Transparency is good in government, public service, politics, your personal life, and — of course — in business. Think of buyers and sellers…EBay, Airbnb and Uber. We all want more transparency — especially in the current turbulent times. Transparency helps in information gathering, coordination, accountability and decision-making.
But what about in the Chemical Process Industry (CPI)? On one hand, transparency is important for safety and process development. Especially important is transparency in the case of experimental errors or in process equipment.
Mistakes happen
In all of our careers, there has been a time when a mistake happens, maybe a small one and hopefully not a big one. But, if it happens, maximum transparency is critical.
- First, identify the mistake: Did the process fail? Was the sizing of the machine wrong? Was the application incorrect?
- Next, apologize and propose a solution.
- Finally, take action to solve the problem.
Transparency in CPI
Looking at transparency from another angle, sometimes more is better. In an article by McKinsey & Company focused on the “dark side of transparency” and its unintended consequences. The authors outline how excessive sharing of information creates information overload, endless debate and even possibly reduced creativity as ideas are squashed before they can be fully explored.
In the CPI, there are times when more is better and also when less is better. For example, in the relationship between the equipment supplier and the process development engineer, more transparency is better. The more the supplier knows about the process, the better the process solution. This can also reduce chances of the wrong application or wrong sizing, as discussed earlier, and avoidance of the need for an apology after a mistake.
On the other hand, less transparency may be necessary when it involves corporate strategies and competitive advantage. For process equipment, a new development or improved design leading to a unique process solution benefits the client and the technology supplier, but not the competition. The same is true of information shared by the client with the technology supplier. We sign many NDA’s today to protect the client’s strategies for new processes, new compounds, new markets, and new approaches.
What do you think, more or less? Every day we face these questions. Find me on LinkedIn and let me know your ideas and the skills that you have developed to get the transparency balance correct. Keep in mind, though, your comments will be transparent and may be shared with my readers, who also care about Chemical Process Industry progress.