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Problems with NASA’s Organizational Communication “Organizational communication is the study of sending and receiving messages that create and maintain a system of consciously coordinated activities or forces of two or more persons.” (Tompkins 1984, pp.662-663) Frequent problems require more information sharing to solve problems and ensure proper completion of activities. “The direction of communication is typically horizontal in nonroutine work units and vertical in routine work units. When tasks are highly analyzable, statistical and written forms of communication (memos, reports, rules, and procedures) are frequent. When the tasks are less analyzable, information typically is conveyed face-to-face, over the telephone, or in group meetings.” (Daft p. 218) The night before the Challenger launch, a conference call was in order between the engineers and officials at Morton Thiokol, Kennedy Space Center and Marshall Space Flight Center. Engineers at Thiokol discovered that the cold temperatures on the launch pad were below the design capability for the O-rings. An O-ring is a round rubber washer that is intended to provide a seal. “The engineers had very little time to assemble their presentation on cold temperatures being a concern for O-rings.” (Hall) O-rings were not considered as much of a concern, so the launch was not postponed. The engineers were asked to prove that the O-rings would cause a problem and give NASA a good reason to postpone the launch.
Approximate Word count = 833
Approximate Pages = 3.3
(250 words per page double spaced)
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