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NASA and the Columbia Shuttle Disaster Linda Bailey ‚ University of Southern Indiana

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NASA and the Columbia Shuttle Disaster Linda Bailey ‚ University of Southern Indiana Research Note Toxic Cultures and Organizations: NASA and the Columbia Shuttle Disaster Linda Bailey University of Southern Indiana The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has proven to be a classic example of an agency plagued by administrative evil and normative conflicts. Groupthink has been symptomatic of decision making problems within this organization. Unfortunately, the fatalities of two crews of astronauts have occurred as a result of this faulty process. In response to conflict and the toxic organizational culture, employees at NASA have developed faulty behavior patterns in order to function. This research note provides a description of NASA’s organizational culture leading up to and during the fatal Columbia mission, as well as a discussion of the ensuing investigation in which management was largely cited for the failure of the mission. Various examples of groupthink errors, faulty behavior patterns, and administrative evil are provided. February 1, 2003 – On a roadside in rural Texas lays a intermittent firing of the space shuttle engines. As charred NASA shirt patch, a space helmet, and the engines simultaneously fired, the shockwaves were scattered remains of one of seven space shuttle absorbed back into the shuttle damaging the tiles and astronauts. Shortly before 9 a.m., individuals from threatening the structure causing it to shake Louisiana to Texas reported hearing a rumbling sound uncontrollably. It was only by sheer luck that the like a tornado, thunder, a sonic boom and resonating Columbia did not explode in place, wiping out rumbling for several minutes. Some reported seeing everything around it, including the massive audience in “bright balls” and weather radar indicated a red streak the observation area. across the radar screen. Pieces of the shuttle began to Readers might be quite shocked to learn how many shower down from Dallas to Louisiana. The public was critical errors and/or situations there have been in the warned to not touch the debris fearing it may be toxic. history of NASA’s space shuttle program. Could NASA FEMA quickly began a joint effort to collect the pieces repeat a fatal mistake, one that was very similar to the as television news stations broadcasted a telephone 1986 Challenger disaster? number for citizens to report locations of debris. As the investigation of the 2003 Columbia explosion Let me start with a personal memory related to unfolded, experts found that the same organizational Columbia’s maiden voyage in April 1981. As a child, I problems that plagued NASA in the lead up to the was fascinated with space exploration; thus, it will Challenger incident were very similar to those of the come as no surprise that I fought with my mother about Columbia disaster 17 years later. getting ready for school just so I could watch the Columbia’s launch. I remember my mother threatening In this article, I will attempt to explain the to walk out of the house without me while I was administrative evils that have plagued NASA, resulting watching the shuttle rumble and roar as it wobbled on in the fatal Columbia shuttle disaster. These evils – the launch pad, smoke rising around it. I remember faulty adaptations to normative conflict (faulty thinking that the shuttle was going to explode. behavior) and groupthink (faulty thinking) – were Suddenly, the Columbia rose about the smoke. I symptomatic of NASA’s failures. In the section that shrugged at what I had just witnessed, assuming it was follows, I will review the literature relating to supposed to shake and wobble like that. administrative evil and describe the concepts of groupthink and normative conflict adaptations. Next, I It was not until many years later that I learned that will use the Columbia disaster as a case study to what I had witnessed that morning was actually a grave illustrate how the elements of administrative evil mistake in judgment by members of the National contributed to the fatal Columbia disaster in 2003. I will Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The then discuss the various data used to determine whether launch pad was designed with a water base underneath NASA management was truly faulty and if it to absorb shock from rockets that fire their engines all administrative evil was evident. Comparison studies of at once; in fact, NASA experts did not realize that the successful missions will also be provided. To conclude, launch pad was not designed to absorb the shock of Indiana Journal of Political Science, Volume 12, 2009 |2010, 69 I will provide an update on the latest practices that have group situation, influence such as this has a strong resulted from the lessons learned from the Columbia impact. accident. I will also discuss the results of the In American society, it is our heritage to cultivate investigation and whether or not the subsequent individuality. In cultivating individuality, we tend to recommendations proved sufficient to stamp out focus on