Comments on: Flat NASA Experiment http://www.opennasa.com/2008/01/03/10/ Your NASA, My NASA, OUR NASA Sat, 28 Aug 2010 21:00:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Eddy http://www.opennasa.com/2008/01/03/10/comment-page-1/#comment-224 Eddy Tue, 18 Mar 2008 14:22:14 +0000 http://opennasa.com/?p=27#comment-224 Bill, Thanks for your input and I must say that if we were to superficially look at Generation Y at a distance, the appearance will be a lot different then the reality. Generation Y is not a generation that is lazy, incoherent, or unable to sustain long term goals. Generation Y, in my perspective, is a generation that is willing to look for new alternatives, new process, and even new positions when impedances are present that can not be overcome through logical discussion and analysis. They are more willing to sacrifice financial gain to fulfill their intrinsic rewards. Does this mean Generation Y does not have the heart for long term projects? No, not at all. Actually the opposite, Generation Y can sustain long term projects and continue to with a fresh approach. This generation, as shown in the presentation, grew up in diversity so they are more willing to focus on the project at hand instead of the physical differences that exist amongst their peers which is a influencing factor in the political landscape of many organizations. Assembly, it exists because the past generations dealt with that struggle, and I believe we can all attest that it is still prevalent in the organizational culture of those generations. Bill,

Thanks for your input and I must say that if we were to superficially look at Generation Y at a distance, the appearance will be a lot different then the reality. Generation Y is not a generation that is lazy, incoherent, or unable to sustain long term goals. Generation Y, in my perspective, is a generation that is willing to look for new alternatives, new process, and even new positions when impedances are present that can not be overcome through logical discussion and analysis. They are more willing to sacrifice financial gain to fulfill their intrinsic rewards. Does this mean Generation Y does not have the heart for long term projects? No, not at all. Actually the opposite, Generation Y can sustain long term projects and continue to with a fresh approach. This generation, as shown in the presentation, grew up in diversity so they are more willing to focus on the project at hand instead of the physical differences that exist amongst their peers which is a influencing factor in the political landscape of many organizations. Assembly, it exists because the past generations dealt with that struggle, and I believe we can all attest that it is still prevalent in the organizational culture of those generations.

]]> By: Michael Mealling http://www.opennasa.com/2008/01/03/10/comment-page-1/#comment-67 Michael Mealling Fri, 29 Feb 2008 20:25:32 +0000 http://opennasa.com/?p=27#comment-67 Bill, You do it by including people in the processes that lead up to it too. Getting something like Hubble up there involves large numbers of small victories that people would love to participate in. At Masten Space we have a good following of people who read our blog and celebrate right along with us when we have a successful engine test or are disappointed with us when we crash. Looked at another way: if American Idol was all about just picking that one singer it would be one boring awards show for one hour, once a season. But the show is successful because it pulls you along (painfully sometimes) incrementally. You live through each sadness and success right along with the group. You get invested in it. And that makes the awards show that much more rewarding for the audience. Open up the kimono ENTIRELY. Beginning to end. Successes and failures. Emotions and the boring stuff. The personal and the technical. That's participation. Oh yea, and we all want to fly too! Damnit! Bill,
You do it by including people in the processes that lead up to it too. Getting something like Hubble up there involves large numbers of small victories that people would love to participate in. At Masten Space we have a good following of people who read our blog and celebrate right along with us when we have a successful engine test or are disappointed with us when we crash.

Looked at another way: if American Idol was all about just picking that one singer it would be one boring awards show for one hour, once a season. But the show is successful because it pulls you along (painfully sometimes) incrementally. You live through each sadness and success right along with the group. You get invested in it. And that makes the awards show that much more rewarding for the audience.

Open up the kimono ENTIRELY. Beginning to end. Successes and failures. Emotions and the boring stuff. The personal and the technical. That’s participation.

Oh yea, and we all want to fly too! Damnit!

]]> By: Rory Collins http://www.opennasa.com/2008/01/03/10/comment-page-1/#comment-66 Rory Collins Fri, 29 Feb 2008 20:20:15 +0000 http://opennasa.com/?p=27#comment-66 Nick & Garrett, This is a super interesting conversation that you are starting here, what's even better is the conversations that you are starting within NASA. It's nice to have the Gen Y opinion legitimized. I've heard your presentation mentioned dozens of times since it was presented to Public Outreach in January. Amazingly, it seems like people are listening. There has been talk about creating Gen Y leadership councils at each center to help with outreach and messaging and already we have started thinking about exhibit and publication development that targets our generation. So thanks for starting this and we'll keep you posted on how NASA Langley furthers the 'Flat NASA' experiment and comes up with answers for the Gen Y question. Nick & Garrett,

This is a super interesting conversation that you are starting here, what’s even better is the conversations that you are starting within NASA. It’s nice to have the Gen Y opinion legitimized.

