Problem: Lack of lateral openness in the matrix (IO/RDO)
Lower salaries than industry
But strong organizational identification
Inherent positive emotional component
Unobtrusive concertive control
High Job Satisfaction
High Communication Satisfaction
Automatic Responsibility
Acceptance of Risk and Failure
Random Successes
The normalization of risk, the acceptance of failure, and the anticipation of trouble led to an atmosphere in which the things could be discussed openly.
Open communication was very much a part of early NASA culture.
Terministic Screens (Burke): Breaking down linguistic barriers
Frontier Mentality
Competing Topoi: Safety, Reliability, and Cost
MSFC always favored the first two over the third
Part of the process of avoiding foul compromises
Of these elements, communication is constituative
Organization of The Manned Space Flight Center
In many ways a very typical organization by today's standards
Hierarchical management
Preference given to existing successful managers (e.g. the German's)
A balance of in-house expertise and reliance on external contractors (business partners)
Matrix Management
Employee responsibilities to multiple managers
RDO ... technical management and evaluation
IO ... project management and contractor relationships
Lots of acronyms and specialized jargon
But some very atypical traditions
A balance of openness and need to know information distribution
Monday Notes
Earthquake prediction
Feedback and redistribution
Organizational learning about problems and progress
Resolves many of the problems of upward communication
Mushroom Management
A commonplace organizational narrative
A principle reason why the control room fails
Only partially resolved by Monday Notes redistribution
A barrier to automatic responsibility
Encouragement of conflict and redundancy
Often resisted as an unnecessary cost
Or as a threat to the strategic power of a mission holder
Unless otherwise noted, the contents of this page
were written by participants on the Media Space Wiki, operated by Davis Foulger,
and should be cited accordingly. For example (APA): Foulger, D. and other
participants. (August 27, 2008). Organizational Spr2006 Sess13. MediaSpaceWiki. Retrieved on from
http://evolutionarymedia.com/wiki.htm?OrganizationalSpr2006Sess13.