CASE ANALYSIS QUESTIONS
1. What factors in NASA’s culture contributed to the Challenger and Columbia shuttle disasters? Using Schein’s “onion model” of culture, is it possible to show how basic assumptions are linked to beliefs and values and then to potentially fateful behaviors?
2. Cultural change was obviously difficult at NASA. Can you think of specific things that could have been done to make cultural changes more lasting or more effective?
3. Are there particular aspects of NASA that might make cultural change particularly challenging? Are bureaucracies particularly susceptible to these difficulties of cultural change? How does the concept of a “high reliability culture” contribute to the challenges facing NASA throughout the years?