California Company Research Articles

How BPX Implemented Dual-Career Ladders

OVERVIEW: When BP Exploration decided to transform its structure and culture, a key item on the company's agenda was to set up a dual career ladder system in which individual contributors, such as technologists and R&D specialists, could advance as far as managers. The design methodology, the author explains, turned out to be as important as the resulting ladders themselves. Every type of employee-worldwide--participated in the process, which reconceived not only technical roles but managerial roles as well. The multilevel design teams abandoned the old concept of job descriptions and discovered new ways to ensure that the scientific/technical and management ladders stayed parallel all the way to the top. They also modeled the teamwork, open inking, and personal responsibility that BPX is encouraging as it tries become more flexible and innovative. In the current climate of economic uncertainty, the dual-career ladder--one path for would-be managers and another for individual professional contributors who prefer not to go into management--is attracting renewed interest. Management jobs are disappearing as companies downsize, and competitive success depends increasingly on technological innovation. Therefore, it makes no sense to insist that management can be the only route to the higher levels of the organization. Why not, instead, encourage technical and R&D stars to increase their contributions, and measure their success, by doing what they do best? Recently, BP Exploration, the arm of the multinational giant British Petroleum that finds and develops oil and gas reserves, conducted a complete overhaul of its career path system. This process, in which I was involved as a consultant, was part of a massive restructuring and cultural change effort designed to make BPX more flexible and innovative. In fact, the design of a dual-ladder system became a key ingredient in the transformation, exemplifying profound changes in the way the company conceived of success, jobs and employee empowerment. TRAPS TO AVOID Having done its homework, BPX was aware that, although dual-ladder systems have been around for more than two decades, many have proved disappointing. Even some that were initially welcomed, by individual contributors and managers alike, have not been able to keep up with the evolving needs of the organization. The reasons for such pallid performance include, depending on the company: * Lack of commitment from senior executives, managers and even individual contributors who could not see the value to them of a dual-ladder system. * Difficulty in making the individual-contributor ladder truly parallel to the management ladder--all the way to the top--in terms of responsibility, reward and influence. * Using the individual-contributor or technical ladder as a repository for unsuccessful managers. * Inflexibility: No way to transfer from one career path to the other as the individual's accomplishments, qualifications, aspirations, and the company's needs evolve. THE DESIGN CONCEPT In designing its dual-ladder system, BPX set out to avoid these traps. Because of the new culture BPX was seeking to create--emphasizing networking and employee empowerment rather than hierarchy, and openness and creative dissonance rather than control--the process was as important as the product. BPX was not venturing into entirely virgin territory. The career path concept it pursued had been pioneered by two northern California companies, National Semiconductor and Network Equipment Technologies. Although BPX took the concept further, several important characteristics distinguished the design process of all three companies from that of many others. First, the new system was not imposed from the top or engineered by a separate management or human resources committee. Employees from all categories that would be affected by the new career ladders--individual contributors, managers, human resource people, and senior executives--participated directly in the design. …

The risk management of infections.

Unfortunately, risk management, that is avoiding lawsuits, is a retro-active pastime instead of being pro-active. What this means is that we often take action only after a problem has manifested itself, rather than identifying potential problems and correcting them. This is, however, only human nature and occurs in most other walks of life. In dental malpractice, what appears to have been happening during the past few years in California is that plaintiff's lawyers have identified a problem and then started to sue dentists for it (and even run courses on how to sue dentists for it!), after which the profession has tried to take steps to identify the cause of the problem, and has then attempted to reduce it or eliminate it altogether. In the past, the dental malpractice companies (the equivalent of the Medical Protection Society and Medical Defense Union) were merely bystanders who paid out on claims and subsequently raised premiums accordingly. Now that most of the malpractice companies in California are actually run by (and often owned by) members of the profession, they are much more interested in getting involved at a very early stage, as soon as a potential problem is identified, in order to take action so that premiums do not rise unnecessarily.

