NASA Culture Change

For those of you that want an hour of CSPAN here you go! Grab your popcorn, grab the kids, make a night of it. All kidding aside it is important to understand cultural change in NASA as it pertains to culture change in organizations. Also, it isn't a bad speech from a business perspective and I think it is a great example of a how an organization has hit the reset button and accepted responsibility for how their culture has failed

1. Why did NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe address NASA employees to describe the plan to
bring about proposed changes to NASA's culture?

NASA's employees needed to hear how leadership was accepting responsibility for the failure in culture. He will need the support of the organization's people in order to execute change. It also sends a message that this is a priority for leadership.

2. Was he believable? Is it important whether he appeared to be believable?

I think he was but I also have not had much experience listening to O'Keefe's prior speeches. In some ways managers lose credibility when they repeat themselves over and over yet take little action. I think for a culture that has gone awry actions will speak far louder than words. That being said I think he said things that many people needed to hear. His words on climate and being able to "speak up" were very important and they do send a message. Couple those with action and I think that the cultural will go a long way towards being improved.

3. Why did he talk about NASA values?

It is helpful to remind people of shared values. Not only for the people listening but for himself. Value systems need to be consistent throughout an organization and throughout their partners and when leadership is not only sending the message but acting the message those values percolate throughout the various levels of the organization. However NASA is a large organization with many layers and the message, while consistent in a speech, won't be applied evenly throughout those layers without much effort on the part of Mr. O'Keefe.