My Reflection – Storytelling

Challenge & Selection

I’m an Industrial and Systems Engineering student. Storytelling is a tool I use quite

frequently, for all my work, homework and basically in all of my tasks. Since the pandemic of

COVID-19 started, all of my work has to be done from my house, like many students all

around the world. When this pandemic started I was in my junior year, but now I’m in my

senior year, which is kind of sad not being around for my last days in person at school. I

study Industrial Engineering, and work mainly with organizational innovation systems this

year. Many of my topics are focused in simulation, evaluation of a system, applied enterprise

case studies and systems in general. I spend a lot of my time trying to propose new and

better ideas to solve the problems given, always trying to save as many resources as

possible, whether they are tangible or intangible. As time passed by, I realized the

importance of the involvement of the stakeholders. Often the stakeholders that are usually

excluded have some really important ideas, or ideas that the management team would have

never thought; but why? Well, mainly since these stakeholders are left behind because of

the position they have, where most of the time they belong to the working class, where they

have been working and doing the same thing for 5 to 10 years in a row. When you get used

to doing the same exact thing, it can be said that you become a master of that process, you

know mostly everything.     Application

I have many stories about implementing storytelling. One I really like was the one

with the resistance to change from the management team. In discussing how to improve the  productivity of the workers, and reduce the fatigue of the workers, I proposed the idea of  talking and asking directly to them, know what they need and how can we help them to feel  less tired. When I proposed this idea, many criticized me for being crazy, argumenting that  as a management team we know what they needed.      Many methods and many things were changed in order to improve the work quality,

such as a new design of working station the, redesign the layout, change the working

methods, change the working schedule, and many more ideas proposed were made. But the

results were still the same.

Knowing that thing in fact did not change, the straight approach with the workers was

imminent. When we talked with a selected group of workers, that were mainly the leaders of

different work groups, they all agreed on one thing, to change the light intensity in the

workplace, since it was pretty high and exhausted the sight of many workers. Such a simple

thing as the light changed the whole panorama of the fabric, and it wasn’t a difficult task to

do. All we had to do was to do a storytelling of the process the workers do and just tell it like

a normal story, describing it from the beginning up to the end. It was as simple as just telling

a story.

Insight & Approach

Oh well, who would have thought it before? Such a simple thing as changing the

lights would resolve the problem of inefficiency of the factory. There were many white lights

all around the workplace, more than necessary once we analyzed the request. When we

revised the series of standards of ergonomy, in fact the workers were completely right. When

the fabric was designed the management didn’t realize that they installed an excess of lights.

Finally, the level of productivity of the factory was able to increase and the workers

were more satisfied with their workstations.

I applied this same technique with other case studies in school and in my practice

job, where I simply make a storytelling with the stakeholders involved and evaluate the

possible options of change, how can the enterprise, the stakeholders, and mainly everybody

get a benefit from change.

This course allowed me to see even more the importance of applying different tools

of design thinking, making me see the problem or the situation with a new perspective. Also,  it allowed me to make storytelling in a different approach, in a more efficient way. I’m a future  engineer, and now I can see the importance of not only applying numbers and methods in  my job, but to also apply design thinking where it can be applied.

This course was really interesting and of great knowledge!


My Reflection – Storytelling Challenge & Selection I ’m an Industrial and Systems Engineering student . Storytelling is a tool I use quite frequently , for all my work , homework and basically in all of my tasks . Since the pandemic of COVID-19 started , all of my work has to be done from my house , like many students all around the world . When this pandemic started I was in my junior year , but now I ’m in my senior year , which is kind of sad not being around for my last days in person at school . I study Industrial Engineering , and work mainly with organizational innovation systems this year . Many of my topics are focused in simulation , evaluation of a system , applied enterprise case studies and systems in general . I spend a lot of my time trying to propose new and better ideas to solve the problems given , always trying to save as many resources as possible , whether they are tangible or intangible . As time passed by , I realized the importance of the involvement of the stakeholders . Often the stakeholders that are usually excluded have some really important ideas , or ideas that the management team would have never thought ; but why ? Well , mainly since these stakeholders are left behind because of the position they have , where most of the time they belong to the working class , where they have been working and doing the same thing for 5 to 10 years in a row . When you get used to doing the same exact thing , it can be said that you become a master of that process , you know mostly everything . Application I have many stories about implementing storytelling . One I really like was the one with the resistance to change from the management team . In discussing how to improve the productivity of the workers , and reduce the fatigue of the workers , I proposed the idea of talking and asking directly to them , know what they need and how can we help them to feel less tired . When I proposed this idea , many criticized me for being crazy , argumenting that as a management team we know what they needed . Many methods and many things were changed in order to improve the work quality , such as a new design of working station the , redesign the layout , change the working methods , change the working schedule , and many more ideas proposed were made . But the results were still the same . Knowing that thing in fact did not change , the straight approach with the workers was imminent . When we talked with a selected group of workers , that were mainly the leaders of different work groups , they all agreed on one thing , to change the light intensity in the workplace , since it was pretty high and exhausted the sight of many workers . Such a simple thing as the light changed the whole panorama of the fabric , and it was n’t a difficult task to do . All we had to do was to do a storytelling of the process the workers do and just tell it like a normal story , describing it from the beginning up to the end . It was as simple as just telling a story . Insight & Approach Oh well , who would have thought it before ? Such a simple thing as changing the lights would resolve the problem of inefficiency of the factory . There were many white lights all around the workplace , more than necessary once we analyzed the request . When we revised the series of standards of ergonomy , in fact the workers were completely right . When the fabric was designed the management did n’t realize that they installed an excess of lights . Finally , the level of productivity of the factory was able to increase and the workers were more satisfied with their workstations . I applied this same technique with other case studies in school and in my practice job , where I simply make a storytelling with the stakeholders involved and evaluate the possible options of change , how can the enterprise , the stakeholders , and mainly everybody get a benefit from change . This course allowed me to see even more the importance of applying different tools of design thinking , making me see the problem or the situation with a new perspective . Also , it allowed me to make storytelling in a different approach , in a more efficient way . I ’m a future engineer , and now I can see the importance of not only applying numbers and methods in my job , but to also apply design thinking where it can be applied . This course was really interesting and of great knowledge !