Why Good Engineers Make Bad Decisions: Some Implications for Adr Professionals

"Why Good Engineers Make Bad Decisions: Some Implications for ADR Professionals" by Melvin Blumberg

1.  According to the author, why do good engineers sometimes make “bad” decisions?

There are several reasons why good engineers sometimes make “bad” decisions. Decisions that may be “correct” in the past may not be the right answers today. Like other professions, the field of engineering continues to evolve with time and the inability for professionals to adapt to the changes may cause them to conduct poor decisions. In addition, good engineers can sometimes make “bad” decisions because of their ethical system, a theoretical mechanism that dictates behaviors. A decision that is deemed appropriate to them may be an overt behavior to others. Each individual carries a different value that depicts what is right and wrong to him. Sometimes, these ethical values may lead the person to make poor choices.

1. Why does the author believe the Challenger mission failed?

The author believes the Challenger mission failed for several reasons. Due to the drastic changes in temperature, engineers suspected that the rings used to tightly bind the crucial parts of the rocket would not function properly. Other nontechnical problems that stemmed from the incident include poor communication via telephone, the apparent practice of groupthink that discourages individual responsibility, and NASA’s lack of organizational structure and culture.

1. What were the sources of pressure on decision makers prior to launch?

The author illustrates various sources of pressure on decision makers prior to launch. The “roles” within an organizational structure plays a vital factor to depict conformity. The role of a client or peers can place pressure on the engineers. In this situation, VP of Wasatch Operations, Jerald Mason, can be named as one of the sources of pressure on Morton Thiokol engineers and Robert Lund, the VP of the group prior to the launch. Due to his authoritative role in the organizational structure, Lund and his team was obligated to launch the rocket even though the decision led to failure. 

1. Did the engineers behave ethically?

According to the author, the decision to launch was not due to the lack of ethical behavior. Procedures were followed, but unfortunately, nothing is ever known with "total precision." Even though the decision to launch the rocket was a poor one by the decision makers it illustrates the importance for the development of responses to pressures encountered by engineers and offer recommendations to ADR professionals.