Fundamentals of Management, 8th ed

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