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Decision Point Six

15 January, 2016 - 09:08
Available under Creative Commons-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Download for free at http://cnx.org/contents/05c97be4-3ad0-47f2-b5a7-a75d0ad90ab7@3.72

Decision Point Six

  • Margaret Gooderal and Ruth Ibarra have made several attempts to get their supervisors to respond to the problem of skipping the environmental tests. The general response has been to shoot the messenger rather than respond to the message. Both Gooderal and Ibarra have been branded trouble makers and told to mind their own business. They have been threatened with dismissal if they persist.
  • So they have decided to blow the whistle, having exhausted all the other options. They initiated contact with officials in the U.S. government's Office of the Inspector General. These officials are interested but have told Gooderal and Ibarra that they need to document their case.
  • One day they fnd two hybrids (chips that combine two different kinds of semiconductor devices on a common substrate) on LaRue's desk. These chips which are destined for an air-to-air missile have failed the leak test. It is obvious that LaRue plans on passing them without further testing during the evening shift after Gooderal has gone home. Gooderal and Ibarra discuss whether this presents a good opportunity to document their case for the Ofce of the Inspector General.

Dialogue

  • Construct an imaginary conversation between Gooderal and Ibarra where they discuss different strate gies for documenting their concerns to the Office of the Inspector General?
  • Have them consider the following:
  • By looking for documented evidence against their employer, have Gooderal and Ibarra violated their duties of trust and confidentiality?
  • Some argue that before blowing the whistle, an employee should exhaust internal channels. Have Gooderal and Ibarra discuss whether they can do anything more inside Hughes before taking evidence outside

Debriefing for Decision Point Six

  • Each drama point revolves around one or more conflicts. What is the conflict in your drama point. How did you play this conflict out through your dramatization?
  • Your drama takes place over a socio-technical system. Look at the above table. What are the key values at play in the Hughes STS? How did these values enter into your dramatization? For example, did a value conflict drive and confrontation between characters in your dramatization? Think, in this section, about how the STS and its values enter into your dramatic portrayal of the events in this case.
  • What kind of narrative form did your drama take on? Was it a tragedy? A comedy? A story with a happy ending? Something else? What is it about the case that led you to pick the narrative form that you did?
  • Finally, did you learn anything about the case by constructing and acting out your drama? What was it? What is different about these dramatic rehearsals in comparison with other learning activities you have undergone this semester?