In Good Company

Building Social Capital

Larry Prusak, ASK Magazine

Research proves that knowledge is best accumulated and retained through the development of social capital. Noted knowledge management author and researcher Prusak discusses the importance of trust, rich social networks, and social norms and values in developing social capital within and between organizations.

1 hour and 18 minutes running time

Lessons from DART Mishap

Dr. Fred Bickley, Marshall Space Flight Center
Garry Lyles, NASA Headquarters

Bickley presents the findings of the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) Spacecraft’s Mishap Investigation Board, which point to several root causes that are applicable to future NASA projects in areas of budget and risk, training and experience, lessons learned analysis, systems engineering, schedule pressure, technical insight, risk management and peer review.

1 hour running time

MER Project

Stealing Success from the Jaws of Failure

Rob Manning, Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Manning discusses the various systems engineering problems encountered during the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) project and highlights the importance of persistence, teamwork and sheer luck in getting a spacecraft from blueprints to the launch pad and beyond.

1 hour 14 minutes running time

iRobot

Learning from Experience

Helen Greiner, iRobot

Greiner, co-founder and Chairman of iRobot Corp., shares her lessons learned in the design and creation of robots for both consumer and government use and the importance of user input in the concept and design phases. Two of iRobot’s successful projects on the market, the Roomba and the PackBot, also make guest appearances.

1 hour 10 minutes running time

Cultivating a Collaborative Community

The Evolving Organization of Knowledge Work

Dr. Paul Adler, University of Southern California

Adler shares the importance of community in project success and specifically addresses the need for “collaborative community,��? a trust and values-based community distinguished by its horizontal, interdependent structure, in today’s business environment.

44 minutes running time

Fundamental "Truths"

What My Career at NASA has Taught Me

Don Cohen, ASK Magazine
Gus Guastaferro, NASA APPEL Curriculum
Dr. Jerry Mulenburg, Ames Research Center (retired)

Cohen leads an informal interview with NASA veterans Guastaferro and Mulenburg, who reflect upon their long, varied careers and highlight lessons that they’ve learned along the way.

42 minutes running time

The Viking GCMS Instrument Case Study

Gus Guastaferro, NASA APPEL Curriculum
Matt Kohut, NASA APPEL/InFact Communications

Viking Project Manager Jim Martin faced significant management challenges in developing the gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GCMS) with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 1971. Kohut leads a group discussion reflecting upon Martin’s various options when attempting to deliver this particular instrument while Viking veteran Guastaferro discusses his impressions during this trying period.

43 minutes running time

RS-68 Engine Development Program

A Learn Perspective

Tony Eastland, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne

Eastland demonstrates how Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne engineers and managers were able to create one of the world’s most powerful engines by successfully streamlining the project processes and eliminating bureaucratic waste.

1 hour running time

Transforming Wisdom in Action

Becoming a Reflective Practitioner

Dr. Ed Hoffman, NASA APPEL

APPEL Director Ed Hoffman talks about the ingredients for an effective story and shows how stories can be used as an effective tool for knowledge sharing.

16 minutes running time

Gravity Probe B Management Experiment

Edward S. Calder, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Bradley T. Jones, Johnson Space Center

Calder and Jones present this case study of GP-B, one of the first programs for which a university (Stanford) was awarded the prime contract, and facilitate a group exercise debating the pros and cons of various NASA collaborative arrangements.

1 hour 3 minutes running time