Organizational ChangeEssay Preview: Organizational ChangeReport this essayNASA – Organizational ChangeA review of the external and internal threats will help determine the weakness of the problem analysis related to the launching of space shuttle Challenger. At the time of the accident, the country was experiencing an economic slowdown. Considering the economic climate, Congress wanted to know if the American people still support the huge requirements of the program. The government ruled out increase in taxes being an election year. Simultaneous to the congressional investigation was a launch of space shuttle Challenger. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) wanted a successful launch. A no-launch situation might convince Congress to slash the program’s budget. Furthermore, Americans were anticipating the first female astronaut-teacher crewmember. Internally, NASA undertook cost-cutting measures and approved the use of materials approved by sister industries. At the time of the launch, engineers expressed concern over two factors: a) The o-ring which is not designed to operate at the existing temperature of -32 degrees Fahrenheit; b) There was a question on the stability and predictability of engine propulsion.
Given the above problem considerations, NASA formulated two alternative decisions: launch now or wait for better weather conditions.NASA was faced with decision traps, the framing trap and the confirming evidence trap (Langlois, H, 2007). Unfortunately, it was not able to identify and cope with them. NASA management argued a successful launch would guarantee congressional budget approval (framing trap). There was a presumption the launch will be successful, as previous launches before. This line of thinking blocked the consideration of safety factors. It only considered the external threats. In this case, the reframing trap would have been resolved if the framing option considered the internal technical weaknesses related to the planned launch. Other possible outcomes could have surfaced with the reframing of the problem. At this point, it is not important if ultimate problem was one of the possible outcomes. What is valuable to NASA is that there is free flow of communication among its employees who are receptive to ideas due to the logic of any proposed outcome.
The group of administrators led by Dr. Loyal downplayed the technical considerations and believed launch should proceed. It got support from smaller groups involved in the lobbying efforts — who naturally would like the launch to proceed as scheduled (confirming evidence trap). Getting the support was a selfish move since the outcome would definitely be in Dr. Loyal’s favor.
The internal goals of each group should have been considered in the decision. The administrative group anted a launch while the engineering group wanted a postponement. Are they the only groups a giant organization NASA has? Truly, other groups in NASA, with their respective interest, exist and who may help add to the factors for consideration. On these bases, alternatives generation can improve. Two questions that may have cropped up: Will a launch postponement result in a budget slash? Will a launch problem endanger the very existence of the space shuttle program?
Some theories in organizational behavior stress the importance of organizational resiliency and learning. Caralli (2006) said that the success of an organization relies on its resiliency and ability to adapt to changes in its environments. They define resiliency as the organization’s capability to change business processes, tactics and strategies as called for by its environments. The procedures in the previous successful launches were obviously not followed. It is surprising that NASA administration disregarded available competent technical information prior to the launch. Politics predominated the internal technical launch processes and this partly explains the failure. The organization’s reaction was focused on budgetary concerns. Budget is a valid concern, but it disregarded the success of its main function and that is to launch the space shuttle into outer space safely.
The Launch of the Shuttle
On the day the Shuttle was finally ready to depart the lunar surface via the Delta IV, it was announced a few months previous that the launch would take place on August 28, 1883, following the first successful launches of the Apollo 11, 12 and 13 spacecraft. The previous launch took place in August 17, 1874, as the Apollo 11 carried its first crew aboard three spacecraft in preparation for a mission to Mars. The Apollo 11 and 12 spacecraft followed suit, completing their mission by the end of September 1883, two weeks before the shuttle. Although the shuttle didn�t have a full power supply the astronauts spent time and money developing the booster with one of the company�s engineering staff members. One of the company�s engineers, Robert Hernz, was also a member of NASA. Mr. Hernz had a special interest in lunar landing, as NASA had long established the first, and most successful, lunar rocket booster, that was launched on the same flight schedule, with the first landing carrying the remaining astronauts. A year later he also built the company�s successful Delta IV powered booster.
John F. Kennedy, a graduate student of his, was very interested in lunar exploration. He was at the time designing space shuttle hardware as part of his project with the NASA Lunar Science Laboratory. On one of his initial missions during the “satellite launch” of the Lunar Express mission, he was able to launch a lunar rover for a third manned mission while the first man aboard was on the ground at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The man aboard, John Muir, was also a high-ranking Soviet officer. Later in his career at NASA, he was elected to both the executive division and the space committee of the National Academy of Sciences. During his 20 year service as a science officer and as chairman of the NASA Advisory Committee on Research, Kennedy made certain that any lunar exploration had a long-lasting impact on the lives of all humankind. In 1961, he and other members of Kennedy�s NASA advisory committee received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. During his 20 years at NASA he became associated directly with the project of the Lunar Express, and he has given significant importance to the future impact of such a spacecraft on the planet.
