive effects of the
interventions which have been carried out (i.e. dramatic decline of accident
rates, accompanied by positive transfers to absenteeism, health and
productivity). |
Previous and current cooperations:
- Development of a safety program for accident
prevention in cooperation with the coal-mining industry (RAG / DSK), which has
on the grounds of psychology of learning and cognition and according to
long-term evaluative work proven to be highly effective.
- Tests and successful implementation of this safety
approach to the conditions of small and medium sized companies.
- Investigations on safety, health, environmental and
quality management systems as well as on the organisational climate within a
salt-mining plant.
- "Management of individual competencies as a
prerequisite for the successful implementation of group work in small and
medium sized companies", a project funded by the government of NW and the EU,
which is aimed to uncover implementation problems of participative work groups
and to help companies with successful steps to job design and reorganisation.
The project is being executed in cooperation with different companies from the
metal industry.
- In cooperation with a public insurance company
(BGN) the conditions and the risk-exposition of the insured on their way to
work and back home were investigated. Better knowledge of circumstances and
modalities will help to evaluate accident rates and redesign preventive
measures.
- Studies in cooperation with a German airline (DLH)
on disturbances and trouble shooting in connection with the ground handling of
airplanes
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Current areas of projects:
- Problems of leadership under conditions of
organisational change and participative job design.
- Effects of different concepts of quality management
on group members and development of effective means to optimise quality and job
redesigning.
- Introduction of new work safety procedures and
reporting systems, combined with participative safety activities, stressing
near misses and undetected errors.
- Introduction of work groups in a medium sized
company.
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