The term revolution has been utilized to denote a change involving a swift movement driven by some common thought of the day or an effort to transform some authority in a society accompanied by a formal or informal mass mobilization that undercuts the current authority in place. Many who have studied revolutions believe that society is a state of equilibrium between resources, demands and systems involving politics and cultures. In viewing the cultures of companies entering into the wind industry, it appears as though a windustrial as opposed to an industrial, as I call it, revolution may be occurring.
Wind Prospecting and a Pioneering Ethos
When first considering that to begin a wind project requires prospecting: when starting a project every wind developer must consider a determination of access to transmission lines, accessibility to markets with demand for renewable energy, ability to obtain the necessary permits and willing landowners. Of course, without the prospector, nothing can happen.
The prospector brings a unique personality early to such projects. Wind is relatively new energy for the United States. The Pacific Northwest contains open spaces and wind that can make a project worthwhile. In some areas within Oregon and Washington, a wind development is regarded as just another type of agricultural development.
In many wind projects engender a local pride in moving forward with providing clean, renewable energy. The process is complex. Creating a new type of farm requires a revolution of people that brings together a seemingly infinite number of variables.
Initial construction in order to “wind” farm may require up to or beyond 50 miles of new roads. Much like pioneering, the resources to develop these new roads are often brought from faraway places. Under, above and alongside the roads, a dynamic system of transmission lines and substations are built. Once the conduits are in place, erection of the wind turbine towers can begin. Rooted in a foundation 32 feet deep with a 16-foot diameter, the towers are held in place by more than 245 cubic yards of concrete. With the towers in place, the ‘nacelle’ or engine of the turbine and rotors are placed. The assembly can require a 650- ton crane to lift it into place.
Wind-Powered Human Development
The role of a wind project development can be easy to measure in terms of economic development, but economic terms alone cannot tell the whole story. Much of what happens involves people on a personal and intimate level. For many who come out of traditional farming, there is an opportunity to continue to farm in a new way.
For others who approach working in wind, they must be trained to understand the technology. An understanding of the technology brings with it a necessary adaptation to this different life in a place where no roads or electricity existed before the wind turbines are planted. This represents a different breed of people and presents the windustrial revolution that I referenced earlier.
Many people are attracted to the new opportunity. With multitudes trying to escape an economy of layoffs, wind attracts all personalities. The cultures of many wind power companies are often difficult to assess because farms may be located in a remote area. I’ve advocated for more training in consideration of what people present socially due to the different environment than Americans traditionally work.
For example, some wind farms are located so remotely that there is not yet an opportunity for a wind power technician’s family to be together. It is, in some areas, much like it was when the Wild, Wild West was developing. So a worker may endure a lifestyle that is slightly different that in which one goes to the job and puts in a full day’s work, then returns home to eat dinner and watch some television with the family. Since the accommodations for a family may not exist yet close enough to the farm, a number of workers may live in on-site housing. The worker is not only away from family, but sometimes endures the only entertainment that can be found for miles: the region’s bar.
A Case Study in Wind Power Company Culture
In a role I held early in my “wind” years as a career counselor, I remember counseling a technician who was working in a major corporate wind operation who came to me for some advice in moving forward with wind. The story he shared began with excitement in being given a computer which would was intended to become his companion for his career in wind. It would be used for e-learning, reporting daily time for payroll, accounting for credit card use and a communications portal in general. While the
technology gives the appearance of our modern lifestyles and work environments, it was assigned much like a ration given to a cowboy setting out on a journey.
The wind farm that this worker was hired for was under construction, so he settled into a host site for the first week to learn more about the basic safety and other requirements. After the initial week, he was called into the site manager’s office just before the end of day and informed that he appeared “needy” and “required quite a bit of attention.” He was informed that since he was new, he was simply being talked to. This is a little out of order for those of us who are more knowledgeable in the current state of having human resource practitioners implement any counseling in a work environment. You can almost imagine the person talking to this worker after being given the best advice from the human resources department.
His was in a state of shock, having initially been educated as an engineer and now being told that he was needy seemed in conflict to him. However, the next four weeks were busily filled with more training involving basic first-aid, CPR, AED, and ENSA high angle rescue. The technician states he went along trying to be helpful and participative. Yet at the end of this basic training, he received another shocking notification from the manager: “Nobody wants to work with someone who knows so much.”
The technician told me that he was told to “chill out” and to get along with the guys. It appeared weird to him that no one came forward and suggested anything, but instead “reported” him to the bosses. It became clear that the force of the company culture was creating a poisonous environment for him. He was wondering if it was a mistake to try to learn more about being an introductory member of wind technology instead entering at a more professional level. It appeared as though he was somewhere “out of the current time period.”
