Military Projects in the Workplace: Scenario and Scenario-based Interview Questions

Scenario

I sent the following scenario to each person on the list of interviewees, and each person was able to refer to it during the interview:

Employee Q works at Corporation X, a widely known manufacturer of commercial products. Word has just come down from management that Employee Q is to receive a new assignment designing high performance ultrawidgets. The design project is funded by the military; the new ultrawidget is to become an essential component in a new weapon. Employee Q is extremely uncomfortable with this project, and wishes to be reassigned to a different project within the company.

Scenario-based Interview Questions

I asked these questions of all the people I interviewed. Some interviewees confined themselves to direct answers to the questions, while others elaborated on some points at length.

1. Do you have any comments on the scenario?
2. Have you or has anyone you know confronted this scenario before? Do you know of any similar cases?
3. If an employee where you work decided that he or she did not want to work on a project like this one, what do you think the reaction would be: (a) from the company management (supervisors, department heads, etc.)? (b) from other technical employees?
4. Do you think that an objection like this one would jeopardize an employee's chances for a promotion?
5. How do you think management's view of the scenario would change if the project was in fact for a non-lethal device, such as a reconnaissance device or a rescue vehicle?
6. What should an employee do in a case like this?

Francisco Juan Donez, MIT