1. Influencing a Culture Change
NASA PM Challenge – Orlando, 2012
Mark Wiese / NASA KSC

2. 2
Agenda
• Introduction
• Culture & Branding
• Background
• Process
• Launch Vehicle Processing S&MA Example
• Summary
• Q&A

3. 3
Introduction
• Who am I?
• Driving influences in my life
▫ Upbringing
▫ Perceptions
▫ Influence
• My core values
▫ Work-Life Balance
▫ Excellence
▫ Creativity/Innovation
▫ Integrity
▫ Teamwork

4. 4
Why Culture?
• What is the connection to Project Management?
▫ Cost
▫ Schedule
▫ Technical
• People & Teams are the true key to a successful project
▫ You can effectively manage your cost, schedule, and
technical requirements through your people and the
diversity of your team
• How do you assure you have the best team?
▫ Pick them yourself? (Can’t always do that, surely doesn’t
guarantee results)

5. 5
The Power of Brand Recognition
• Why does “Branding” your organization work?
▫ Inspires
▫ Connects the Mind & Heart
▫ Lasting
• How do well known organizations differentiate their brand to you?
▫ Through Visions, Logos, & Products that define their team and/or their
goals
 Pink Ribbons
 Yellow Wristband
▫ Through Slogans; can you name the organization tied to these below?
 “Just Do It”
 “Be all you can be”
 “Breakfast of champions”
 “Think Different”
 “Don’t be evil”

6. 6
Culture as it applies to teams
Culture: the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and
practices that characterizes an institution or organization
(www.merriam-webster.com)
• Strong cultures immediately invoke emotions
▫ Examples:
 Music/Phones: Innovation, integration
 Sports/Football: Black & Yellow, multiple championships
• What culture exists in your team today (+/-/neutral)?
• As a leader you can take steps to re-shape a team culture
• As a team member, you can influence a culture
• Your environment can set it; however it may also drive the
need for you to pay more attention to influencing a culture

7. 7
So What?
• Cultures will form anyway
• Cultures can be negative and counterproductive
The right culture can cultivate your team to have…

8. 8
My environment won’t support change
• Find a way, set a vision no matter what your
environment may be
• Don’t ignore the negative, openly talk and
refocus on what you can influence, what your
team is in control of
• Use examples

9. 9
Challenge yourself
• Dream
• Share the vision, no matter how big or small
• Examples from my career
▫ Launch Services Program S&MA
▫ Shuttle (framework for following charts)
▫ Source Evaluation Board

10. 10
Background: Shuttle example
• KSC S&MA Directorate – Shuttle Division, 2007
▫ Team of 140+ (120+ Civil Servants, 20+ Contractors)
▫ Projected to scale down to a team of 1/4 the size after
the last Shuttle Mission
▫ 15 Missions Remained
▫ Challenges in front of S&MA
 Poor perception of “value added”
 “Oversight” (Shuttle) vs. “Insight” (Constellation)
 Engineers vs. Technical Specialists (Union Represented)
▫ Poor morale; people in jobs that were a poor fit for
their skills; unknown of how they could contribute in
the future

11. 11
Process Overview
• Setting the culture and branding the organization
requires
▫ Time
 Less, if starting from scratch on a new team
 More, if attempting to turn around the Titanic
▫ Attention
 Less, if a small group, easily focused
 More, if team is large, spread out, distracted
• Process Steps
Influencing the Culture Branding the Organization
Initial Establishing
Rollout Make it Stick
Planning Framework

12. 12
INITIAL PLANNING
Influencing the Culture
• Dream (brainstorm, listen, seek help)
▫ Invest the time (took me 4 months for Shuttle example)
▫ Capture ideas, then capture more! (notes, charts, drawings)
▫ Discussions with mentors and leaders
▫ Obtain expert help from Human Capital
 This step brought me back to reality!
 Influence vs. Direction
• Document “Why”
▫ Main reasons your team needs change
▫ Find a selling factor (business case)
▫ What will improve as a result
• Determine “How”
▫ Full participation
▫ Focus group
▫ Leader only
• Obtain approval to proceed Initial
Planning
Establishing
Framework
Rollout
Make it
Stick

