Strategies to commit senior subcontractor managers in participatory ergonomics interventions

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Ergonomics
• Management Science

Background:

• Managerial commitment is a critical facilitator for successful participatory ergonomics (PE) implementation.
• Existing literature inadequately describes practical strategies for achieving this commitment across diverse organizational contexts and stakeholders.
• Understanding these strategies is essential for effective workplace intervention and musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe and analyze the process and strategies used to secure senior management commitment during a decision-making intervention.
• To investigate these strategies within a subcontracting context in the meat processing industry.
• To contribute to the understanding of stakeholder engagement in PE.

Main Methods:

• A reflexive practice method was employed to document strategies during a multi-site research project.
• The study focused on musculoskeletal disorder prevention in the meat processing sector.
• A three-level commitment strategy was developed: individual subcontractors, group collaboration, and main contractor engagement.

Main Results:

• Four established strategies were initially implemented: steering committee creation, identifying action tendencies, knowledge transfer, and moderated discussion.
• A novel strategy, focusing on the shared interest of knife sharpening and maintenance, proved crucial for achieving management commitment.
• The findings underscore the importance of tailored stakeholder engagement strategies in PE.

Conclusions:

• Effective participatory ergonomics requires specific, context-aware strategies to ensure managerial commitment.
• A shared interest-based approach can be a powerful tool for overcoming barriers to commitment.
• Further research is needed to develop a robust framework for stakeholder commitment in PE interventions.