Jörgen sandberg. Stockholm School of Economics. A classic managerial problem, страница 10

things to the optimizers expressing this conception and to those expressing the former conception. Those in the first group described take one thing at a time, recording measurements and so on, to achieve a desired optimum for a certain quality in a specific step. Those in the second group attempt to optimize a quality as accurately as possible within a specific step, without negatively influencing the remaining qualities. It is through the attribute of seeing links among the qualities of the engine that these optimizers are able to establish the right order of steps and to judge the degree of accuracy within the optimization.

Like the optimizers expressing conception 1, the optimizers in the second group also point out the attribute of understanding and developing monitoring systems as central in the optimization work. However, although knowledge of monitoring systerns means being able to influence a single engine quality in a desired way for the first group, for the second group it means being able to reach the desired interaction among the qualities of an engine. To develop new monitoring functions but, above all, to build up knowledge about the links among qualities of the engine, the attribute of interest in engines and self-teaching appears. However, the task is not only to learn for oneself. It is also a matter of communicating with others. Here, the attribute of co-operating with the other people involved and communicating to them how the engine ought to be optimized appears as central. These optimizers not only develop their own knowledge, but also include other optimizers in the learning process, so a shared understanding is built up about the ongoing work. By their doing so, others involved in the optimization become more motivated and efficient in their work.

Conception 3: Optimizing from the Customers'

Perspective

As in the previous conception, optimizers who express this conception take account of all steps at each single optimization step. However, these individuals focus on the relation between an optimized engine and the customers' experience of driving. Wherever these workers are optimizing an engine, be it in the testing room or on the road, they drive the car as an ordinary customer would. As illustrated by this response to a follow-up to the key question, "What is a competent optimizer for you?" the optimizers relate the single optimization situation to the approved car and, in so doing, they try to incorporate the customers' requirements at each step of the process:

02: The reality is in fact that you should be like,  yeah like any one of the customers. You should be able to take a young boy's perspective on a car, and an older person, how he wants to experience the car. Then if your car works, hopefully in both ways, then they'll both be satisfied. This is what I think is the role of the optimizer, it's to be able to drive a car as you think people want to experience the car.

The attributes appearing within this conception are all centered around the relation between specific qualities of the engine and customers' requirements, forming a third distinctive structure of competence. The most essential attribute for these optimizers is a practical sense of the engine. It is through this attribute that they are able to evaluate the interaction between qualities of the engine from the customers' perspective. The attribute consists of knowledge of customers' requirements for a good car. At the same time, these workers also need to understand how optimizing a particular quality influences the end result. Of greatest importance is knowledge of the relation between the customers' requirements and the optimization of particular qualities in producing the end product; these engineers might sum up their view like this: "If I change this particular quality, then the other engine qual- ities will react in this way but, above all, the customers will experience it like this."