The Hindu Business Line : Using rocket science to run an organisation

NASA's space shuttle missions may now seem routine to the public, but each mission seems to have its moments when you hold your breath wondering about the outcome. The mission of the US space shuttle Atlantis (just completed) had its share of suspense. Two of the computers critical to the International Space Station (ISS) were malfunctioning. These machines kept the station oriented and were also used to control the air circulation (managing the oxygen and carbon-dioxide) so the astronauts could breathe. If the computers failed, the grim scenario was that future missions to the ISS would not be able to dock with it and ultimately lead to the ISS being abandoned.

Thanks to NASA's generosity, I sat glued to my seat, listening to the conversation between the Mission Control room in Houston, the engineers in Mission Control Centre, Moscow (Russian computers were involved), and the cosmonauts and astronauts as they all worked to fix the problem. Meanwhile, I was watching on the screen in front of me, two of the astronauts out there in the middle of nowhere, engaged in their space-walk, 214 miles (345 km) above the ocean, and in orbit.

The heart-stopper

The space-walkers were trying to staple the thermal blanket back properly onto the tail of the shuttle. As the controllers from the ground were giving them instructions, I felt like joining in to point out that little bit in the left corner seemed out of place. Perhaps, one more staple there? After all, damage to the heat shield was the heart-stopper during the previous two missions.

No, I was not a special invitee with front row seats at NASA headquarters in Houston. I was sitting in front of my computer screen in my office, having logged on to www.nasa.gov, and was watching all this, real time, on NASA TV. The cameras that were monitoring all these activities were from inside the ISS, some outside, some on the helmet of the space-walkers. The engineers on the ground need this view for their monitoring but NASA was graciously letting me (and anybody else who cared to log in) watch. You can hear the instructions given, watch it being executed, listen to the doubts raised, and the troubleshooting — all in real time.

When you watch all that space, it does funny things to your mind. As my mind wandered, I wondered what it would be like to translate some of NASA's style to how our other organisations run.

Planning and monitoring

Every minute of the mission's activity is planned ahead, including how much sleep the astronauts get, how much exercise they need, and when. They train while on earth for the work they are to do up there, and are woken up on time to do it. While they work, they know how many turns of the spanner it takes to attach the one-thing to the other. And all the while, the camera is watching, and you can count the turns of the spanner along with them, if you are addicted enough.

Sure, that level of planning may not always work in all situations, but the skill and effort in anticipating activities and planning for it ahead of time, takes so much pressure out of wondering what to do next. Over planning can also hurt sometimes, but the more common problem in most of our organisations is not planning enough.

Clarity of instructions

The instructions are so clear that the Russians, the Americans, and the different managers across various shifts in the control rooms can read from the same rule book and understand what needs to be done. There is no guesswork. Can you imagine what a "...but this is what I thought you meant... " situation would do to a space mission? Each time the instruction is given out, the astronaut would respond to confirm having heard it and check by repeating it. Eliminates all confusion. I wonder how much inefficiency can be eliminated from our organisations if the giver and receiver of the message understood the same.

Decision-making

Responsibilities are clearly assigned and everyone knows who makes what decision. If the astronaut asks a question, it is immediately acknowledged from the ground, and the controller gives the answer or replies that that they will review the issue and get back. And somebody does get back to them! The person in charge has been contacted and a reply passed on. Those who need to be consulted are available, are fully informed, and make the decision. This system not only speeds decision-making but also allows for a quick identification of a wrong decision.

The next two are what really take my breath away.

Transparency

I have not cared to dig into the reasons why NASA broadcasts this activity real time. Perhaps, a far-thinking administrator thought it would be a good idea, or even rare, a far thinking lawmaker put it as a requirement for funding NASA. But to lay their communication and systems bare for all to see during a mission in progress is truly amazing. It not only creates a record for them to be able to analyse retrospectively, but this glimpse that we get as an outsider suggests that there is perhaps a similar culture of transparency in other major activities of the organisation.

Communication

In most organisations that we see around us, the lack of communication and transparency gives rise to a lot of guesswork about what the organization is up to, and allows for worms to crawl around and perpetuate their nefarious activities. Can you imagine what would happen if a department manager says that anyone in the department can come and scrutinise any file, look at the quotations that have been submitted, notations made on files, or sit in on meetings, and so on? What kind of culture, and what style of functioning does it take to make an organization like that work?

Keeping relevant stakeholders informed. The transparency shown by the broadcast lets me, a taxpayer, watch what is happening to my money, so to speak. News conferences are held by NASA (not spokespersons, but the technical administrators in charge of the mission) on a regular basis during the mission, to allow reporters question events, review progress, second-guess the decisions taken (Did you examine the loose tile? How safe is it for the shuttle to return?) and answers are given. What would be the quality of governance in a state if the secretary of a department was required to have, say, a monthly open-house where anyone could walk in and raise questions on issues that were pending with the department, policies that were being implemented, or work that they thought the department should be doing, and the press was covering the meeting?

Complex management

Yes, I know, making soap and selling it, or managing a State government is more important to society and more complex managing than a flight into space to build a floating station out there. But, as I said, space does funny things to one's mind.

The ISS project of NASA does not make many others as happy as it does make me. Scientists and policymakers who know a lot more about these things feel that they are not getting their money's worth from this venture. They feel that there are many other space research projects of greater value that are being starved of funds because of the ISS. They feel that the scientific learning out of this activity does not justify its cost.

They feel that there is a great need to re-evaluate this project and perhaps even shut it down. Perhaps. But this is a $12-trillion economy that does flinch spending a few hundred billion dollars a year on fighting a worthless war in Iraq. I think NASA's operations and the ISS (costing about $100 billion, or Rs 4,00,000 crore) at least make us look up and think of better things for a small price. NASA could probably start a new division to teach organisations how to manage and generate funds. And, please, do tune in next time there is a mission out there.

(The author is a professor of international business and strategic management at Suffolk University, Boston, US. He can be reached at cgopinat@suffolk.edu)

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