who we are and what is important to us. We administrative evil within the organization. attach ourselves to certain organizations or groups that share our beliefs and cultures. These individual trait ADMINISTRATIVE EVIL AND GROUPTHINK characteristics can influence our decision making. If In the book Unmasking Administrative Evil, Guy faulty rationalizations are constructed based on our Adams and Danny Balfour (2004) describe beliefs, upbringing, or influence based on our administrative evil as a force that has resulted from attachments, they can also be instrumental in making modern reliance on scientific analysis and technical decisions that create administrative evil (Adams & advancement. They use the term technical rationality Balfour, 2004). to describe the mindset that has cultivated this masked breed of unethical practices that can occur easily and The challenge of administrative evil also lies in our often without being observed or recognized. As obedience to authority or our attachment to an administrators have developed their systems for organization or institution. If what we consider a organizations and government based on advancements “legitimate authority” tells us to do something, most in technology and science, they have attempted to often we are inclined to act without questioning create checks and balances to satisfy compliance and authority. Consider Adams & Balfour’s (2004) “control for chaos” within their set structures. In comments in regard to the state of the individual in essence, they have built complicated bureaucracies, and these circumstances: “[W]e must conclude that the in these bureaucracies they cultivate an ideal climate for power of the individual’s conscience is very weak administrative evil to spawn. relative to that of legitimated authority in modern organizations and social structures more Zimbardo (2007: 438) notes: generally...current ethical standards do too little to limit Administrative evil is systemic, in the sense that it the potential for evil in modern organizations.” The exists beyond any one person once its policies are in authors argue that only through deliberative democracy place and its procedures take control. Nevertheless, I and remaining mindful of our capability to engage in would argue, organizations must have leaders, and evil can we combat the problem of administrative evil. those leaders must be held accountable for creating or In a deliberative democracy we encourage deliberation maintaining such evil. I believe that a system consists of issues, active citizenship and responsibility, and of those agents and agencies whose power and values sound judgments that serve the whole of humanity and create or modify the rules of and expectations for not a select group or individual. “approved behaviors” within its sphere of influence. Another aspect of faulty thinking that can manifest In one sense, the system is more than the sum of its itself in group decisions and organizational culture is parts and of its leaders, who also fall under its groupthink, a term coined by psychologist Irvin Janis in powerful influences. 1971. Janis defined the concept as “[t]he mode of Adams and Balfour (2004) note that ‘[a]dministrative thinking that persons engage in when concurrence- evil may be masked in many different ways, but the seeking becomes so dominant in a cohesive in-group common characteristic is that people can engage in acts that it tends to over-ride realistic appraisal of alternative of evil without being aware that they are in fact doing courses of action” (in Myers, 1996). Janis identified anything at all wrong.” What happens is that faulty overconfidence, close-mindedness, and group pressure thinking patterns develop. There is often a great deal of as major symptoms of groupthink. “distance” between an administrator’s decision and the Within these major descriptions of groupthink, there impact of the result of that decision; thus, it is often are numerous subsets of behaviors and attributes. easy for an administrator to rationalize the effect a Overconfidence is best described as overestimating the decision can have on lower-level employees or the group’s “might and right” (Myers, 1996). The group or public. organization becomes adapted to illusions of Another example of administrative evil lies in invulnerability and a false sense of greater morality. dehumanizing someone or using language that As groups become close-minded, they develop faulty promotes negative connotations against an individual or rationalizations and spend the majority of their time set group of people (Adams & Balfour, 2004). As we justifying their actions or decisions. They may develop separate ourselves from those who are not like us, we a stereotyped identity against their challenger or outside are more likely to engage in acts that might damage or sources such as contractors, clients or constituents. discount them. We also rationalize our actions because These attributes bear a close resemblance to Adams and they are not part of our culture or “in group.” In a Indiana Journal of Political Science, Volume 12, 2009 |2010, 70 Balfour’s (2004) description of the elements of • Theoretical Premise 1.
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