I’ve heard your presentation mentioned dozens of times since it was presented to Public Outreach in January. Amazingly, it seems like people are listening. There has been talk about creating Gen Y leadership councils at each center to help with outreach and messaging and already we have started thinking about exhibit and publication development that targets our generation.

So thanks for starting this and we’ll keep you posted on how NASA Langley furthers the ‘Flat NASA’ experiment and comes up with answers for the Gen Y question.

]]> By: Nick Skytland http://www.opennasa.com/2008/01/03/10/comment-page-1/#comment-62 Nick Skytland Fri, 29 Feb 2008 19:28:43 +0000 http://opennasa.com/?p=27#comment-62 @Rory - the "back to macs" headline was half serious, half not. Ideally, end users who use generic items like email, document processing, spreadsheets, etc would be give a "choice". If you are more comfortable with a mac - use a mac. If you like PC's - use a PC. I know this isn't a new issue and has been argued to death agency wide and at the centers - but the underlying theme here is that we tend to pigeon hole ourselves into one technology - then quickly fall behind as innovation occurs in industry. Giving employees options to use the technology they are most familiar with to both a) communicate and b) do their jobs, would do a lot to change the culture. @Rory – the “back to macs” headline was half serious, half not. Ideally, end users who use generic items like email, document processing, spreadsheets, etc would be give a “choice”. If you are more comfortable with a mac – use a mac. If you like PC’s – use a PC. I know this isn’t a new issue and has been argued to death agency wide and at the centers – but the underlying theme here is that we tend to pigeon hole ourselves into one technology – then quickly fall behind as innovation occurs in industry. Giving employees options to use the technology they are most familiar with to both a) communicate and b) do their jobs, would do a lot to change the culture.

]]> By: Bill Seufzer http://www.opennasa.com/2008/01/03/10/comment-page-1/#comment-61 Bill Seufzer Fri, 29 Feb 2008 18:25:10 +0000 http://opennasa.com/?p=27#comment-61 I just read the slides a third time. Excellent presentation, but if you're into Macs shouldn't you be using Keynote? I am a tail end Boomer and I'm curious how a Gen Y'er can transform a short attention span and instant gratification into something that may take a lifetime to develop. How do you stick with a lifetime goal or even something that may take several years to accomplish? Or how do get the next Hubble up tomorrow so you don't become bored with it while you wait for the count down? I'm asking because I'm curious; not to cut down Gen Y. The world has many large scale problems that need attention span with likely very little gratification along the way. Just curious. I just read the slides a third time. Excellent presentation, but if you’re into Macs shouldn’t you be using Keynote?

I am a tail end Boomer and I’m curious how a Gen Y’er can transform a short attention span and instant gratification into something that may take a lifetime to develop. How do you stick with a lifetime goal or even something that may take several years to accomplish? Or how do get the next Hubble up tomorrow so you don’t become bored with it while you wait for the count down? I’m asking because I’m curious; not to cut down Gen Y. The world has many large scale problems that need attention span with likely very little gratification along the way. Just curious.

]]> By: Rory Duncan http://www.opennasa.com/2008/01/03/10/comment-page-1/#comment-60 Rory Duncan Fri, 29 Feb 2008 14:18:58 +0000 http://opennasa.com/?p=27#comment-60 Like others above me, I just got ahold of your presentation and was impressed. I am (According to the presentation anyway) a Gen-Xer having been born in 75. I work on the Orion program at KSC in the O&C building. I gotta say I share almost all of your views about transparency, and lack of communication in general. But, i had to laugh... NASA goes "Back To Macs"? Where did that come from? If anything, I would propose moving everyone to a beginners linux like Ubuntu. Save some money, (A lot of money), and break the microsoft deathgrip. Anyway, We need to do something to get NASA back on track, and you guys are the first ones I have seen make a real attempt. Congrats on getting your presentation all the way to Griffin! RAD Like others above me, I just got ahold of your presentation and was impressed. I am (According to the presentation anyway) a Gen-Xer having been born in 75. I work on the Orion program at KSC in the O&C building. I gotta say I share almost all of your views about transparency, and lack of communication in general. But, i had to laugh… NASA goes “Back To Macs”? Where did that come from? If anything, I would propose moving everyone to a beginners linux like Ubuntu. Save some money, (A lot of money), and break the microsoft deathgrip. Anyway, We need to do something to get NASA back on track, and you guys are the first ones I have seen make a real attempt. Congrats on getting your presentation all the way to Griffin!

