MBE: Launch!
“To the moon, Alice” or in this case Mars. Gentry Lee, senior systems engineer at Jet Propulsion Laboratories (JPL) faced a very difficult decision whether to recommend launching or delay the launch of the Mars Biological Explorer (MBE). According to Lee’s biography at Caltech and the case study, “he is the chief engineer for the Planetary Flight Systems Directorate at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and had engineering oversight responsibility for the twin rover missions to Mars that landed in January 2004, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) in 2006, and the Deep Impact and Stardust missions. He was also the chief engineer for the Galileo project from 1977–1988 and director of science analysis and mission planning during
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Why? Using a frame’s analysis will help us understand.
Frames are, as defined by Bolman and Deal, a “set of ideas you carry in your head” from which a mental map is made (2003, p. 12). The frames give you a lens through which to analyze problems or in our case, the JPL organization. Bolman and Deal recognize four frames when addressing organizations: structural, human resources, cultural/symbolic, and political. As complexity grows, organizations require more sophisticated – and more costly – coordination strategies (mechanisms). Through framing and reframing, one can determine the attributes and deficiencies of leadership and organizations. Ultimately why Lee will recommend launching.
The first frame, Structure, “determines where formal power and authority are located”
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243). It is important to note that this frame is not necessarily about why the launch did not happen but the ramifications of not launching. Lee’s quote of, “the only thing worse than a delay is a mission that fails” could be taken two ways.” First, delay the mission and fail…you have escaped nothing and only delayed the inevitable. Second, do not delay and fail, neither offer any sense of accomplishment. I am sure, as with the rest of the JPL team that Lee wanted to execute a safe mission that is risk free. This is space exploration, launching into space, there will be risks and the team did the best they could mitigate them to acceptable levels. The JPL team, NASA and the U.S.A. needed a victory. NASA was coming off several tragic failures that cost several crewmembers their lives. The space program is not as exciting as it once was and its stature was fading. In the symbolic frame, we need that unifying theme or shared beliefs and launching the MBE was the answer. Sure, Lee and his team could wait and risk going over budget and complete termination of the project, but what they could not live with was another two years of, “we should have launched”. In essence, the MBE represented America and the JPL employees knew this…they mitigated risk and accounted for everything….America was going to Mars.
According to Bolman and Deal, the core premise of the structural lens is defined as “Clear, well-understood goals, roles, and relationships and adequate coordination are essential to performance” (pg. 44). In an organization, structure is of vital importance, it lays a sturdy foundation which serves to decrease confusion and inefficiency amongst individuals of the organization. The core premise emphasizes that in order for an organization to reach its full potential, goals need to comprehended, appropriate roles need to be assigned to individuals and good management are imperative in bringing together an organization and increasing proficiency, in order to achieve established goals. Structure in an organization serves as the framework, where
The methodology is designed to allow leaders to consider the organization from different angles, in order to develop a multi-perspectival approach to innovation and change. Each frame (structural, human resource, political, and symbolic) can be applied to an organization in order to view it more clearly from a different frame of reference to find the most effective solution and strategy for advancement. I liken this model to “seeing is believing.” Sometimes an organization is seeing the wrong picture and doesn’t understand why it’s not getting the result it wants. The four frames allow leaders to see organizations in their complexity and think critically about alternative possibilities for change. They help to clarify reality and actually see what’s happening. An example would be FEMA’s response to Hurricane Irma. All frames were used to make a true assessment of events and quickly assemble appropriate leadership intervention. (Structural: environmental infrastructure and function, Human Resources: American Red Cross efforts and charity distribution, Political: both Houston and Florida struggling for power and resources, Symbolic: bringing a diverse group of individuals together into a cohesive team.) Through time, effort, and repetitive practice FEMA was able to use the four frames
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1. Why did Nick Leeson sell numerous short straddles for each long futures contract he bought?
Should Gentry Lee delay or go forward with the Mars Biological Explorer (MBE) mission? This is, of course, the over-riding question for this case
The view and metaphorical analogy of an organization as a machine was the result of the only frame of reference available at