What to do when process designers encounter researchers who refuse to provide necessary data for confidentiality reasons?
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In many fine chemical plants, in order to maintain confidentiality (as required by the company), R&D personnel provide process engineers with only simple test reports when sharing design details, without giving any descriptions of the processes or information on the properties of the materials (such as viscosity or descriptions related to viscosity). I don’t think this is a good approach; I believe this issue should be considered from the following perspective: (1) Since they are all employees of the company, why can we trust R&D personnel but not process engineers? This is a management mistake on the part of the company. (2) Can a project be completed successfully without cooperation and collaboration in order to maintain secrecy? The engineering and technological standards of such factories are extremely low (I’ve seen them). Has anyone else encountered this situation? How did you all handle it?
It’s not easy for developers to create things on their own, but that’s not an excuse. The issues related to the interface between design and development cannot be resolved by designers or developers themselves; rather, it is the senior management responsible for research and production management who need to establish reasonable management methods for the research and development process. Such mechanisms should be used to hold people accountable, while systems should be put in place to protect them. Only in this way can research results be produced as quickly as possible. With an appropriate incentive system, everyone’s income can be secured, and there will be no problems related to confidentiality within the company. :I hope to continue discussing handshake with everyone.
Learn a little, grow slowly – the key is persistence
I agree with what 2# said. Personally, I think it’s a matter of the company’s structure; often, keeping information confidential is done for the company’s long-term development. Designers should also understand this – it’s not that they refuse to provide the information, but they need to take responsibility if they do.
We still need to show understanding and consider further consultations based on the known conditions!
To be honest, it’s normal. The vices of the intelligentsia. If it were me, I might do the same. Solution: Clarify the matter of money and reputation first, and let the organization make a unified decision
Everyone has a different perspective. If you’re in R&D, you obviously want to keep things confidential, but if you’re in design, you don’t want others to keep secrets from you. It depends on how coordination and communication are handled; effective management by the company is key in this regard
This problem is more severe and more common in China, all because our legal system is not well-developed. It’s very difficult to hold someone legally accountable for stealing others’ achievements or belittling their work. So, it is understandable why some seniors are reluctant to share their achievements with others. Could someone please clearly state that my achievements were developed based on someone else’s research? One of these is interest, and the other is reputation.
I am currently working on a project of this kind, and I face the same issues. Our approach is to conclude separate confidentiality agreements that clarify responsibilities, rights, and interests, thereby meeting the design requirements while maintaining as much confidentiality as possible. The cooperation on the project is fairly good at the moment. To put it simply, the key point here is profit! :lol
Many companies these days are involved in matters related to confidentiality, which has its advantages and disadvantages.
With the development of society today, maintaining confidentiality is a normal practice; you can pursue further discussions to find a solution. In the past, we embraced the Daqing Spirit, integrating research, design, and production – which led to high efficiency in our work.
The necessary data must be provided; currently it’s the designers’ responsibility – besides dealing with problems, their signatures are required on the design drawings.