Re:A Short Story for Engineers
by dkarl on Monday December 30, 2013 @01:24PM
(#6985956)
I don't think your father will like the joke, either. According to the story, the line workers had the ability to fix the problem all along, but they didn't bother until the $8 million system made it personally inconvenient for them when an empty box reached the scales. It makes them sound clever but also rather lazy and selfish.
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>the line workers had the ability to fix the problem all along
Yes they had the ability, but did the line workers know that empty boxes being shipped was a problem?
There is no solution without a problem.
Re:A Short Story for Engineers
by michaelwww on Monday December 30, 2013 @02:20PM
(#6986259)
They most likely didn't. My father used to be sent around as a trouble shooter and would tell stories of managers never setting foot on the factory floor to talk to the workers.
Re:A Short Story for Engineers
by ars_technician on Tuesday December 31, 2013 @01:33AM
(#6989377)
Are the workers so stupid that they think shipping empty boxes is normal?
Common sense is not always wrong.
Yes, we all know that the line workers are usually:
* given high(er)-level information on how the company is doing
* asked for their opinions
* highly motivated by management to solve problems like that
I highly recommend reading The Gervais Principle.
Re:A Short Story for Engineers
by enraged_camel on Monday December 30, 2013 @06:02PM
(#6987688)
>>the line workers had the ability to fix the problem
But not the authority.
This reminds me of an article about lazy people innovate.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4178031
unfortunately line workers are never asked "what would you do?"
Re:A Short Story for Engineers
by nickonline on Monday December 30, 2013 @06:32PM
(#6987839)
And even if asked "how would you fix the problem"
Answering with "Put a fan right there to blow all the empty boxes off the line" would be seen as taking the piss and laughed off with comments like "You're missing the big picture"