13. 13
Why Shuttle Example
LVP S&MA Division
• Facilitate a smooth transition to Constellation
• More insight, less oversight
• Better utilization of assets & resources
• Improve communication
• Increase efficiency
Initial Establishing Make it
Rollout
Planning Framework Stick

14. 14
How Shuttle Example
LVP S&MA Division
• SA-B Realignment Advisory Team (BRAT)
▫ Members from all SA-B elements
▫ Labor Union leadership
▫ SA-A1 Admin Office
▫ BA-C (HR Operations)
▫ BA-E (Facilitator/Organizational Development)
• Utilized Organizational Development Model to
establish Vision, Mission, Goals, Organizational
Design and Change Management
Initial Establishing Make it
Rollout
Planning Framework Stick

15. 15
ESTABLISHING FRAMEWORK
Influencing the Culture
For your Team, determine each of the following;
• Purpose
▫ Document the goals you wish to achieve
▫ Understand any guidelines you must fit within
▫ Develop a Vision, Mission, & Values (Top Down approach)
▫ Analyze tasks the team performs or should perform (Bottom Up approach)
• Structure
▫ Find a structure that is a “best fit” to Top Down and Bottom Up analysis
▫ Assure structure enables career progression
▫ Assure structure allows for proper accountability
• Relationships
▫ How will each sub-team interact
▫ Establish interface points
• Norms
▫ Empower
▫ Assure understanding of Values Initial Establishing Make it
Rollout
Planning Framework Stick

16. 16
Purpose Shuttle Example
LVP S&MA Division
• Goals
• Allow for seamless transition to Constellation
• Transfer SMA operational/floor knowledge to Constellation
• Restructure Quality Engineering function
• Increase Mission Assurance focus in Division
• Improve leadership development structure
• Guidelines
• No FTE increase, reduce supervisors in prep for smaller organization
• Continue to meet Shuttle requirements
• SA-B workforce buy-in
Initial Establishing Make it
Rollout
Planning Framework Stick

17. 17
Purpose, cont. Shuttle Example
LVP S&MA Division
Top Down Analysis
Vision:
“Advancing Space Exploration through Safe and Successful
Launch Vehicle Processing”
Mission:
“Playing a key role in space exploration by independently
acquiring insight, assessing risk, and influencing safe and
successful launch vehicle processing”
Values:
▫ Integrity
▫ Competence
▫ Cooperation
▫ Independence
Initial Establishing Make it
Rollout
Planning Framework Stick

18. 18
Purpose, cont. Shuttle Example
LVP S&MA Division
Bottom Up Analysis
• Review of all functions in org today (with PPBE projections for each
task)
• Evaluated who should perform functions
▫ Safety
▫ Quality
▫ Mission Assurance
• Identified major attributes from mission statement
(1 - acquiring insight, 2 – assessing risk, 3 - influencing)
▫ Determined primary & secondary attributes for each function
▫ Weighted between safety, quality and mission assurance
• Realigned FTE based on weighting and PPBE numbers
Initial Establishing Make it
Rollout
Planning Framework Stick

19. 19
Team Structure
• Organization outline
• Clear description of roles
• Interfaces (with whom, how, badgeless)
• Understanding of major changes and benefits
▫ Globally, from an entire organization standpoint
(up, down, across to customers)
▫ Locally (internally to the team itself)
▫ Break down personnel movement, responsibility
movement, position creation & abolishment
Initial Establishing Make it
Rollout
Planning Framework Stick

