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Collaborating: Conflict Strategies for Nice People
In 1958 Martin Luther King Jr. published “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story” expressing: “…the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people…”
This was true then and is true now and in the context of our discussion about workplace conflict. A ‘nice’ person valuing friendly relations with colleagues who never picks a fight, might be just as responsible for group dysfunction as her more combative teammates. Conflict is uncomfortable, but it is the source of true innovation and also a critical process in identifying and mitigating risks.
Teams need conflict to function effectively. Conflict allows the team to come to terms with difficult situations, synthesize diverse perspectives, and make sure solutions are well thought-out. The secret of having healthy conflict and maintaining your self-image as a nice person is all in the mindset and the delivery.
The article provides a few tips on improving the delivery by anyone in her role of adding value to the team not in how often you agree, but in how often you add unique value.
1. Use “and,” not “but.”: Invite and engage teammates in problem-solving, which is inherently collaborative instead of combative. Try seeking more points of view instead of taking ‘my way or highway’ route.
2. Use hypotheticals: Being contradicted does not feel very good. Instead, ask about assumed situations and get teammates to imagine. Try to jointly explore different scenarios to reach an agreement.
3. Ask about the impact: Directing a few open-ended questions to your teammate is also useful as it is considered open to ideas and being curious about the right approach.
4. Discuss the underlying issue: It is akin to Covey’s 5th habit (in a series of 7 habits) of highly effective people, seeking to understand first, before making yourself understood. It helps the situation move toward an amicable resolution. Many conflicts on a team spiral out of control because the parties involved aren’t on the same page.
5. Ask for help: Own the misunderstanding and seek team opinion. If something is really surprising to you, say so. A frivolous idea can be examined with a series of genuine, open questions to help steer the plan in the desired direction.
Conflict – presenting a different point of view even when it is uncomfortable – is critical to team effectiveness. Diversity of thinking on a team is the source of innovation and growth. It is also the path to identifying and mitigating risks. Use one of these techniques to make it a little easier, rather than shying away from conflicts.
The alternative is withholding your concerns, taking them up outside of the team, and slowly eroding trust and credibility. That’s not nice!
addition in an article by Liane Davey
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Constructive Feedback – A Prerequisite for Excellence
निंदक नियरे राखिए, ऑंगन कुटी छवाय। बिन पानी, साबुन बिना, निर्मल करे सुभाय।। — Kabir Das
Kabir Das, a 15th century Indian mystic poet and saint, emphasized the role of ‘critic’ in the development of human being. He states that we should invite our critic whose criticism guides us to work on the areas of improvement by the self only, without any external influence. Taking a cue from the great saying of Kabir Das, constructive criticism by mentor works as a feedback for the students and must be taken in the positive spirit only for self-development and not as an offence.
It is mentor’s responsibility to make her student better than before. Some of the points important for the students to note and internalize can be discussed as below:
-First Deserve, then Desire: There is nothing wrong in desiring anything, howsoever, impossible it may appear. It is, however, imperative to first work on the self to be ready for the same. Just wishful thinking would not take us any far. A concrete foundation is required to build a invincible fort of excellence. Dreams do not have any expiry date and we must have the courage to invest in our own self to improve.
-Life is about Celebration, not Regret: As is said, we must look at life with positivity and just a sphere of endless struggle. Life is all about success, failure, rejoice, sorrow, triumph, celebration and so on. Go with the flow, learn new skills and try to make it better every next moment. Our attempt should be to win over the difficult situations with a tact and have plan B for every plan A. Mentor’s words and experiences do come handy in such situations.
John C. Maxwell rightly says: “It’s said that a wise person learns from his mistakes. A wiser one learns from others’ mistakes. But the wisest person of all learns from others’ successes.” This must be our mantra in life.
-Competency is required along with Eligibility: A perfect blend of talent, interest and of course, with the needed opportunity is a sure recipe for anyone to achieve excellence in life. Many times, it is seen that students (and senior professionals as well) get frustrated when they do not get through a job. It is important to work on improving the competency. The world is a realistic place and achieving success is relative to our peers and competitors.
