Assignment: Challenger Space Shuttle Disaster Analysis

For this assignment, you will apply the concepts of the four-frame approach to management decisions and write a report.

Background Overview:

In many professions, leaders have to confront very complex challenges and the results can fall well below everyone's expectations. The disasters with the Challenger and the Columbia Space Shuttles portray situations where bad decision making led to disasters that changed the history of space exploration. In your professional life, you may be subjected to many complex problems. A critical assessment of the four frames can make the difference between success and failure.

To prepare for this assignment, read the following article (and any other ones related to these accidents) in order to construct the "big picture" that will allow you to conduct your analysis:

Dettmer, H. W. (2008). Conflict and Complexity. Quality Progress, 41(1), 22-29

http://www.thecampuscommon.com/library/ezproxy/ticketdemocs.asp?sch=auo&turl=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ofm&AN=501527519&site=ehost-live

Directions:

1. Identify the frame(s) used by the leaders in the Challenger and Columbia situations (i.e., Structure, HR, Political, and Symbolic).

2. Review the choice of frames made by the management in those situations. Explain if the situation with the space shuttles occurred due to management choosing the wrong frame, an incorrect application of a given frame, or for other reasons.

3. If you were the person in charge of the Challenger and Columbia, recommend what other frame(s) you would have considered in the decision-making process. For your recommendations, take into account the constraints faced at the time of the events. Justify your answer using the characteristics of each frame from your readings.

4. Based on your recommendation made in the previous question, explain how you would address the Challenger and Columbia situations using a different frame or a combination of them.