It was somewhere around five weeks before 0700-hour work assignments were doled out. Climbing gear issued, he climbed 216 rungs of a vertical ladder to the yaw deck, stopping along the way to catch a breath. He made his way up a short ladder directly under the gearbox and threaded his body through an opening he described much like a birth canal and emerged into the nacelle using an electric chain hoist through an opening in the floor. He changed oil and hydraulic filters, greased bearings, charged hydraulic accumulators with nitrogen, replaced batteries, and cleaned. And cleaned he said again, “did I mention cleaning?”
The surfaces are uneven and the head clearance is limited. He told me that there was a point that he had to exhale to get his chest between a steel vertical support beam and accumulator tank in order to access a lower section in the front housing. He described his new skill set much like that of an acrobat, as one needs to lay on his stomach and pull oneself over a ball like cast steel that the blade roots are bolted. The opening is about 24 inches wide and 18 inches tall. Once inside, he contorted his body into a fetal position in order to turn around to ascend feet first into the inner sanctum.
The acclimation to working inside the unit, as difficult as he found it, seemed easy compared to the cultural aspects that he faced once on the ground. The technician was hired as a tech II instead of the usual tech 1 position, another mistake. “I was told to not share anything about myself,” he said.
As time went along, the technician became a target for bulling, creating a culture of distrust. The other techs seemed to try to get “a rise” out of him. He witnessed fall protection left unworn while lowering gear bags down. He saw power strips with split cords and exposed wires in service. He watched lock out tag out keys being passed between workers; truck head lights burned out with replacement bulbs left on the dashboard for two weeks’ time; tail lights caked in mud to the point that emitting light was impossible; backing of trucks without a spotter.
The technician was ultimately released from this company. This was the reason that he landed back into my counseling office of the school he had graduated from.
Taming the Wild West of Wind Power
While we all recognize bullies who yell, hit and make nasty remarks, how do we create cultures for this new era that does not allow co-workers to browbeat or punish those who follow rules. The workers are exploring new territory for their companies and are much like those that ventured out west to stake new ground. Some probing into this particular company revealed that this Tech II’s coworkers were masters of the “gotcha!” Such an environment creates snooping behaviors, and then presents the snoopers as righteous and as proud.
The environment deteriorates to the point where people must look over their shoulder, and creates intensity and irritability in others. There often is delight when someone’s inherent success is prevented. Turnover can be high because an outsider to this culture will be harassed until he leaves or will be persecuted until released by the firm. Ultimately, this is bullying. A manager who oversees these wind power new frontiers must be able to teach workers to use common sense. Writing performance goals
for such a crew that focuses on what to do and what not to do is important. Each week, infractions to the plan to improve these workers productivity must be evaluated.
It is important that mid-level managers who communicate such plans to their own supervisors, because bullying personalities will go above their own manager.
Often, when bullies have the opportunity to change their ways and focus on their own work, they do not change. They are often more interested in forging their own rules. When the position of power is undercut, often these personalities will leave an organization.
Of course, it’s harder to stop these bullies if you are merely a co-worker, or if the bully is protected by his manager or he’s an entrenched manager who’ll never be released.
Conclusion
There is a revolution in the people who are attracted to the pioneering ethos of wind power development and who seek new opportunity in the work provided. It is also an opportunity to explore in many career areas how we can develop new opportunities to work and to develop work and create a product (wind) that can offer the next generation of developments for America.
The work involves being an entrepreneur for this industry. There are products that can help us in our normal workday, which can be obtained by simply visiting a local store. Where there are wind farms, the drive might involve a hundred mile drive to obtain something normal considered a basic supply.
Other aspects of the work involve “getting the work done” and thinking of better ways to do the work since we are developing new ground for this industry. Just like the days of commuting by horse and buggy, there are days where the oil in a wind turbine would be changed by hoisting five gallon buckets up and down the tower. A farmer thought it would be easier to utilize hydraulics and created a better system to change the oil in the turbines much like has been developed for farm equipment.
We should be forward in additionally creating the cultures for people to work that will create greater opportunity for Americans to win in this Windustrial Revolution. It requires being a new kind of sheriff in the town: the wind power company.
by Lisa Schmidt, Public Affairs/ Government Relations, EnergyWorks America
Issue #468 / August 2011
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| Lisa Schmidt is a Portland-Vancouver based speaker, marketing consultant and leadership advisor, can be reached at 360.314.2730 or GetMarketingMatters@gmail.com She advises the wind industry. |
