Institut für Technologie und Arbeit

The  Institute of Technology and Work (ITA) is associated with the Chair of Industrial Management and Human Factors (Prof. Dr. Klaus J. Zink) at the University of Kaiserslautern, Germany. The research projects can be derived from the institute's vision, to link humanity and economy using holistic approaches for analysis, assessment and design of work and organizations.

ITA has a wide expertise concerning social and especially vocational integration of people with disabilities. The institute has been responsible for the accompanying evaluation of different transnational, national and regional concepts aiming to (re-)integration into the open labour market, as well as for the development of relevant qualification measures. Moreover, ITA has been in charge of several projects regarding organizational and technical work(place) design for people with disabilities, e.g., in the area of computer-based work or telework. Although the institute has concentrated in the past on people with disabilities, meanwhile it transfers the gained experiences to other socially excluded groups, e.g., the elderly or drug-addicted people. All these projects are characterised by a stakeholder-oriented, participatory approach.

Furthermore, the institute has gained sound, long-term experiences in organisational analysis and development in different sectors, e.g., in sheltered employment, education, health care, information and communication technologies, and services. Within these projects, holistic methods have been applied, adapted, and extended, particularly Benchmarking, Total Quality Management, and Self-Assessment concepts.

Recent projects include:

• Evaluation of different approaches for (re-)integration of people with disabilities into the open
• labour market
• Qualification measures for vocational integration of people with disabilities into the open labour
• market
• Organisational and technological design of computer work for people with disabilities
• Benchmarking in social and educational organisations
• Total Quality Management in social and educational organisations
• New forms of work organisation (e.g. telework)
• User-centred and participatory design