| Description | Tape 1 Side A: PATRICK STANLEY CONNETT born 27 June 1948 Great Yarmouth. Middle of 3 children. Details re names of siblings, parents, wife, children. Explains present job as Operations Adviser involving organisational development, change management. Father, an engineer, owned a pub in Great Yarmouth, later worked on a lifeboat, did mechanical jobs for Norton Brothers, tobacconists, confectioners. Mother ran bed-and-breakfast business. Details. Paternal grandfather ran pub. Maternal grandparents had properties, restaurants. Recalls next home in Newtown, summer guests, mostly bookmakers. Details re house, school in Yarmouth. Later, moved to Caister where mother ran general store/grocery shop. Recalls situation re fireworks licence. Mentions family garden. Recalls father's cars. Family reasonably well off. Details re shop, merchandise, procurement of goods. Father biggest influence on life as an engineer. Reference to his work with Smith's Motor Accessories, and on aircraft during war. Explains his philosophy as an engineer, can-do attitude. Recalls making engine parts, rebuilding engines. Father an organiser in the community. Describes his personality, friendship with him. Application of father's philosophy to own work. Comments on how multi-national oil companies work in paradigms, own struggle to break paradigms. Compares structured attitude in Shell now with 50 years ago. Feelings about structures. Recalls family moves to parts of Gorleston. Father a commercial traveller. Culinary influence of mother. Details re her. Mentions home that had been hunting lodge for Earl of Litchfield. Went to Technical High School in Gorleston. Explains. Comments on sporting achievements in family, own lack of interest. Father a boxer. Own career aspiration - engineering. Explains enjoyment working with metal, creating things. Recalls impact of people on learning, achievements.
Tape 1 Side B: Recalls milk, orange juice, cod liver oil routine at school. First realisation of leadership skills when in Air Force. Details re brother's work in business. Relationship with him. Details re sister's work, organisational skills. Joined GPO (General Post Office) as apprentice after leaving school 1964. Details. Left just before finishing apprenticeship. Recalls American oil company cardboard cities (portacabins) springing up in Yarmouth, demand for PABX telephone systems. At start of drilling boom, Yarmouth flooded with Americans with money. Many service companies. Details re Post Office work routines. Summer 1966 spent putting in telephone exchanges. Reference to Schlumberger, Flopetrol. Recalls changes to Yarmouth, high pay in industry. Wanted to work offshore, mother's reaction because of dangers, accidents. Explains decision to leave Post Office, interests at the time. Value of Post Office experience in retrospect. An outside person. Background to joining Air Force as instrument electrician for 9 years 1967. Recalls dislike of electrical work. Married during this time. Details re postings. Discovered organisational skills. Details re spare time experience with working gangs moonlighting in Norfolk, tax-free earnings. Mentions current gang situation, government attempts to crack down. Became gangmaster, agricultural engineer. Explains role of gangmaster. Describes mechanical work on aircraft. Always a rebel in Air Force. Explains dislike of structures, own attitudes. Mentions work in Shell. Attitude to Air Force. It was a job. Mentions learning to fly later. Did electrical technician's City and Guilds day-release course at King's Lynn Technical College. Got Year Prize. Always liked being different. Also did ONC, HNC in electronic engineering. Details re meeting wife at Garibaldi's nightclub, her name. Married 1971.
