Place and Time - Sustainable Design: The Science of Sustainability and Green Engineering - page 184

knowledge and wisdom all around them (not just from texts, manuals, or
even old professors). He has been installing, welding, and rigging huge boiler
systems for power plants and refineries for decades and has a reputation
among his fellow boilermakers as being both highly intelligent and highly
skilled at his craft. He recently shared with me that he likes to work with
“young engineers,” mainly because they listen. They are not concerned about
hierarchies or “chain of command” so much as some of the more senior
engineers or managers. Perhaps it is because they know so little about the
inner workings of complex and large systems like those needed in coal-fired
combustion. They also seem to know how to have fun. He contrasts this with
the engineer who shows up on the job and lets everyone know that he is the
“pro.” My in-law recounts one memorable occasion when one such arrogant
professional chose not to or did not know to ask the boilermakers about what
happens when a multiton boiler tank is rigged. Had he asked, the boilermaker
would have shared the extent of his knowledge about “stretching.” In other
words, the height of the superstructure had to be sufficiently taller than the
boiler to account for the steel alloy elasticity due to the tremendous weight.
As it was designed, the superstructure was too short, so the boiler stretched
all the way to the ground surface and the entire thing had to be redesigned
and retrofitted. Had the professional asked, he would have known early on
to modify the design. My in-law surmises that the “young guys” would have
asked. My guess is that, out of respect, even if they hadn't asked, he would
have warned them simply because they put him in a place where he could
communicate with them. The moral of this story is that leadership often
comes from places other than the top. Another moral is: As you mature,
don't forget what made you successful in the first place.
6. T. S. Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions , University of Chicago Press,
Chicago, 1962. Kuhn actually changed the meaning of the word paradigm ,
which had been almost the exclusive province of grammar (a fable or para-
ble). Kuhn extended the term to mean an accepted specific set of scientific
practices. The scientific paradigm is made up of what is to be observed and
analyzed, the questions that arise pertaining to this scientific subject matter, to
whom such questions are to be asked, and how the results of the investigations
into this subject matter will be interpreted. The paradigm can be harmful if
it allows incorrect theories and information to be accepted by the scientific
and engineering communities. Such erroneous adherences can result from
groupthink , a term coined by Irving Janis, a University of California-Berkeley
psychologist. Groupthink is a collective set of systematic errors (biases) held
by and perpetuated by a group. See I. Janis, Groupthink: Psychological Studies of
Policy Decisions and Fiascoes , 2nd ed., Houghton Mifflin, Boston, MA, 1982.
7. R. Ludlow, “Green architecture,” Environmental Studies 399 Senior
Capstone, St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN, http://www.stolaf.edu/