On 28 January 1986, the Challenger space shuttle exploded seconds after take-of.

Te retrospective conclusion was that the explosion was due to a technical failure between the rocket and the shuttlecraft. In addition, those failures had been commented on by various NASA experts, who warned of launching in temperatures below 53 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures on launch day were considerably lower.

So, what made management decide to go ahead with the launch, despite those warning signals? A reconstruction showed that the pressure on NASA to launch the shuttle was immense; that pressure meant that warnings were either not submitted to, or ignored by, top level management. Tey wanted to prove to their sponsors that the shuttle programme was efcient and efective, and that it was possible to perform a signifcant number of launches within a certain amount of time. Tis was of great importance to the fnancing of the shuttle programme. Any suggested technical improvements might have cause severe delays to the programme.

Another factor was the time and energy spent on the ‘Teacher in Space’ programme, which meant a teacher would be joining the crew to convince the public of the shuttle’s safety and successfulness.

Tese two factors combined meant that last-minute delays would only mean loss of face.

Indicate the factors that contributed to poor decision-making. Involve the following aspects in your answer:

a task characteristics;

b decision-maker characteristics;

c organisational characteristics.

d Which were the dominant characteristics of the decision-making process?