NASA relies on consulting firm to change management culture

Acknowledging that a can-do culture run amok was as much to blame as wing damage for the crash last year of the space shuttle Columbia, NASA has hired a consulting firm to reform its management practices.

In February, almost one year to the day after a re-entry disaster took the lives of seven astronauts, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration awarded a five-year contract worth as much as $10 million to Behavioral Science Technology Inc. of Ojai, Calif.

BST - which bills itself as a pioneer of behavior-based performance improvement and lists major aerospace companies and other government organizations among its clients - had 30 days, until March 15, to develop a checklist for change. Space agency executives would review the plan, and then authorize BST to implement it and turn NASA's culture of invincibility into one of safety. In its request for proposals, NASA said it expects "measurable progress" within six months of the contract award, "significant transformation" in a year and "broad changes" in no more than three years.

Beth Dickey follows NASA's drive to revamp its management culture in the April 1 issue of Government Executive. Click here for the full story.