Tape 1 Side A: Details re HNC (higher national certificate). Applied for engineering commission in Air Force, went through officer selection process. Reasons for not pursuing air force career. Mentions possibility of being checked on by air force plants. Background to appointment as offshore Production Technician with Shell 1976. Recalls changes to Lowestoft, Great Yarmouth since early days of oil/gas industry. People looked up to Shell then, not now. Describes office, part of present premises alongside River Waveney. Lowestoft was supply base. Details. First job on Shell Leman Alpha. Leman one of largest offshore gas fields in the world. Details re work routine as instrument technician, electrics and instruments. Reference to Avon aircraft engine used to drive gas compressor. Explains pressures of gas at wellhead, compressed pressures for supply to British Gas, Bacton, techniques used to increase volume of gas. Explains use of jet engine in compressor. Details re crew functions, collection and supply of data. Lot of improvisation. Describes daily routine. Accommodation similar to that on a ship. Small crew. Describes treatment of a faulty engine. Describes food on board, evening routine, family environment. Recalls colleagues on Shell Leman Alpha. Recalls first task on platform. Everybody went fishing during slack tide. Fish plentiful. Fishing later banned because of dangers to divers. Describes Leman Alpha, functions of different parts. Mentions weather, water depth. Called home via Humber radio - very public. Details. Impact of job on family. Quality time during time off. Community, pioneering atmosphere in Shell at the time. Little contact with shore staff. Communication by radio, telex. Family supported by the organisation. Gives example. Recalls wages, inflation.
Tape 2 Side B: 1976-9 Leman Alpha (cont'd). Describes accommodation, facilities. Mentions use of wood on platform. Details re offices, other quarters. Relaxed environment. Recalls safety standards then. Mentions later recognition of necessity of positive pressure inside accommodation to keep gas leaks out. Work permits were used. Thought more then about what-ifs, need to think about dangers. Compares with today's proceduralised system, consequent mentality of workers. No helicopter survival courses then, no survival suits. Did not belong to a union. Explains. Shell permitted union membership. Mentions own Tory sympathies, Thatcher's role. Feelings about strikes, free speech. Became Production Supervisor 1979 on Leman BK platform, another compressor station. Two bad fires on AK, BK on same night led to establishment of night shifts. Offshore community still isolated then. Recalls Shell social life in Lowestoft, compares with Aberdeen. Mentions Alexander Kielland disaster. Recalls movement on platforms in rough weather. Regular minor fires. Details re response. 1982 Operations Support Supervisor. Background to appointment which was onshore. Advent of computers. Situation in Yarmouth, Lowestoft re fishing etc. Compares with Aberdeen. Details re job, eg advising on improving platform design for Sean Field. No women offshore in southern North Sea then. Later, hired first woman apprentice offshore when in Training Department as Job Instructor-Production 1984-8. Explains absence of women offshore then and now. Own attitude to women employees. Explains move to training. Initiated negotiation of Ipswich Technical College ONC, HNC courses for offshore people, one of first open learning packages that worked. Details re hurdles to be overcome, programme, presentation of course to superiors, eventual acceptance. Shell only company to do this.
Tape 3 Side A: Good take-up for offshore workers' courses. Reference to BTEC (British Technical and Education Council). Recalls colleagues, contact with other companies. Ran Shell apprenticeship scheme at Leith College, Edinburgh. Started scheme with OPITO. Details re membership of management board. 1988 appointed Personnel Advisor. Recalls night of Piper Alpha disaster, reaction in Shell. Comments on possibility of similar event in Shell. Recalls supervisors' training course in Aberdeen, discussion re authority, own attitude to procedures, limited power of installation managers in northern North Sea. Comments on Cullen Report. Knew little of Occidental before Piper Alpha disaster. Many changes in Shell afterwards. Procedures, equipment etc reviewed. Training Department closed in Lowestoft. Explains. Became Personnel Advisor 1988. Work involved recruitment, people-planning, promotions etc. Explains own rebellious approach to HR, attitude to rules. Lowestoft was progressive compared with Aberdeen. Gives example of case concerning a head of Bacton solved by a working out a business case, adapting the rules. Explains own approach to solving problems, importance of talking through issues. 1991 appointed Operations Supervisor Onshore. Background to appointment, reasons for not wanting to go to Aberdeen, change back to Operations. Worked at gas plant in Bacton. Attitude of staff there to self as management person. Technical details of work carried out at Bacton. Explains work on hydrates, making plant more effective. Recalls bad atmosphere at Bacton, and later when offshore before establishing self as Operations Supervisor. Worked on Leman BK. Recalls changes to platform, new equipment etc.