RAD

]]> By: Garret Fitzpatrick http://www.opennasa.com/2008/01/03/10/comment-page-1/#comment-51 Garret Fitzpatrick Thu, 28 Feb 2008 17:39:47 +0000 http://opennasa.com/?p=27#comment-51 Tim, that really is an excellent point: "An organization that is not transparent nor accessible to itself will never be transparent or accessible by the public." NASA has been searching for specific outreach TACTICS to try to solve its disconnect with the public (and its own sense of relevancy for that matter)... I think one of the main points in solving that disconnect is that there isn't one or two specific tactics to do so. What's needed is a revamped STRATEGY that will incorporate flatness, transparency, accessibility and an open facilitation of a discussion INTERNALLY as well as externally to get us there. What does that look like? I don't think anybody really knows that for sure... But, we (everybody- NASA, space industry, even the "public" in the broadest terms) are working on it! Tim, that really is an excellent point: “An organization that is not transparent nor accessible to itself will never be transparent or accessible by the public.”

NASA has been searching for specific outreach TACTICS to try to solve its disconnect with the public (and its own sense of relevancy for that matter)… I think one of the main points in solving that disconnect is that there isn’t one or two specific tactics to do so. What’s needed is a revamped STRATEGY that will incorporate flatness, transparency, accessibility and an open facilitation of a discussion INTERNALLY as well as externally to get us there. What does that look like? I don’t think anybody really knows that for sure… But, we (everybody- NASA, space industry, even the “public” in the broadest terms) are working on it!

]]> By: Darius Yaghoubi http://www.opennasa.com/2008/01/03/10/comment-page-1/#comment-49 Darius Yaghoubi Thu, 28 Feb 2008 16:21:23 +0000 http://opennasa.com/?p=27#comment-49 Hello everyone, I just happened to stumble upon this website after being linked to the Powerpoint presentation that you guys have created. I just started at NASA Marshall a little less than a year ago as an engineer on the Ares project and I couldn't agree more with the message that you are trying to get across. It provides such a level of motivation that I really think the younger generation of NASA employees could use. Even though I haven't been working at NASA all too long, there have been plenty of times where friends or relatives get the impression that NASA is full of old men with pocket protectors and bow-ties, even to the point where many think it is essentially an organization that is living in the past. There is only so much that each individual can say- but as a "movement" as Eddy said above, we can really make a difference in how NASA is perceived by the general public. I'm not sure how much I could do but I would really like to contribute to what you guys are doing. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help. Hello everyone, I just happened to stumble upon this website after being linked to the Powerpoint presentation that you guys have created. I just started at NASA Marshall a little less than a year ago as an engineer on the Ares project and I couldn’t agree more with the message that you are trying to get across. It provides such a level of motivation that I really think the younger generation of NASA employees could use. Even though I haven’t been working at NASA all too long, there have been plenty of times where friends or relatives get the impression that NASA is full of old men with pocket protectors and bow-ties, even to the point where many think it is essentially an organization that is living in the past. There is only so much that each individual can say- but as a “movement” as Eddy said above, we can really make a difference in how NASA is perceived by the general public. I’m not sure how much I could do but I would really like to contribute to what you guys are doing. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help.

]]> By: Tim Bailey http://www.opennasa.com/2008/01/03/10/comment-page-1/#comment-46 Tim Bailey Thu, 28 Feb 2008 13:40:23 +0000 http://opennasa.com/?p=27#comment-46 When I hear "flat NASA" I think of organizational flatness as well as transparency to people outside the organization. Google seems to have this 'flatness' where all of the employees are empowered to innovate, collaborate, and discuss projects. When employees spend too much time looking for management approval (aka CYA "cover your assets")for everything they do, it slows down every process to a crawl and kills creativity. Can you imagine if the people that proposed GMail or AdWords were as worried about management 'reaction' as the creators of this site? Fear suffocates innovation. I want to see flat management structures and employee empowerment as a core component of a transformed, open NASA. An organization that is not transparent nor accessible to itself will never be transparent or accessible by the public. When I hear “flat NASA” I think of organizational flatness as well as transparency to people outside the organization. Google seems to have this ‘flatness’ where all of the employees are empowered to innovate, collaborate, and discuss projects.

When employees spend too much time looking for management approval (aka CYA “cover your assets”)for everything they do, it slows down every process to a crawl and kills creativity. Can you imagine if the people that proposed GMail or AdWords were as worried about management ‘reaction’ as the creators of this site? Fear suffocates innovation.

I want to see flat management structures and employee empowerment as a core component of a transformed, open NASA. An organization that is not transparent nor accessible to itself will never be transparent or accessible by the public.

]]> By: Skytland http://www.opennasa.com/2008/01/03/10/comment-page-1/#comment-45 Skytland Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:53:37 +0000 http://opennasa.com/?p=27#comment-45 I think this is more of what we were hoping the nasa.gov website itself would look like. It should be less of a press-release repository and more of a transparent, communication and knowledge transfer facilitating tool that we - NASA employee's - can use to help share the compelling story, the innovation, and the exciting work that we are doing within the agency. I think this is more of what we were hoping the nasa.gov website itself would look like. It should be less of a press-release repository and more of a transparent, communication and knowledge transfer facilitating tool that we – NASA employee’s – can use to help share the compelling story, the innovation, and the exciting work that we are doing within the agency.

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