Transmission of Pasteurella multocida on California Turkey Premises in 1988-89

Restriction endonuclease analysis (REA) of whole-cell DNA was used to determine possible sources of Pasteurella multocida for each outbreak of fowl cholera occurring in turkey flocks in eight commercial poultry companies in California from October 1988 to September 1989. Over this period, 179 isolates of P. multocida were obtained from dead turkeys in 80 meat and breeder flocks on 43 premises. P. multocida was isolated from wildlife on five premises. Isolates were characterized by subspecies, serotype, presence of plasmid DNA, and REA type. In 52 (65%) flocks, all isolates of P. multocida had the same REA pattern as the M9 live vaccine strain following digestion of DNA with the restriction enzyme SmaI. Field strains of P. multocida were obtained from 27 (34%) flocks, and one flock (1%) yielded both M9 and a field strain of the organism. REA of field strains of P. multocida revealed 17 different SmaI REA types. Based on matching SmaI REA types, potential sources of P. multocida were identified for 15 of the 28 flocks infected with field strains of the organism, and transmission between turkey premises was a possibility in only seven flocks.

Process for using sludge from geothermal brine to make concrete and concrete composition : Whitescarver, O.D., Kwan, J.T., Chan, M.K. and Hoyer, D.P. (Union Oil Company of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA) US Pat 4 900 360 (13 February 1990)

Process for using sludge from geothermal brine to make concrete and concrete composition : Whitescarver, O.D., Kwan, J.T., Chan, M.K. and Hoyer, D.P. (Union Oil Company of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA) US Pat 4 900 360 (13 February 1990)

Microcomputer training users?

The literature on computing in organizations assumes that users must be trained to get the most out of using their machines. The natural implication of this assumption is that trained users would differ markedly from non-trained users. Yet in exploratory survey research conducted in a large Southern California company, trained and non-trained microcomputer users did not differ along most work-related dimensions. Instead, where trained and non-trained users varied at all in their work habits and in their attitudes toward micros and training, the variation seemed more related to their desire for training, rather than to the training itself. The authors discuss the findings from this study and propose future research in the area of corporate-provided microcomputer training.

4962283 Single pass continuous urea-sulfuric acid process : Bruce A Harbolt, Donald Moerdyke assigned to Union Oil Company of California

4962283 Single pass continuous urea-sulfuric acid process : Bruce A Harbolt, Donald Moerdyke assigned to Union Oil Company of California

4726144 Fumigation methods and compositions: Donald C Young, James A Green assigned to Union Oil Company of California

4726144 Fumigation methods and compositions: Donald C Young, James A Green assigned to Union Oil Company of California

Pasteurella anatipestifer Infection in Commercial Meat-Type Turkeys in California

A disease outbreak characterized by respiratory signs, occasional neurologic signs, and increased mortality in commercial meat turkeys from four separate companies in central California was investigated in the late summer and early fall of 1986. The disease syndrome affected turkeys from 6 to 15 weeks of age and caused a severe fibrinous pericarditis, perihepatitis, and airsacculitis. Bacteriologic and serologic examinations as well as virus- and chlamydia-isolation attempts initially failed to implicate an etiologic agent. Eventually culture attempts were made in a 5% CO2 incubator, resulting in isolation of Pasteurella anatipestifer. The disease syndrome was reproduced in young turkeys and broiler chicks inoculated with the organism.

J. W. HOOVER

Editor’s Note: J. W. “Soak” Hoover was an important figure in exploration in four different decades. He joined Standard of California, as a geologist, in 1927. During the next 10 years, he helped explore some of the largest oil fields ever found. He worked on the East Texas field and, in 1933, was on the first team of geologists that Socal sent to Saudi Arabia. Hoover returned to the United States three years later and switched to geophysics. He later served in New Orleans as the California Company’s superintendent of geophysics and vice‐president, Exploration. He was named the first president of Chevron Geophysical when that company was formed in 1954 and remained in that position until retirement in 1969. This interview was conducted in 1980 as part of an oral history project initiated to preserve the history of the Standard Oil Company of California and is primarily presented in non‐technical terms. The interview was conducted by Dr. Miriam Stein, president of Oral History Associates. The transcript ha...