गुरु कुम्हार शिष कुंभ है, गढि गढि काढैं खोट। अंतर हाथ सहार दै, बाहर बाहै चोट।। — Kabir Das
Another gem of Kabir just illustrated, lays down the role of Guru (Mentor), who like the Potter, carves the best out of her mentee (Pot) by curing the flaws of the disciple with utmost care by developing her with inner strength while critiquing (pounding the pot) from outside.
This summarizes the essence of the relationship between Mentor & Mentee. Look forward to constructive criticism…
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Nuclear Energy – A Journey of 78 Years!
For 78 years, nuclear energy has been one of the most discussed and argued issues in the world. It is both a boon and a bane, depending on how we use it. Let us explore the journey.
On 16 July 1945, the world witnessed the successful testing of the first-ever nuclear fission in a remote desert location near Alamogordo, New Mexico. The first successfully detonated atomic bomb – the Trinity Test – created an enormous mushroom cloud some 40,000’ high ushering the world in the Atomic Age.
It was the culmination of the efforts referred to as the ‘Manhattan Project’ by the allies led by the USA. The project was started in 1939 by the USA after intelligence agencies suspected that scientists working for Adolf Hitler had already working on a nuclear weapon since the 1930s.
Scientists Enrico Fermi, Leo Szilard, Robert J Oppenheimer et al were an integral part of the program, making possible the radioactive isotope separation (uranium enrichment) and nuclear chain reactions. Project Y was the establishment of Los Alamos Laboratory on January 1, 1943. It is here the first Manhattan Project bombs were built and tested.
Two distinct types of bombs were developed: a uranium-based design called “the Little Boy” and a plutonium-based weapon called “the Fat Man.” The history witnessed the deadliest explosion on August 6, 1945, with the dropping of the as-yet untested “Little Boy” bomb over Hiroshima, causing unprecedented destruction and death. Three days later, on August 9, 1945, the “Fat Man” bomb was dropped over Nagasaki with similar devastation. More than 100,000 people were killed and two Japanese cities were leveled to the ground affecting generations.
In 2023, the world is again staring at conflicts having the potential of escalating into nuclear detonation. It is important for mankind to work toward a peaceful resolution of conflicts and ensure that nuclear technology remains for peaceful use only.
It is incidental to mention that India’s first indigenous 700 MWe Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR), Nuclear Power Plant Unit-3, supplied by the BHEL-GE consortium, at Kakrapar in Gujarat, has become commercial on June 30, 2023. The Government of India has approved the construction of 10 indigenously developed PHWRs of 700 MW each in June 2017 to be built at a cost of Rs 1.05 lakh crore.
Just to glance back, the first commercial nuclear power stations started operation in the 1950s. Nuclear energy now provides about 10% of the world’s electricity from about 440 reactors. It is the world’s second-largest source of low-carbon power (26% of the total in 2020). Over decades, mankind has improvised every aspect of nuclear power plant- design, construction, operation & maintenance. The evidence shows that nuclear power is a safe means of generating electricity & the risk is low & declining. It is our bounden duty to ensure safer & cleaner energy and nuclear power fits into the pursuit of the same.
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HGI of Coal – A Throughput Determinant of Pulverisers
The grindability index signifies the ease with which the coal can be pulverized to the desired size. Coal with a higher index will be softer one to be ground and vice versa. If the coal used is of low grindability, the mill output would also reduce correspondingly.
In many ways, mill designers negotiate with the HGI value to specify mill capacity. Let us understand the behavior of a coal pulverizer in this context.
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How can student find their niche/ specialization in college?
Students need the right mix of opportunities and nurturing in college for their sustenance and success in life after study. It is the responsibility of the institution to provide the necessary ingredients for the overall development of students which is desirable for the industry/ society at large.
