Space Shuttle Challenger.pptVIP

Discussion Questions Discussion Question (1a) Discussion Question (1b) Discussion Question (2) Discussion Question (3) Discussion Question (4a) Discussion Question (4b) Discussion Question (5) Discussion * Space Shuttle Challenger On Jan 28, 1986, at 11.38 am EST, the space shuttle challenger was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The mission ended 73 seconds later when the Challenger exploded. All 7 crew members were killed. Space Shuttle Challenger (2) Cause of the explosion? Hot propellant gases flew past the aft joint of the right solid rocket booster, burning through two rubber O-rings. Cause of the accident? “The decision to launch the Challenger was flawed” “The fundamental problem was poor technical decision-making” Challenger O-Rings Space Shuttle Challenger Challenger MPEG How were decision routines used to reduce complexity and uncertainty? How was information seeking and use influenced by organizational roles, rules and routines? Did organizational politics play a part in the decision making process? To what extent was the case a failure of organizational sensemaking? To what extent was the case a failure of organizational knowledge creation and use? How were decision routines used to reduce complexity and uncertainty? Shuttle Launch Decision Routine Signals of potential danger Official act acknowledging escalated risk Review of evidence Official act indicating the normalization of deviance: accepting the risk Shuttle launch. How were decision routines used to reduce complexity and uncertainty? Routines normalized potentially dangerous signals as “normal acceptable risk” in highly innovative projects. “Since the risk of O-ring erosion was accepted and indeed expected, it was no longer considered an anomaly to be resolved before the next flight. ... I concluded that we’re taking a risk every time.We all signed up for that risk. ... We’d be taking essentially the same risk on Jan. 28 that we have been ever since we first saw O-ring erosion.”(M