From the Editor - May 2015
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At some point in our careers, we have probably heard someone say “That’s not my job” — perhaps we’ve even said it ourselves. Personally I find it to be one of the most frustrating responses you hear commonly in the workplace. I have been thinking about this a lot lately and would like to offer a few thoughts. |
Any organization is composed of recommenders and approvers/deciders. The size of the respective groups is normally a function of the size of the organization and, for very small companies, both roles may be filled by the same person. Each group has certain obligations and responsibilities to fulfill in order for an organization to succeed.
Many of us are in the recommender group. It is our job to provide our best technical input and recommendations to help the deciders make the best choice to create value for our company. We express our technically based opinions and endorsements, based on our skills and experience, in an honest, open and appropriate way and present the basis for our position. If we see something we feel is incorrect, it is our obligation to point it out and explain or demonstrate why we feel that way. The fact that a group of colleagues has, perhaps, arrived at another conclusion does not remove our responsibility to express our concerns. Don’t expect these to always be welcomed. Science is not based on popular vote – it wasn’t that long ago that “everyone knew” that the Earth was flat and that the Sun revolved around it. Once we have had the opportunity to present our case and have been given a “fair hearing”, we then have the commitment to respect the decision made and do our best to implement it efficiently.
The approvers/deciders also have certain obligations. They make sure all technical viewpoints and arguments are considered and are given a “fair hearing”. They are then obliged to make the best decision for the company. In a perfect world, the reasoning behind the decision would be explained to all involved, but often it is not possible and we have to accept this.
We work in an industry that expects us to use our technical and business skills to contribute to the success of our companies. For the most part we are well compensated to do this. Our minds are what make us valuable; and our refusal to use them for the benefit of our employer, even if it is a bit uncomfortable, represents a failure to do our job.
On another note, I came across the following item in a letter to the editor published in a foreign newspaper. It fits in with last month’s column. The author of the letter was discussing why it was difficult for some of his fellow citizens to find employment. He proposed a formula which he felt could explain why this was a difficult challenge for some people. His formula is “Success = Attitude x (Skills + Training + Knowledge + …)”. Attitude was considered to be binary, with a value of either “0” or “1”. Think about this.
This month I have the pleasure of publishing the only unsolicited technical article I received this year. I hope you enjoy Steve Schutter’s paper and would like to thank him for submitting this publication in the HGS Bulletin. It would be nice if we received more of these in the future.