20. 20
Team Structure, cont. Shuttle Example
LVP S&MA Division
• Complete revamp of organization structure
▫ From 5 branches to 3
▫ Eliminated 8 supervisory positions
▫ Created “lead” and “senior” positions for improved career paths
• Updated position descriptions
• Improved use of support contractor to add flexibility
• Major Changes & Benefits
▫ Transfer Floor Knowledge
▫ Mission Assurance focus
▫ Leadership and developmental opportunities
▫ Increased communication within the Division
Initial Establishing Make it
Rollout
Planning Framework Stick

21. 21
Relationships & Norms Shuttle Example
LVP S&MA Division
• Detailed communication between leadership and BRAT team
• BRAT representatives relayed information discussed to employees
• BRAT concluded with go-forward actions for management team
▫ Finalize new position descriptions to clearly communicate duties
▫ Creation of a leadership development training program for Division
▫ Team leads for new organization would continue to meet regularly (without
management) in order to assure consistency in communication processes
▫ Management would establish process for assuring constant flow down of
information
▫ Division would kick-off a “knowledge capture” effort to assure all internal processes
are captured for post Shuttle era learning
Initial Establishing Make it
Rollout
Planning Framework Stick

22. 22
ROLLOUT
Influencing the Culture
• Communicate your plan
▫ Uphill (w/ Senior Leadership, Human Capital)
▫ Horizontally (w/ your Team)
▫ Externally (w/ stakeholders or interfacing
organizations)
• Set a timeline for next steps
Initial Establishing Make it
Rollout
Planning Framework Stick

23. 23
Communication & Timeline Shuttle Example
LVP S&MA Division
• Created master All-Hands presentation
▫ Outlined process, provided additional details of changes
▫ Focused heavily on new Vision
• Shared this presentation when seeking approval of Senior Management &
Human Capital
• Used presentation for an All Hands with Division employees, followed by
smaller Q&A sessions
▫ Shared new vision and how change will work
▫ Explained commitment to success of the plan
• Used presentation to communicate with stakeholders
▫ Smaller modified version of presentation, focusing on stakeholder expectations from
our team
• Timeline (before & after) included in presentation
▫ Previous steps (15 months)
▫ Next steps for implementation (phased over 8 months)
Initial Establishing Make it
Rollout
Planning Framework Stick

24. 24
MAKE IT STICK Branding the Organization
• Actions speak louder than words
▫ Leadership must set the example
▫ Leadership must follow through on commitments
▫ Allows you to continually gain trust of your team
• Provide continual attention
▫ Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
• Create an identity
▫ Team logo, adopt a mascot
▫ Bring life to the spaces you work in
▫ Give nicknames (don’t offend!), stay light hearted
▫ Empower the team to do the same
Initial Establishing Make it
Rollout
Planning Framework Stick

25. 25
Actions, Attention, & Identity
Shuttle Example
LVP S&MA Division
• Provided constant updates during final stages of change in order to share
status with the team (this proved invaluable following cancellation of
Constellation)
• Spent time meeting in smaller groups (or one-on-one where appropriate)
• Created a new sharepoint site, including Mission, Vision, Values; logo for
Directorate; videos from leadership explaining their groups
• Spent time teambuilding, away from office, focused on relationships and
team interaction
• Celebrated our successes through use of mission patches on wall after each
landing, newsletter to team members, special awards and recognition events
• Continual empowerment of team members to innovate and create while
respecting lines of communication
Initial Establishing Make it
Rollout
Planning Framework Stick

26. 26
Culture – Before/After
Shuttle Example
LVP S&MA Division
BEFORE AFTER
• Low morale • Excitement, contagious attitude
• Lack of trust • Initiative
• Uncertainty surround roles • Embraced change (even after
• Uncertainty for future Constellation cancellation)
• Status quo (it isn’t broke, leave • Pride of ownership
it alone) • Innovation

27. 27
Summary
• Culture is critical to the growth and success of
your team
• Leadership drives culture (actively or passively);
however you can influence even as a team
member
• Set a plan, act on it, continually follow-thru
Influencing the Culture Branding the Organization
Initial Establishing
Rollout Make it Stick
Planning Framework

28. 28
Question & Answer