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Product cover image for Group Process in the Challenger Launch Decision (A)

Group Process in the Challenger Launch Decision (A)

Edmondson, Amy C.;Feldman, Laura R.

Product #:603068
Supplier:Harvard Business School
Discipline:Operations Management
Setting:Florida, Utah, United States, 1986 - 1986
Details:Case (PDF) • 15 pages • 2002-10-15 (Rev: 2021-05-14)

Subjects:

Decision makingOrganizational behaviorProblem solvingProcess analysisRisk managementTeamsDecision making and problem solvingOrganizational cultureProcess managementStrategyCollaboration and teamsBusiness managementOperations and supply chain management

Industries:

Public administration and nonprofitsTransportation and distribution

Geography:

FloridaUtahUnited StatesNorth America
Your Price:$11.64

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The night before the launch of the Challenger shuttle, officials from Morton Thiokol (Solid Rocket Booster manufacturer) and NASA participated in a teleconference to discuss whether to postpone the shuttle launch due to predicted low temperatures at Kennedy Space Center. This case provides background on the history of NASA's shuttle program, engineering firm Thiokol and Thiokol SRB, and O-ring expert Roger Boisjoly, who was adamant that the shuttle not be launched.

Learning Objectives

To build on this background information and to investigate how organizations can fail to create conditions under which inquiry and collective problem solving can occur in work groups.
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Case Study: Group Process in the Challenger Launch Decision (A) (English version) | Ivey Publishing