To Fly or not to fly” - University of Washington



“To Fly or not to fly” version 2012

_____________ Martinez

Position: Chief Engineer,

Background: Aerospace engineering

Character

You are a very competent stress engineer. You take great pride participating in the first company, CACHE, to handle composites successfully and use them in the building of a new aircraft - actually, a new generation of aircrafts. However, you are realistic and cautious. You have taken a lot of trouble in ensuring that the new plane with all its novel experimental technology meets all regulations and safety requirements. Your pride in this new material hasn't obliterated your concern and awareness that the technology is not yet beyond the experimental phase.

You know, for instance, that composites can always confront you with nasty surprises. In a damaged composite sheet, it often happens that all sign of problems may be totally invisible on the outside surface, whilst the on the back (hidden) side all the fibers may be broken.

For this reason you are not prepared to take any risks in this maiden flight. From the first moment you heard about the accident you concluded that from an engineering point of view it is irresponsible and dangerous to give a green light to this flight.

In your job you tend to approach your work and position as objectively as possible. Personal honor and ambition is not what drives you, but instead thoroughness, accuracy, safety and responsibility. You do not like the political elements of your position very much and you have often felt uneasy with all the manipulative management rhetoric taking place in the board of the company.

Over the years you have developed a somewhat strained relationship with _____ Crawford, Vice President of Development. You are convinced Crawford is cutting corners a little too closely and furthermore, that he has taken the credit for a lot of your own good work. Generally, you tend to disagree with most professional opinions of Crawford and, when looking back, you know you were more often right than wrong.

On many occasions in the past you have had to defend the accuracy and thoroughness of engineering against too hasty decisions, which were taken with disregard for professional engineering. Luckily, you are a very independent personality who has no problem in going against the collective opinion of the Management Team. However, you are not a skilled or manipulative debater. You prefer to bluntly say things as they are. You don't like compromises and vague solutions, which can be interpreted at will. However, you are clearly determined to prevent the maiden flight of the plane today. The risks simply are too big. An important factor in reaching this conclusion might consist of the simulation experiments about which Gould and Bennett are supposed to report upon some 20 minutes into the meeting. Gould and Bennett, your two Senior Stress Engineers, are simulating the accident by means of two different computer programs. The two programs differ somewhat and so may lead to different “outcomes” - although in principle both programs are of the same technical quality. If the chairman forgets about that, you might remind him.

Role to play: you want to play safe at all costs. If need be you are prepared to go against the decision of the MT and the CEO.

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