Removing Limits to Growth: Implementing Knowledge Sharing Loops between Operators and Engineers

Abstract

The author describes the origin and the structure of the expertise of Improvement Engineers and Process Operators (Duncan, 1987). Engineers develop expertise by deduction : the top-down development of a production process. Operators develop expertise by induction : the manual intervention into a process (De Keyser, 1987). Thus the mental model of an Engineer is ''abstract'' and ''explicit'' (easy to document), while the mental model of an Operator is ''concrete'' and ''tacit''. Therefore, the author calls the expertise of Engineers explicit knowledge and the expertise of Operators tacit knowledge (Nonaka & Takeuchi, 1995). The author also describes knowledge sharing loops which capture this tacit knowledge (Operators) and incorporate it into explicit knowledge (Engineers). The process produces Knowledge Based Solutions and Most Effective Technology (MET). The deployment of MET directly generates economic profit. Knowledge Based Solutions improve the troubleshooting skills of Operators and allow Engineers to focus on the deployment of MET. This new knowledge sharing process came out of a system analysis (Senge, 1990) embedded in a bottom-up business reengineering programme of the Styrenics Naturals Plant (SNP). Two years later, data show that this process creates value. But it is not robust. It's quickest gains are in process control and in product transitions.