Reliability and Politics

Abstract

Chris and Fred discuss how reliability can sometimes be linked to politics (… at least in some way). Is this an experience you share?

Key Points

Join Chris and Fred as they discuss the role politics plays in reliability engineering and reliability endeavors. Because it is unfortunately prevalent …

Topics include:

• There is a ‘political caste of deadwood’ blocking good reliability engineering. Seriously. If you are a good reliability engineer in some company, you will hopefully be rewarded for your excellence. But then there are the people supposed to be ‘spreading the word.’ These are the university professors and the board of directors for reliability engineering conferences and symposia who are the gatekeepers for ‘what gets talked about.’ But if you know anything about universities and boards, you must slowly work your way up the political ladder to get there. And no ‘good’ reliability engineers have any time for this, leaving a toxic culture of mediocrity as people are more focused on prestige and control.
• And it’s not just reliability engineering. Many ‘senior’ people in organizations have become ‘senior’ because they are good at politics. Not necessarily good at engineering, designing, manufacturing or maintaining.
• … effort without outcomes – the first symptom of ‘politics’ supplanting ‘engineering.’ And this is because a political organization (by definition) is one where outcomes are measured in terms of personal gain, usually through organizational hierarchical rewards. It’s not about good outcomes. It’s about looking good for the power brokers who decide your fate in the organization. And if those power brokers are themselves the survivors of a political chain of progression … then you are in trouble!
• Politics destroys communication and creativity. If you have a good idea, and work in a political organization, then your idea needs to go to your boss to support or veto. Then he or she needs to go to his or her boss, attempte to re-explain your idea, to be supported or vetoed. Then it keeps going to the decision maker, perhaps weeks later, perhaps now completely misunderstood by the person explaining it, if it has not already been vetoed. Why? Because political organizations are all about individual promotion. And you speaking directly to the decision-maker does not help that.
• There will always be politics. But hopefully it is not toxic. And you know how to deal with it.

Enjoy an episode of Speaking of Reliability. Where you can join friends as they discuss reliability topics. Join us as we discuss topics ranging from design for reliability techniques to field data analysis approaches.

Show Notes

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