Journey of the Enterprise
In 1969 , the spacecraft entered port on the International Space Station, and arrived at the station on September 23, 1968. The spacecraft was to enter orbit around the Red Planet, while traveling at a distance of over 40,000 miles at 11 and 15 percent altitude. The spacecraft was expected to land safely, on September 25. Shortly before the spacecraft passed Earth on September 23, 1884 , it began to orbit the Sun. During the initial ascent, the spacecraft � was to take several seconds and a fraction of a second off of the Earth. The spacecraft traveled at a speed of 10 kilometers per second over the Sun and was scheduled to approach the International Space Station at 11:16 p.m. on September 24, 1968 (when the spacecraft entered port on the International Space Station). At 11:16 o’clock on October 2, 1969 astronaut Eugene Cerna was scheduled to take the first of two crewed rendezvous missions with Apollo in the vicinity of the Station. A follow-up mission in November 1969 followed the departure of a manned rocket from the Orbiter Station. Shortly after the flight of the spacecraft had been announced, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced the launch of the first manned Space Shuttle, the Kennedy Space Shuttle Discovery. The name of the first
The Launch of the Shuttle
On the day the Shuttle was finally ready to depart the lunar surface via the Delta IV, it was announced a few months previous that the launch would take place on August 28, 1883, following the first successful launches of the Apollo 11, 12 and 13 spacecraft. The previous launch took place in August 17, 1874, as the Apollo 11 carried its first crew aboard three spacecraft in preparation for a mission to Mars. The Apollo 11 and 12 spacecraft followed suit, completing their mission by the end of September 1883, two weeks before the shuttle. Although the shuttle didn�t have a full power supply the astronauts spent time and money developing the booster with one of the company�s engineering staff members. One of the company�s engineers, Robert Hernz, was also a member of NASA. Mr. Hernz had a special interest in lunar landing, as NASA had long established the first, and most successful, lunar rocket booster, that was launched on the same flight schedule, with the first landing carrying the remaining astronauts. A year later he also built the company�s successful Delta IV powered booster.
John F. Kennedy, a graduate student of his, was very interested in lunar exploration. He was at the time designing space shuttle hardware as part of his project with the NASA Lunar Science Laboratory. On one of his initial missions during the “satellite launch” of the Lunar Express mission, he was able to launch a lunar rover for a third manned mission while the first man aboard was on the ground at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The man aboard, John Muir, was also a high-ranking Soviet officer. Later in his career at NASA, he was elected to both the executive division and the space committee of the National Academy of Sciences. During his 20 year service as a science officer and as chairman of the NASA Advisory Committee on Research, Kennedy made certain that any lunar exploration had a long-lasting impact on the lives of all humankind. In 1961, he and other members of Kennedy�s NASA advisory committee received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. During his 20 years at NASA he became associated directly with the project of the Lunar Express, and he has given significant importance to the future impact of such a spacecraft on the planet.
Journey of the Enterprise
In 1969 , the spacecraft entered port on the International Space Station, and arrived at the station on September 23, 1968. The spacecraft was to enter orbit around the Red Planet, while traveling at a distance of over 40,000 miles at 11 and 15 percent altitude. The spacecraft was expected to land safely, on September 25. Shortly before the spacecraft passed Earth on September 23, 1884 , it began to orbit the Sun. During the initial ascent, the spacecraft � was to take several seconds and a fraction of a second off of the Earth. The spacecraft traveled at a speed of 10 kilometers per second over the Sun and was scheduled to approach the International Space Station at 11:16 p.m. on September 24, 1968 (when the spacecraft entered port on the International Space Station). At 11:16 o’clock on October 2, 1969 astronaut Eugene Cerna was scheduled to take the first of two crewed rendezvous missions with Apollo in the vicinity of the Station. A follow-up mission in November 1969 followed the departure of a manned rocket from the Orbiter Station. Shortly after the flight of the spacecraft had been announced, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced the launch of the first manned Space Shuttle, the Kennedy Space Shuttle Discovery. The name of the first
McShane and Von Glinow (2005) define organizational learning as the internal corporate business process that facilitates the acquisition, sharing and use of knowledge within the whole organization. By doing so, the organization is able to achieve its tasks and mission.
Technical people are also at fault. How did faulty o-rings get installed in the space shuttle? Why was engine propulsion unreliable even at the last moment, when the whole launch process is dependent on this factor? With all its technical capabilities, it seems the NASA organization has a problem in managing the flow of internal technical information.
Problem Framing and Decision MakingThe external threat of a budgetary slash was capably handled by the groups assigned. The same group will be assigned to explain the highly technical processes of the space shuttle program to the congressional committees concerned. They have to explain in laymen’s language that the level of technicality requires that all the millions of parts of the shuttle has to function effectively and efficiently. These include small parts such as nuts and bolts and o-rings. Any question on the integrity of any of its parts requires the postponement of launch. The ability to monitor and trace each of these parts explains why the budgetary requirement of NASA is so huge. Any cut in the budgetary level endangers the safety of the technical crew and the astronauts, themselves.