Ask the Geezers

Where is the Justice System to Punish Faulty Behavior @ Sun?

Question: I have a team member who is one of the main contributors in the team. But he once made a mistake due to ignorance which unfortunately had a significant impact on a project release. We did a root cause analysis and installed preventive actions for the future. But it reminded me of a question regarding our rewarding/punishment system. I think if something goes wrong, someone should take responsibility for it. But I don't see "punishment" practice anywhere at Sun. How would you "geezers" explain that?

Amiram: "Punishment" is a harsh word. Consequences, in my mind, is a better term to use.

People make mistakes. They always do. The hope is that they learn from their mistakes, and that they don't make the same mistake twice (even better if they learn from someone else's mistakes). I would propose that consequences exist at Sun, as they do elsewhere.

Consequences do not have to be explicit. They are sometimes implied. In other words, if someone makes a serious mistake, his/her manager may delay the assignment of more responsibility. This is not a punishment per se, yet it is a consequence, a negative consequence. By the same token, people who operate error-free, may be given more responsibility earlier. You may call that a "reward" or "positive consequence".

Sin-Yaw: An action will have a consequence that usually means fixing the damage, cleaning up the mess, and/or righting the wrong.

We cannot encourage risk-taking unless we have tolerance for failures. We cannot hope for learning unless we are willing to accept mistakes. Without risk-taking and learning, we are not Sun.

Those who learn from their mistakes are usually better employees.

Mike: The only person who never makes a mistake is one who does absolutely nothing.

To me, making mistakes is just a part of life. Sometimes honest mistakes could have very big consequences. But if someone makes an honest mistake, the question is whether we should consider "punishing" that person.

In my opinion, punishment is something that is exercised on those over whom we have power. It is usually reserved for governmental practice. In other cases, it is something that is done to animals or people who are in the positions of chattel. For example, how we treat our children sometimes.

In most Western companies, some things are considered offenses and they are serious enough that the offenders will get a written warning or be dismissed immediately. If you look at the HR policy, you will find a list of things which are serious enough for some sort of punishment.

At Sun, a lot of things are handled relatively subjectively. You need to look at the ethics involved. And you have to look at a track record over time and consider the person's experience. A mistake made in good faith could work itself out over time. If someone has a record of not learning from his/her mistakes or of being terminally ignorant, then it may be someone we don't want to keep on the team or who will be held up on career development. It's not a one-time deal.

Posted at 11:34AM Mar 30, 2007 by Wen Michelle Lei in General  |  Comments[3]