Technical Problems vs. People Problems

Posted December 16th, 2009

In the book Traffic, Henry Barnes is quoted, “As time goes on, the technical problems become more automatic, while the people problems become more surrealistic.”  He was talking about traffic in New York City during the 1960s.   I think the same statement applies to problems in other fields.   People, as individuals or in groups, are not automatic.

Surreal means fantastic, unbelievable, even bizarre.  My consulting work allows me opportunities to observe many people in similar work environments.   All are in the pipeline business, transporting oil or gas.   The companies are different, the cultures are different, and the people are different.

A vendor who comes in with a technical system has a ready made solution that will work for all people in all pipeline control rooms.   But those people believe their work place is different.  And they are correct.  If you want to help people solve problems, do not tell them they are just like other people in other control rooms.

One, it is not true.  Two, no one believes you anyway.  I heard a man from a shiftwork consulting company tell two groups of pipeline controllers and their managers that they were not different from shiftworkers in the chemical, manufacturing, or other industries.   Observing the audience, I could tell the speaker had lost his audience.   He did not understand that people want to be special, different, fantastic.  They may not want to be unbelievable or bizarre, but they certainly do not want to be treated like automatons.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 16th, 2009 at 4:47 pm and is filed under Human Factors.