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Investigating the Influence of Cultural Differences on Systems Engineering: a Case Study of the Manned Spaceflight Programs of the United States and China

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Investigating the Influence of Cultural Differences on Systems Engineering: a Case Study of the Manned Spaceflight Programs of the United States and China Investigating the Influence of Cultural Differences on Systems Engineering: A Case Study of the Manned Spaceflight Programs of the United States and China by Yeong Li Qian B.Eng. Industrial Engineering Tsinghua University, 2013 SUBMITTED TO THE ENGINEERING SYSTEMS DIVISION IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN ENGINEERING SYSTEMS AT THE MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY JUNE 2015 ©2015 Yeong Li Qian. All rights reserved. The author hereby grants to MIT permission to reproduce and to distribute publicly paper and electronic copies of this thesis document in whole or in part in any medium now known or hereafter created. Signature of Author: ________________________________________________________________ Engineering Systems Division May 29, 2015 Certified by: _______________________________________________________________________ Donna H. Rhodes Principal Research Scientist and Senior Lecturer, Engineering Systems Director, Systems Engineering Advancement Research Initiative Thesis Supervisor Accepted by:_______________________________________________________ _______________ Munther A. Dahleh William A. Coolidge Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Chair, ESD Education Committee 2 Investigating the Influence of Cultural Differences on Systems Engineering: A Case Study of the Manned Spaceflight Programs of the United States and China by Yeong Li Qian Submitted to the Engineering Systems Division on May 29, 2015 in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Engineering Systems ABSTRACT The current trend of globalization as well as the growing complexity of multilateral systems engineering endeavors will contribute to the increasingly cross-cultural nature of systems engineering programs and teams in the future. It is thus vital to investigate if cultural differences have an influence on systems engineering endeavors in order to better understand culture’s potential contribution, or impediment, to critical systems engineering outcomes. This thesis proposes a definition of culture that will be meaningful to such an investigation, selects Hofstede’s cultural dimensions theory as a tool to apply this definition of culture, and analyzes the manned spaceflight programs of the US and China as a case study to determine if culture does indeed have an influence on systems engineering. The results of this analysis reveal that cultural differences do impact systems engineering endeavors from strategic to operational levels. Important differences in the US and China manned spaceflight programs primarily stemming from differences in the cultural norms of the US and China were found in three main areas of analysis. Firstly, in terms of the purpose of the programs, cultural differences led to differences in the kind of motivations each country had for achieving manned spaceflight, the organizations set up to achieve this goal, and the way leadership approval for the programs was attained. Secondly, in terms of the programs themselves, differences in cultural attitudes towards risk and launch failure led to differences in program schedule, program scope, the nature of the flight- testing schedule, and the extent of quality control measures. Thirdly, in terms of the people involved in the programs, differences in cultural norms led to differences in decision-making styles, use of authority, motivations and earnings of the engineers and astronauts, extent of astronaut involvement in the programs, the extent of manual control built into manned spaceflight launches, the degree of formality of the launches, and media coverage of the launches. Furthermore, these two very different programs were eventually judged to be a success in each nation precisely because of these cultural differences, even though each country’s program would have been considered a pyrrhic victory in the other. The conclusions of this thesis propose how this demonstrated influence of culture on systems engineering should be used to inform systems engineering endeavors in the future. Thesis Supervisor: Donna H. Rhodes Title: Principal Research Scientist and Senior Lecturer, Engineering Systems Director, Systems Engineering Advancement Research Initiative 3 4 Acknowledgements I would like to thank a few individuals without whom this thesis would not have been possible: First and foremost, my thesis advisor, Dr. Donna Rhodes, for ultimately giving me the confidence to embark on a research topic that I felt strongly about even when the road ahead seemed highly uncertain, for providing me with invaluable advice both inside and outside of the classroom, and for letting me feel that I always had someone to turn to during my years at MIT. My former teammates Michael Curry, Shingo Kawai and Julia Somerdin for embarking on the first steps of this journey with me in understanding the drivers of Project Mercury and the Shenzhou Program. Dr. Adam Ross, Matthew Fitzgerald, Nicola Ricci, Professor Daniel Hastings, Abdelkrim Doufene and Professor Lawrence Susskind who all generously shared with me their experiences with cultural differences and systems engineering and with whom I enjoyed immensely meaningful conversations which helped to crystallize my research direction. All the wonderful people of SEAri who provided me with very valuable research feedback over the past two years, as well as a second home in MIT where my baking attempts were always welcome. My girlfriend Huang Liling, who, being based in Beijing, was not only instrumental in helping me access Chinese sources on the Shenzhou Program, but was also an amazing source of encouragement throughout the entire process. In every sense, I would not have completed half of this thesis without her in my life. And my dad, mum and sister who have always been there for me over the past six years of my overseas studies, and who are the reason I know I am home every time I return to Singapore. Thank you. 5 6 “We knew they were going to do it! Vanguard will never make it. We have the hardware on the shelf. For God’s sake, turn us loose and let us do something. We can put up a satellite in sixty days…Just give us the green light and sixty days!” - Wernher von Braun in response to the successful launch of Sputnik I by the former Soviet Union on October 4, 1957 (McDougall, 1997) “We have a long way to go in this space race. We started late. But this is the new ocean, and I believe the United States must sail on it and be in a position second to none.” - President John F. Kennedy in remarks following the successful Friendship 7 flight of Colonel John Glenn on February 20, 1962 "It's really some exciting news to share. The world's spacefaring nations have been joined by a new member tonight: China." - ISS Spacecraft Communicator Mike Fossum from Houston informing Expedition 7 Commander Yuri Malenchenko and Science Officer Edward Lu of the successful Shenzhou 5 launch carrying Chinese taikonaut Yang Liwei on October 15, 2003 (NASA, 2003) 7 8 Table of Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................................................. 3 Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................ 5 List of Figures ...................................................................................................................................... 12 List of Tables ....................................................................................................................................... 13 1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 15 1.1 Problem Statement .................................................................................................................... 15 1.2 Research Questions ................................................................................................................... 15 1.3 Methodology .............................................................................................................................. 16 1.4 Potential contributions ............................................................................................................. 16 1.5 Thesis outline ............................................................................................................................. 17 2. Systems Engineering and Culture ................................................................................................. 19 2.1 Systems Engineering and Systems Thinking .......................................................................... 19 2.2 “Culture” – What does it mean? ............................................................................................. 20 2.2.1 What are we comparing across cultures? ............................................................................. 20 2.2.2 Along what lines are we comparing across cultures? .......................................................... 21 2.2.3 At what level are we comparing across cultures? ................................................................ 21 2.3 Comparing Inherent Cultural Factors along Geographical Lines at a National Level ...... 22 2.3.1 Inherent Cultural Factors as a Point of Comparison ............................................................ 22 2.3.2 Comparing Cultures along Geographical Lines ..................................................................
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