4682999 Methods for enhancing the productivity of plants: Donald C Young assigned to Union Oil Company of California

4682999 Methods for enhancing the productivity of plants: Donald C Young assigned to Union Oil Company of California

4506540 Liquid sensor and the use thereof in controlling the corrosion of pipelines: Glenn Marsh assigned to Union Oil Company of California

4506540 Liquid sensor and the use thereof in controlling the corrosion of pipelines: Glenn Marsh assigned to Union Oil Company of California

4522728 Acidification of steam condensate for incompatibility control during mixing with geothermal brine: Darrell Gallup, John Featherstone assigned to Union Oil Company of California; Mono Power Company Southern Pacific and Land Compa

4522728 Acidification of steam condensate for incompatibility control during mixing with geothermal brine: Darrell Gallup, John Featherstone assigned to Union Oil Company of California; Mono Power Company Southern Pacific and Land Compa

Process for retorting oil shale with maximum heat recovery: Roland Deering assigned to Union Oil Company of California

Process for retorting oil shale with maximum heat recovery: Roland Deering assigned to Union Oil Company of California

Comment and Reply on “Model for the origin of the Yakutat block, an accreting terrane in the northern Gulf of Alaska”

Research Article| January 01, 1985 Comment and Reply on “Model for the origin of the Yakutat block, an accreting terrane in the northern Gulf of Alaska”: COMMENT Wayne A. Chisholm Wayne A. Chisholm 1Union Oil Company of California, Science & Technology Division, P.O. Box 76, Brea, California 92621 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Geology (1985) 13 (1): 87. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1985)13<87a:CAROMF>2.0.CO;2 Article history first online: 01 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Wayne A. Chisholm; Comment and Reply on “Model for the origin of the Yakutat block, an accreting terrane in the northern Gulf of Alaska”: COMMENT. Geology 1985;; 13 (1): 87. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1985)13<87a:CAROMF>2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract No Abstract Available. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.

EPA, Utilities Grapple with PCB Problems

An estimated 20,000 to 30,000 transformers contain toxic PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls). While data on effects of low-dose PCBs are not clearcut, a recent study indicates firefighters, for example, could be more at risk than currently believed because furans are formed when PCBs in transformers are intensely hot. California and Florida utility companies have spent millions of dollars to replace transformers. The Environmental Protection Agency appears ready to accede to demands to replace PCB-containing electrical equipment more quickly than just as equipment wears out.

An oil industry viewpoint on flame arresters in pipe lines. A flame arrester has no place in a pipe line unless it is located at or close to the end of a line terminating in an open space where an ignition source is anticipated

Plant/Operations ProgressVolume 2, Issue 2 p. 75-78 Article An oil industry viewpoint on flame arresters in pipe lines. A flame arrester has no place in a pipe line unless it is located at or close to the end of a line terminating in an open space where an ignition source is anticipated Oliver W. Johnson, Oliver W. Johnson Gastech, Inc., Johnson Instrument Div., Mountainview, Calif. 94042 Oliver W. Johnson is past Chairman of the API, Chairman on Fire Protection and is currently a member of the National Fire Protection Association and several of its Committees. He developed the first readily portable combustible gas indicator in 1927. Since retirement from Standard Oil Company of California with the title of Chief Fire Protection Engineer, he has made fire protection surveys, investigated fires and explosions in many parts of the world. He has given expert testimony in many court cases.Search for more papers by this author Oliver W. Johnson, Oliver W. Johnson Gastech, Inc., Johnson Instrument Div., Mountainview, Calif. 94042 Oliver W. Johnson is past Chairman of the API, Chairman on Fire Protection and is currently a member of the National Fire Protection Association and several of its Committees. He developed the first readily portable combustible gas indicator in 1927. Since retirement from Standard Oil Company of California with the title of Chief Fire Protection Engineer, he has made fire protection surveys, investigated fires and explosions in many parts of the world. He has given expert testimony in many court cases.Search for more papers by this author First published: April 1983 https://doi.org/10.1002/prsb.720020203Citations: 4 AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume2, Issue2April 1983Pages 75-78 RelatedInformation

Preliminary studies of the reservoir capacity and the generating potential of the Baca Geothermal Field, New Mexico

