Tribal knowledge is a peculiar culture in too many workplaces where collective learning is passed down within the company by word of mouth. It can be good, for example the seasoned Jedi Master shares tricks which will allow the young padawan to avoid errors or increase the probability to produce a quality outcome.
Tribal knowledge can also be a source of continual less than optimal outcomes because the 'old ways' cannot be questioned, or the Jedi Masters have re-interpreted or mis-interpreted the old ways. For example, at one industrial manufacturing company I worked at we assembled pneumatic controls. A key element is assembly of many was the application of Dow Corning silicone paste to lubricate key rubber components, one of which was a diaphragm seal ring; if the silicone was not applied the pressure regulators would audibly 'honk' when tested. The trouble was the silicone paste would develop crystals and become 'gritty' when the tubs were left open for extended periods of time or when shipped in during below freezing weather. For Southerns think of a partially eaten bowl of grits that got tossed in the sink and dried out. Kind of gelatinous but with a texture. Regardless of how much you stirred it, it would not go back to a smooth paste.
One particular day I was working the diaphragm station in a work cell and the silicone had gone gritty. I was spinning the diaphragm in the fixture while trying to force silicone into the seal ring by pushing the brush into the seal ring space as it rotated. A tester began harping that I wasn't putting enough silicone on, though it was piled up. The other tester, a former lead in the department piped in that I was putting on plenty, the current lead announced that I was doing it wrong, that I had to pick up the diaphragm and brush silicone on in an X motion. Then the supervisor, also a former lead, hearing all the squawking entered the work cell to see what was going on. I showed her the silicone had become gritty and could not be brushed into the seal ring area. To which I was told that the silicone is the approved product and that I needed to 'follow the process'. So there I had 3 Jedi's telling me different things and no one to concede that the silicone was the likely root cause of the problem. The print called for 'lubricate seal ring with DC111 paste', no explanation of how to apply the paste, and that is where tribal knowledge stepped in the fill the gap, but with different Jedi's opinions. Yes opinions, everyone insisting that their way was right but failing to address the root cause(s),
At one point I suggested bag lubing the seal rings, putting them in a zip-lock bag with a dab of silicone paste and kneading the bag to ensure that the lube got on the entire seal ring surface before it was swaged into the diaphragm seat. "No! That is not the process." I was told. To which I responded "But the process is obviously broken if we have this recurring problem." This was met with a firm "YOU need to follow the PROCESS.'
On the dark side of tribal knowledge is situations such as this, aka 'We've Always Done It This Way'. The product in this case was a 30 year old design and engineering could not be bothered to even consider using a different lubricant with better shelf stability, because that problem had in their mind already been solved.
But I'm Just A Dumbass Mechanic
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