Convenience

Exercise Task
1.
Watch and listen to the short clip from
Apollo 13
.
(This movie was made by Universal Studios in
1995 and was directed by Ron Howard. The script
was based on a memoir by astronaut and Apollo
13 Mission Captain Jim Lovell.) Describe the vari-
ous types of planning and decision-making activi-
ties taking place at NASA during the unfolding of
the disaster.
Chapter 3:
Planning and Strategic Management
9 1
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2.
The biggest obstacles to effective planning in the
first few minutes of this crisis were the rapid and
unexpected changes occurring in a dynamic and
complex environment. List elements of the
situation that contributed to dynamism (elements
that were rapidly changing). List elements that
contributed to complexity. What kinds of actions
did NASA’s planning staff take to overcome the
obstacles presented by the dynamic and complex
environment? Suggest any other useful actions the
staff could have taken.
3.
NASA managers and astronauts did not use a formal
planning process in their approach to this situation.
Why not? Is there any part of the formal planning
process that could have been helpful? What does this
example suggest to you about the advantages and
limitations of the formal planning process?
SKILLS SELF-ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENT