KNOWLEDGE USE VERSUS CAPABILTY DEVELOPMENT - THE CASE OF APPLYING ERGONOMICS TO PRODUCT DESIGN

A comparative case analysis focusing on the use of a specialist knowle dge base (ergonomics) in the product design and development function o f six New Zealand organizations found that a considerable portion of t he ergonomics knowledge used was internally generated. As a result of this finding, the conceptual emphasis of the study shifted away from a focus on the use of externally generated information to an examinatio n of the processes by which an ergonomics capability emerged and devel oped within each organization. The definition of capability used in th e study embraces both theoretical knowledge and practical knowledge.