Last March, in the framework of our studies, two classmates and I were charged to carry out an industrial mission at Areva (leader throughout the world in nuclear power). This mission dealt with the protection of the information about a confidential chemical process. The main objective was to come up with a mapping on which the flow of information related to this process was detailed. This was to prevent any leaks of confidential information. We had 13 days to achieve this goal.
Moment of clarity
Quickly, we realized that our tutor was rarely available for helping us, and that particularly annoyed me. One day, as we were struggling to get information from the employees, he came up with a new idea : "What if you designed an action plan to avoid any leaks ?"
The mission ended soon.
One of my partners and I were frustrated and angry about this sudden moment of clarity. But the other one - a diplomat by nature - thought it was perfectly normal that our tutor changed our objectives without realizing the workload it represented. I was shocked by his behavior. I wanted to tell our tutor that it was a bit exaggerated, but our last partner said absolutely no. From this moment, the situation remained tense.
A touch of anger
We began to discuss with our partner, telling him that it was unacceptable that our tutor was, at first, completely absent and, on the other hand, that he could suddenly come to us and entrust us to design a whole action plan. I wanted to write an e-mail to our teachers, but our partner said : "No, it could affect our score". And I responded : "I don't care about the score ! If you behave like that, accepting everything, you'll be destroyed when you'll get a job !"
My partner had this special talent for never getting angry. It looked like I was speaking to a wall.
At the end
Finally, we did the job as required, without complaining to anybody. But there is still this touch of anger inside me. This frustration which pushed me to almost insult my friend because I refused to be a doormat. He thought that we had to do what the superiors told us to do, unquestioningly. But I finally realize that he was not responsible for this situation.
As my reaction was counterproductive, do you think, nevertheless, that it was justified ? How could I react otherwise ?
Edited 18/09/2012
Edited 18/09/2012
Hi Guillaume!
ReplyDeleteI can see that the problem arose since you and your partner had some differences in personality. Your partner is someone who always try to avoid conflict and that makes him do whatever the superior tells him. Moreover, I don't think your reaction was counterproductive. Actually there was a chance that your tutor happened to be someone who was really open to suggestions and gave you extra time to work on it. But I think you shouldn't be that rude to your partner. Instead, try to calm down and talk to him nicely. :)
If I were you, I would tell my partner that we wouldn't be able to do our best with the sudden change and time constrain. We could talk to our tutor politely and get some extra time, or we could just do nothing and finish the project without being able to do our best.
If he finally agreed that we should talk to our tutor, I would try to explain to the tutor that the sudden change in objective pushed us to start everything over and we would have to work an extra mile to finish the project on time. Then I would ask him if we can get extra time to finish the project.
Hi Teresa !
DeleteThank you for your response and apologize for this late reply...
You are exactly right when you mention the "personalities shock". That's the point.
I think an interpersonal conflict is often caused by some differences in personality.
By the way, extra time wasn't possible for this internship :) So that wasn't the appropriate solution. Nevertheless, I would have to speak more clearly with him. But little by little, he convinced me that it was the best solution to work very hard in order not to upset our tutor. The only goal, for ourselves, was the mark, finally.
So, even if the task was rude, we managed to do our best to carry out the mission !!
Thank you for your response :)
Hi Guillaume,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the story! I like how you have shown candor and responsibility in your actions. Those are qualities that are rare to find! As for what you could have done better, maybe you could have sat down with your team and noted down the steps needed to complete the job. That way you could have identified the parts where you needed your tutor's help. This exercise would have helped your team understand the importance of your tutors assistance and given you a timeline/project steps as well!
I noticed a couple of places that could have better grammar :
1) As we were struggling in getting information from the employees, he came up a day with a new idea.. --> When we were struggling with getting information from the employees, he came up with a new idea..
2) But the last one, much more diplomat, thought it was perfectly normal that our tutor changes the objectives, and doesn't realize the workload it represents. --> The last member - a diplomat by nature thought it was perfectly normal that our tutor changed the objectives without realizing the workload it represented.
Hey Dhanya ! Thanks for this comment.