Tape 3 Side B: Recalls difficulties when returning offshore, initial suspicion of colleagues. Feeling about own change of leadership role, changes to authority structures. Attitude to use of staff. Did Certificate in Management, Diploma in Management. Encouraged staff to study management. Attitude of Shell. Realised own role as facilitator. Looked at human aspects of job. Explains approach to work, compared with other command-and-control supervisors. Recalls approval of OIM (Offshore Installation Manager), Tony O'Gormin. Did not have a mentor. Did not discuss offshore work with wife. Not worried by discomfort at work. Importance of standing on own feet. Was Senior Installation Manager when Leman BK compression platform decommissioned. Reference to Amoco's part-ownership of BK. Describes dismantling process, accommodation arrangements at time. Reference to Seafox 2 accommodation. Feelings about dismantling of BK. Reason for not getting emotional about changes, platforms. No superstitions in offshore industry, though some ghost stories on BK. Some women on Leman field by this time. Recalls hiring first women apprentices, active campaign to find women for southern North Sea. Compares with situation in northern North Sea. Reaction of workers' wives re offshore women workers. Appointed onshore Field Supervisor 1998. Background to appointment. Worked in behavioural area. Attitude of wife to career changes. Recalls involvement in establishment of Gas Directorate, start of work in facilitation. Went on first test drive of Shell Leadership Challenge in Holland, studying change management. Details. Recalls impact of course on personal life. Returned for train-the-trainers course. Essence of course was communication, realisation of own inner qualities. Explains. Details re train-the-trainers course. Learned to use situations to own advantage. Later ran events in UK.
Tape 4 Side A: Shell Leadership Challenge (cont'd). Learned about working with actors, organising large events. Beginning of another change. Got more involved in behavioural work, as facilitator. Organised OIMs' conference, Aberdeen 1998. Became organiser of meetings, events. Started to have influence on what happened. Explains approach to running, facilitating meetings etc. Recalls putting on events, with Dave Rimmer, as part of aftermath of Shell activity review. Actors, storytellers, dancers, musicians used. Explains purpose, team building, new learning. Reaction of participants, achieving what had not seemed possible, demonstrating different ways of doing things. Involved in dissolution of own job in activity review 1999. Next, worked as Operations Support Supervisor, involved with Sean Papa, dehydration fixed platform, a peak shaver. Details re its standby supply role. Mentions crew numbers. Most time spent onshore, dealing with behavioural change. Explains hardest part of being facilitator, not getting dragged into content of discussion. Appointed Safety Performance Improvement Facilitator 2001, to put together 24/7 Safety programme, forerunner of current Accountability of Safety programme, culture. Details. Safety culture began with Duponts. Explains. Also organised Gas Directorate conferences. Details re hiring of private train for staff, Disneyesque approach to conferences, presentations. Recalls organising Global Production Forum in Aberdeen for participants from all over world. Negative reaction of Aberdeen people. Lowestoft a backwater, even written out of Company history. Explains. Mentions closing of Lowestoft, rivalry with Aberdeen. Shell a family business in Lowestoft, different culture, a get-things-done culture. Details. Compares with Aberdeen attitudes. Explains planning process, consultation with staff, use of people's skills. Treats conferences as productions. Explains.
Tape 4 Side B: Work as Safety Performance Facilitator 2001-2 disappeared through formation of One Gas. Details. Working with Dutch people an interesting challenge. Explains. Currently working on a cross-border project. Details re finding common ground with Dutch, exploiting differences. Describes Dutch approach, compares their state of employee relations with British situation. Gives example of slower Dutch procedures. Current job title of convenience Technical Operations Adviser since 2003. Explains. Working on Offshore Operations Review, 24/7 Safety Scheme, facilitating meetings, putting together organisational plans. Details. Stressful time in Lowestoft now with forthcoming closedown etc. Own situation re retirement. Exploring other avenues. Future prospects. Wants to spend more time with family. Possibility of 3-day week.
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