Threats for NASA - Case Study Example

Module 3 Case Assignment 8/20 Introduction For this module, the Burke-Litwin model of change is used to organize and categorize the CAIB data and findings for this particular case. There are 12 organizational dimensions used in the model. These include the following: external environment, mission and strategy, leadership, organizational culture, structure, management practices, systems, work unit climate, task and individual skills, individual needs and values, motivation, and individual and organizational performance. The case study that is being analyzed involves the Columbia Space Shuttle disaster and its cause(s) (Informal Education, 2010). External Environment Both opportunities and threats must be analyzed in order to determine the environment. Both of these attributes exist independently of a firm. If a particular issue would exist even if the company were not in operation, then that issue is external. Opportunities can benefit a firm if they are acted on, and threats are those obstacles that a firm must face or they may otherwise prevent the firm from reaching its goals or objectives (Tushman, 1997). Threats for NASA include tight budget forecasts and uncertainty from the public regarding their human exploration program and the overall growth of their program. They are simply unable to take on big, new projects by themselves. However, they have many opportunities for commercial space firms. In order to reach these goals, it is going to take innovation. A partnership developing between NASA and commercial spaceflight projects is a great opportunity for NASA. This is made possible because of the extreme talent and dedication that exists in the workforce, both inside and outside of NASA. NASA has the opportunity to stimulate commercial spaceflight capability. They also have the opportunity to develop new space vehicles. Perhaps among the most important opportunities facing NASA is the use of Space Act agreements and Small Business Innovative Research grants to encourage companies both large and small to partner with them. NASA has a lot of goals and needs that they aspire to achieve, so the opportunities are vast (Dutta, 2010). Mission and Strategy According to the case, NASAs mission is to pioneer the future in space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronautics research. Regarding their strategy and according to NASA (2010, pg. 1), “NASA’s Science Mission Directorate conducts scientific exploration that is enabled by access to space. We project humankind’s vantage point into space with observatories in Earth orbit and deep space, spacecraft visiting the Moon and other planetary bodies, and robotic landers, rovers, and sample return missions. From space, in space, and about space, NASA’s science vision encompasses questions as practical as hurricane formation, as enticing as the prospect of lunar resources, and as profound as the origin of the Universe. To ensure the success of the space program through generations to come, we must have simple, but compelling, long-term goals and coherent, thoughtful plans to achieve them.” Leadership The above diagrams show NASA’s leadership model. According to NASA (2010, pg. 1), “The NASA Leadership Model consists of five "models", one for each of five leadership roles shown in the navigation buttons to the left. Each of the models has the same first two levels of "dimensions" and "competencies" that you see in the pictures above. The third and fourth levels that you can see by mousing over a model consist of "skills" and "behaviors" as described below.” Dimensions: These are the five highest level elements of the Model. Competencies: These are the 20 second level elements of the Model. They consist of measurable skills, knowledge or personal characteristics that have been demonstrated to be essential to effective leadership in the Agency. Skills: these abilities or proficiencies are narrow in scope and often developed through training or experience. Behaviors: These are the lowest level elements. Their demonstration or performance indicates proficiency within a skill. Organizational Culture The organizational and safety culture of NASA was completely transformed as a result of the CAIB. According to NASA (2010, pg. 1), “There are many positive aspects to the NASA culture. The NASA culture reflects a long legacy of technical excellence, a spirit of teamwork and pride, and a can-do approach to task achievement. In particular, culture attributes related to work group functioning at the peer level are among the strongest we have seen. Despite these positive attributes, there are some important needs for improvement. The present NASA culture does not yet fully reflect the Agencys espoused core values of Safety, People, Excellence, and Integrity. The culture reflects an organization in transition, with many ongoing initiatives and lack of a clear sense at working levels of "how it all fits together".” Structure NASA’s organizational structure is best represented by the following chart: Management Practices and Systems There are several main goals of management at NASA at this point in time. These include the retirement of the space shuttle, the utilization of the International Space Station, the development of systems, and the management of finances and IT. The formerly poor management practices of NASA are what led to the destruction of Columbia. The systems mainly include engineering. Work Unit Climate The work unit climate at NASA depends heavily upon which division a person works in. An office job would be just like any other office job. However, if someone is an astronaut, they are going to be working with some extreme conditions in order to ready them for space flight. Furthermore, there is a climate research division within NASA. Task and Individual Skills Again, these depend heavily upon which division a person works in. Administrative and clerical duties are essential for office employees, engineering skills for engineers, space flight skills for astronauts, and scientific skills for scientists (Tichy, Hornstein, and Nisberg, 1976). Individual Needs and Values The individual needs and values for employees at NASA are pretty much the same as they would be at any other organization. People expect to be treated and paid fairly, and they expect to be appreciated and needed. Motivation NASA is motivated primarily by its mission. Also, the overall success of the program is a motivating factor. Individual and Organizational Performance and Critical Findings The data and findings that were most critical to this investigation include the cause of the accident. Management and equipment failure leaded directly to it. Now, NASA has made a firm attempt to correct these problems and improve their overall individual and organizational performance. Now, they have shown much improvement and are functioning much better than they were prior to the disaster. There was a lot of data collected throughout the chapters. These included the NASA budget as a percentage of the federal budget, interviews from experts regarding their opinions of the disaster, changes in federal spending before and after the disaster, the Space Shuttle Program budget over the years, the workforce budget over the years, downsizing figures for the workforce over the years, past reports through years prior to the disaster, age of the Space Shuttle program, other cases where the external foam came off during flight, former damage reports and Space Shuttle incidents, and the schedule reserve. A lot of this information was contained in archival records (data over prior years). The model that was used in this particular case was really helpful. It broke apart the different sections of organizational diagnosis for better analysis. This allowed for a brief explanation of what each component contained, as well as how that applied to the particular case. The fact that it could also be shown in a diagram was an added bonus for visual appeal. I am glad I chose this particular model (Smith, 2001). Works Cited Action research. (2010). Informal Education. Retrieved August 19, 2010, from http://www.infed.org/research/b-actres.htm Dutta, D.D. (2010). Organizational diagnosis. The Indian Statistical Institute. Retrieved August 19, 2010, from http://www.isical.ac.in/~ddroy/odiag.html Science strategy (2010). NASA. Retrieved August 21, 2010, from http://science.nasa.gov/about-us/science-strategy/ Smith, M. K. (2001). Kurt Lewin, groups, experiential learning and action research, The Encyclopedia of Informal Education. Retrieved August 19, 2010, from http://www.infed.org/thinkers/et-lewin.htm Tichy, N.M.; H. Hornstein; J.N. Nisberg. (1976). Participative organization diagnosis and intervention strategies: Developing emerging pragmatic theories of change. The Academy of Management Review, 1(2): 109. Tushman, M. (1997). Winning through innovation. 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