Presentation #1: Stress

In any traumatic situation or disaster the effects linger long after the situation has been rectified. There were and will continue to be significant negative stress associated with deep sea oil drilling for decades to come based upon the Deepwater Horizon/BP disaster.

• Identify the primary stressors (i.e., causal factors) and strains (i.e., outcomes of the stressors) associated with traditional deep sea oil drilling operations.
• What was or will continue to be the “fallout” regarding increased stress levels associated with the Deepwater Horizon/BP disaster in terms of future deep sea oil rig operators, Gulf Coast state residents, managers of associated organizations, organizations and groups involved in operating such rigs, regulating bodies, the oil industry as a whole, the general U.S. population, etc.

Presentation #2: Attitudes

Attitudes are the precursor to behaviors. Changes in attitudes such as job satisfaction, organization commitment, etc. can have a significant impact on the productivity and profitability of employees and their organizations.

• Describe the attitudes held by employees of the various organizations, groups, regulating bodies, etc. involved in the Deepwater Horizon/BP oil drilling operation.
• Given the explosion, death of employees, environmental damage, and political fallout of the Deepwater Horizon/BP disaster, what attitude changes have occurred or may occur in the future on the part of oil rig operating employees, BP executives, politicians, citizens of the Gulf Coast states, the general citizenry of the US, etc?

Presentation #3: Group Dynamics

Again, different organizations, groups of employees, as well as the government, all had to work together to make the Deepwater Horizon/BP deep sea drilling operation successful. Ideally, these groups should have worked together as a high performing work team.

• Describe the group process involved in operating a major deep sea oil rig. What are the group norms, level of cohesiveness, etc. needed to make a deep sea oil rig operation effective (i.e., profitable, efficient, safe, etc.)?
• Given the Deepwater Horizon/BP disaster, what should BP, Transocean, Halliburton, the U.S. government regulatory bodies, etc. do now to create an effective and efficient performing group, or better yet, a team?

Presentation #4: Decision Making

Obviously there were many faulty decisions made, or important and critical decisions not made, which contributed to the Deepwater Horizon/BP disaster.

• Discuss the model(s) of decision making used in the Deepwater Horizon/BP case. Make sure to address whether “groupthink” was present or absent in this case.
• For future improvement, how should BP and similar organizations make decisions given that many different organizations, groups, engineers, etc. must work together to have a successful deep sea oil drilling operation?