A 50‐MWe geothermal power plant is being considered for the Baca site in the Valleys Caldera, New Mexico, as a joint venture of the Department of Energy (DOE) and Union Oil Company of California. To date, over 20 wells have been drilled on the prospect, and the data from these wells indicate the presence of a high‐temperature, liquid‐dominated reservoir. In this paper, data from the open literature on the physical characteristics of the field are used to estimate the amount of hot water in place (reservoir capacity) and the length of time the reservoir can supply steam for a 50‐MWe power plant (reservoir longevity). The reservoir capacity is estimated to be 1012 kg of hot fluid by volumetric calculations using existing geological, geophysical, and well data. The criteria used are described and the sensitivity of the results discussed. The longevity of the field is studied using a two‐phase numerical simulator (SHAFT79). A number of cases are simulated based upon different boundary conditions and upon injection and production criteria. The results obtained from the simulation studies indicate that it is questionable that the Baca field can supply enough steam for a 50‐MWe power plant for 30 years. Although the estimated reservoir reserves greatly exceed those needed for a 50‐MWe power plant, the low transmissivity of the reservoir would cause localized boiling and rapid pressure decline during exploitation. It is therefore apparent that the conventional zero‐dimensional (lumped parameter models) cannot be used to evaluate the generating capacities of low‐permeability fields such as the Baca field.

Spin-off companies from Chalmers University of Technology

A survey of companies which have been spun-off from Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg, Sweden, has been made and compared to an inventory of patent activity at Chalmers. The results are compared to similar studies of spin-off companies in Boston and California. We find spin-off rates between those reported for California and those which can be calculated for MIT. The situation with regard to spin-off founders offers many similarities to the situation at MIT and Stanford. However, on the average the companies from Chalmers are smaller and newer.

Navy A-7 Fuel Conservation Program

Tijdeman, H. and Zwaan, R.J., Aerodynamics for Wings with Control Surfaces, AGARD-CP-80-71, April 1971. Forsching, H., Triebstein, H., and Wagener, J., Measurement on an Harmonically Oscillating Swept Wing with Two Control Surfaces in Incompressible Flow, AGARD-CP-80-71, April 1971. LaBarge, W.L., Correlation of Theoretical and Experimental Pressure Distributions over an Oscillating Wing and Two Control Surfaces, Lockheed California Company, Rept. LR-24737, Sept. 1971. Ashley, H. and Rodden, W.P., Wing-Body Aerodynamic Interaction, Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 4, 1972, pp. 431472. Rowe, W.S., Winther, B.A., and Redman, M.C., Subsonic Aerodynamic Loadings Caused by Control Surface Motions, Journal of Aircraft, Vol. 11, Jan. 1974, pp. 45-54. Rowe, W.S., Sebastian, J.D., and Redman, M.C., Recent Developments in Predicting Unsteady Airloads Caused by Control Surface Motions, Journal of Aircraft, Vol. 13, Dec. 1976, pp. 955961. 11 Turner, D. and Astle, D.C., A Study of the Effect of Control Surface Aerodynamics on Flutter Analysis, Proceedings of the Conference on Finite Element Methods and Technology, March 1981. Fuel Costs (dollars/gallon) 300 5.00

Improvement in tool life of coated high speed steel drills using the activated reactive evaporation process

Type M-10 high speed steel drills of diameter 0.25 in were coated with TiC and TiN using the activated reactive evaporation process. The coated drills were tested by drilling holes into plates of AISI 4150 steel of thickness 1 in at a hardness level of 300 HB. The speed used was 900 rev min -1 and the feed rate was 0.007 in rev -1. For comparison, uncoated and the standard black-oxide-coated drills were also tested using the same conditions. The average number of holes to failure was seven for uncoated drills, 33 for black-oxide-coated drills and 141 for the TiC- and TiN- coated drills. These results show that the TiC- and TiN-coated drills have tool lives of 20 times that of uncoated drills and 4.2 times that of black-oxide-coated drills under these test conditions. Torque and thrust measurements were made during the drilling test of same steel plates at 770 rev min -1 and a feed rate of 0.008 in rev -1 at Lockheed Company of California, Burbank. The TiC- and TiN-coated drills showed 15%-18% less thrust, 10%-23% less torque and eight to ten times the tool life of uncoated drills under these conditions. They also showed 15%-18% less thrust and 2.5 to three times the tool life in relation to the black-oxide-coated drills.