The three (3) tips are illustrated for students to get benefitted:
1. Make fundamentals strong in all subjects and master one or two: Diversify and enrich the knowledge basket to appreciate various aspects of personal and professional life. Strive to master one subject and make it your ‘forte’ plus one more area as a backup for the specialization.
2. Seek an able mentor: Mentor (a ‘Guru’) is the one who brings forth the best of her disciple. Students to look for a mentor, the way ‘Arjuna’ had ‘Krishna’ in Mahabharata; who would help her become more effective at study/ work, learn new skills, develop greater confidence, ignite their passion/ interest, and make better decisions in every walk of life. The disciple ought to remember that the mentor will only show the path, the travel has to be performed by the mentee herself using the guidance received from the ‘Guru’.
3. Try to have a future map of life-path for ten (10) years: Students should look to write things they learn in their journey. It is said that we have to necessarily think when we write implying that there occurs an intellectual stimulation in this process. Watching/ reading has benefits, but writing has added advantages. Every student should have a ten (10) years map of their future life path in writing, which can be modified as life progresses. This is similar to having a defined Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) method widely used in industry. Such initiative at an early stage guides the individual toward structured and continual improvement and aids in achieving the ultimate life goal. See the future from the front windshield of the life-car with guidance from the rear-view mirrors.
To conclude, we must have a focused approach in life which is possible with the methods suggested above.
“Focus means saying no to the hundred other good ideas.” – Steve Jobs
Some of the best practices to be adopted in Thermal Power Plant Design
Let us talk about some of the best practices to be adopted in a Thermal Power Plant Design. We need more efficient and relatively cleaner coal-based thermal power plants, when we cannot avoid them altogether.
It is becoming difficult to talk about ‘coal’ as a fuel in thermal power plants when we are increasingly getting aware of the pollution and other harmful effects it has, and a major cause of concern for adverse climatic conditions. However, for various reasons, we still see some countries including India looking to build more coal-based power plants to steer the development of the country and its people.
The Central Electricity Authority (CEA), under the Ministry of Power, Government of India, has notified the National Electricity Plan (NEP) for the duration of 2022-32. The plan includes the review of the period 2017-22, requirements of capacity addition for the duration 2022-27, and projections for the period 2027-2032. It is important to note that about 2.1 GW of Coal plants are likely to be retired during 2022-32. However, 27 GW capacity is under construction and in operation during the same timeframe. Around 31 GW capacity thermal plants are being conceptualized/ envisaged to be set up as per the plan till 2032.
Considering the ‘necessary evil’ that these coal-based power plants are here to stay for a while, we also must ensure some of the best design features these plants are equipped with. A few aspects can be enumerated:
- Improved heat rate: It is a common measure of system efficiency in a steam power plant. Designers are looking to better the heat rate (targeting a level of 1800 Kcal/kWhr) in supercritical or ultra-supercritical cycles.
- Pollution Control Equipments: New environment emission norms stipulated by MoEF&CC, Govt. of India have mandated the installation of environment protection equipments in coal-based thermal power plants. Sulphur (SOx) emission control through Flue Gas Desulphurization (FGD) system has become a must for TPPs. Suitable steps for the containment of NOx emissions, Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM), Mercury, and Specific Water Consumption are also getting due attention in the fight against pollution.
- Specific water consumption: Designers are looking to leave no stone unturned to use every possible way of reduce, reuse & recycle the wastewater/liquid generated in the thermal power plant. The zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) concept is being employed.
- Civil aspects: Opting for the best combination of RCC & Steel. The utilization of high-strength concrete grades to optimize the design is an important aspect of civil design.
- Predictive maintenance: Designers are looking to have smart tools for better operation and maintenance (real-time monitoring) of the plants.
Carbon capture, Utilization and storage (CCUS), Co-firing with Biomass, Rooftop solar plant, Green buildings, energy efficient drives, Suitability for Flexible operations for integration with renewable energy, etc. are some other aspects also to be considered while designing the upcoming coal-fired power plants.
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