ReplyDeleteFirst, you have to know that we asked for help from our tutor. He did realize that the work to do would be rude. So he helped us, but very briefly.
Despite all that, we changed all the schedule we built at first.
It wasn't a real switch in the objectives of the mission because it was the perfect continuation of it. But it represented a huge workload.
Finally, we carried out the project. The tutor was really happy and found our work very useful. He was a nice and friendly man, but what annoyed me the most was his lack of involvement, as if he was totally lost within the company.
So, my anger was mostly due to my fear of being unable to finish the work in time.
Thank you again for your comment and for your grammatical help ;)
Cheers
Okay. So the real conflict here is between you and your second teammate. That's well described, Guillaume. What for me detracts from the drama is that, while you seem to have both stumbled through the experience, as you describe it, all turned out fine. You ask for feedback, but that request is quite half-hearted, isn't it? You got angry, but you lived, and the mission ended.
ReplyDeleteTo make the dilemma really exactly that, a situation that we readers need to solve, you should have left this more open ended, as if our feedback would determine whether or not you would even continue as a team member. That would have been more dramatic and t would have put weight on our solutions.
Do you see what I'm indicating?
Here are some other issues:
1) The main objective was to come up with a mapping on which the flow of information, related to this process, was detailed.
>>>
The main objective was to come up with a mapping on which the flow of information related to this process was detailed. (Please ask me about this in class, Guillaume.)
2) One of my partner >>> One of my partners
3) But the last one... >>> But the other one... (other teammate, right?)
4) that our tutor changes our objectives >>> that our tutor changed/would change our objectives
5) He thought that we must do what the superiors tell us to do, unquestioningly. >>>
He thought that we had to do what the superiors told us to do, unquestioningly. (note verb tense)
6) How should have reacted otherwise ? >>> ???
Thanks for sharing!
Hi Brad ! Thank you for your comment.
ReplyDeleteActually yes, the problem has been solved by the end of the project because we didn't have any choices.
I understand that the question doesn't make real sense in this case, because everything ended fine. Perhaps I should avoid telling you the whole story - particularly the "happy end" - and let you guess what had happened ?
By the way, thank you for your grammatical tips.
I'm going to edit the post right now.
See you on Thursday my dear.
Guillaume dear,
ReplyDeleteYes to counterproductive but yes to justified as well. Hehe!
I loved the way you reacted; your displeasure at first, then disgust then finally anger. Way to go bro! You needed this episode in your life to make you realize certain things you wouldn't have been able to without. Does that make sense dear?
There is nothing you could have done from a historical point of view, and for Brad your professor to feel a more open-ended dilemma would have garnered more dramatic being effective feedback from your readers was not that you could change history, but that history would not repeat itself because it is one that didn't go down well with you. Does that make sense dear?
There is a reason why history wasn't allowed to be changed in the first place in part so that its perpetrators can be held completely responsible before they create one, and if they for some reason couldn't be fully responsible due to some human frailty, which is all fine and good, then at least they can TRY to be more responsible than before. And if they fail again they keep trying again. To live is simply always about trying, in the simplest explanation.
Justice, just or justified, there is really no need for those civil cross examinations. Does that make sense? Of course it was justified because history allowed it! Rather than discoursing about whether it was justified, you might want to start with whether you thought your reaction was good or bad history. Then try working from there. If you knew something was amiss by your uneasiness or anger, which was completely justified at that point in time, do better justice and take better precaution with your words and actions in future, which is to take better control of your emotions, I suppose.
Do you see what I see dear?
Rest well dear and best of luck in school!
Cheers:))
Hi Mark.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry for this late reply, I was busy in Bali all the recess week long ;)
I can only agree with what you wrote, I couldn't have changed history because I was not responsible for that. I could only react and show my powerlessness, face to such a situation, by losing control of my emotions.
And that's the main point. As I'm naturally pushy I could have said that the situation couldn't have been different, but I should have mastered my feelings. I was up to it ! At least, I woke up my partner, opening his eyes about his constant habit to agree without complaining :)
Thank you for your philosophic comment !
Cheers
ReplyDeleteThe pharmacy letter of intent must be perfect and you must know what it should have before applying to university.