Meeting/Event Information

Speaker: Paul Hawkins

Topic: How NASA Builds High-Performing Teams

John Mather, NASA’s Nobel Laureate, said that 50% of project costs are socially determined. NASA’s Stephen Johnson took this even further in 2008 saying, “Frequently we find that the failure effects and proximal cause are technical, but the root causes and contributing factors are social or psychological… Although the statistics have not been studied fully, my sense, from experience in the field and discussions with other experienced engineers, is that 80 to 95 percent of failures are ultimately due to human error or miscommunication.” (2008). In this session, you will learn how NASA switched the focus from project process to project context with incredible results. You will come away with an appreciation of the critical importance of social context in project management and some great lessons on managing these invisible dimensions effectively. NASA’s four-dimensional system is designed to instil psychological safety and create high-performing teams without the usual drama and friction of project formation. Over 1,500 NASA teams have voluntarily undertaken the program, and it has become the gold standard for over 100,000 leaders in 75 countries worldwide. The NASA 4-D program introduces eight transformative behaviours that remodel culture and performance wherever they are introduced. It draws on simulations and research from the current space program, including exercises designed to prepare astronaut teams for isolation, confinement and extreme conditions (ICE).

Learning Outcomes: 

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For this event attendance, PMI Members will earn 1 PDU.