Apollo 13
Apollo 13
When we look at organizations to assess their operation and healthiness, we can analyze them through four unique lenses that give us a glimpse into the inner working of the organization.
In the movie, Apollo 13 starring Tom Hanks and others, we get a (granted, fictional) look into how NASA operated during this “successful failure.” In this paper, I’ll be analyzing this movie through each of these lenses to better grasp how this organization operates.
Lens 1: The Structure Frame
NASA operates with great structure and has a plan for everything, or so they think. We first see the depth of the structure of this organization when it’s announced that Allen Shepard has an ear infection and won’t be able to fly the Apollo 13 mission. We can see structure come into play here because Hank’s entire team gets promoted to fly the next mission. Structure here indicates that if the captain can’t fly, then his crew doesn’t either. So, now Hanks and his crew are now going to fly the next mission to the moon. As the movie progresses, we’re better introduced to Hank’s wife who poses the question to him if they were rushing his team, would they be ready in time, and was this the right move. The response given to her was that NASA knew what they were doing; they had plans and structures in place that told them that this was an ok thing to do.
When we get our first look into the simulation room, it screams structure. The Astronauts are doing various simulations that have been planned out for them so they are prepared for every possible scenario. For this crew, and for NASA, success centers around their ability to work successfully in their structures that they’ve developed. This becomes clear when Ken Mattingly (Gary Sinise) wants to redo the simulation because he didn’t quite nail the scenario. For him, success was measured in him completing the scenario within the parameters (and structure) given.
The structure of the team is put into jeopardy when the flight surgeon decides that Ken Mattingly can’t go on the mission because he’s been exposed to the measles. Structure is put to the test when he is replaced by Jack Swigert (Kevin bacon), days before the mission is to take place. A structural mindset would say that Jack is a liability to the crew since he hasn’t practiced the simulations with the other two guys, however since it’s him or scratch the mission, they decide to let him go, but they are sure to practice as many simulations with him as possible. When they are all getting buckled into the spacecraft, they are all united to their goal of getting to the moon.
As the movie progresses and the crew is about to take off on their mission, we see the huge complexity of NASA’s structure. Everyone in mission control has their place and part to play. This is made perfectly clear as they go down their check list. Everyone has their own check list to complete and then there is a master check list that gets completed before the countdown starts.
“Houston, we have a problem.” Structure is great, but what happens when an organization depends on structure so much that it can’t function without one? This was the case when the explosion happened as a result of the oxygen cells being stirred. This event was so far out of the realm of possibilities that there wasn’t a plan on how to deal with this kind of disaster. As a result, disbelief and chaos erupted and it took the work of Gene Krantz (Ed Harris) to bring back order and structure to mission control. When he tells mission control to “work the problem and not guess” he is telling everyone to go back and develop the structures needed to bring the astronauts back home safe. They are given a NEW mission, which is to get the crew home alive, and any plans of getting to the moon are no longer a possibility.
New plans have to be developed with no time to spare. Structures have to be put in place in order to get the astronauts home. When Ken Mattingly is brought in to figure out how to get the crew back with the limited resources it is structures that he is developing to get them home. He has to develop a plan to get the computers rebooted with very little power being used. He is finally able to work out a plan to make this happen.
Structure is also put to the test when the crew is facing an abundance of CO2, on the ground, Gene Krantz tells the engineer team to make a square filter fit into a round hole. A new solution has to be created and a new structure put into place in order for this to happen. When the solution is finally made, the “how to” list is given to the crew in space.
It is structure that got them safely up into space, and it was a revolving structure and the development of new structures that got this crew back home safely. Now onto the second lens: Human Resources frame.
Lens 2: Human Resources Frame
Looking through the lens of the HR frame, our focus is on people. When looking at Apollo 13 through this lens we get a better look at how the people operate and are treated and operate themselves. There is a genuine excitement from the astronauts that they have the opportunity to go into space, because that means they are “the best.” When Hank’s character says this will be his last mission because it’s the best possible mission with the best possible crew, he means it.
As they are practicing in the simulator they are developing their confidence and self-esteem both individually, and as a team. As they practice docking the spacecraft they become fulfilled as a team by their successful attempt. When Garry Sinise wants to redo the simulation, he is being self-aware and self-actualizing by his desire to do the docking process better and reaching his potential, knowing he can do it better.
As the team is prepping for the launch and they are all putting on their space suits they are uniting with their mission and goal as a team. This process of building unity is evident in the HR frame and critical to the cohesiveness of the team. They are building unity as the three of them are going through the same process, together, getting ready for the launch.
Security is a big portion of the HR frame. We see the crews security put at risk when there is an error with rocket 5, Hank’s says this is our one glitch of the mission. Security is reinstated when they are able to overcome this problem and continue with the mission and not have to abort.
Fitting into the group is also a part of the Human Resources frame. We see an example of this as Kevin Bacon continuously tries to fit in with Hanks and Paxton. Not only is he the new member of the team, he is also young and not as experienced as the other two. This is a battle he continuously has throughout the movie. He gains credibility with the other two when he is successful at docking the craft, but that is quickly lost when the explosion happens as a result of him stirring the talks. It takes the efforts of the other two, especially Hanks to really make Bacon feel like he is a part of the team. Now for lens 3.
Political Frame
Every organization has some form of politics that we must be aware of in order to operate and survive. We first get a glimpse into the politics that are in NASA as well as those that surround it when Hanks’ character is giving a tour of the space shuttle. I believe it’s a senator that asks him the question about why NASA should continue to be funded and why we should keep going to space, since we’ve already been the Russians to the moon. This question coming from a person whose vote can determine whether Hanks would have the chance to fulfill his dream of walking on the moon. This senator was flexing his political power in asking this question, and expected Hanks to prove the value of the program. Hanks in return proved the value of the mission and NASA in general when he rebutted the question by asking if it would have made sense for Columbus to come back to Spain, and never return after he discovered North America.
Next we see as the movie progresses and the team is performing their simulations Gary Sinise wants to redo the simulation because he didn’t feel that he did a good enough job. He insists on redoing it and as a result is using his political power to convince the rest of the team that they need to do it again. Sinise is responsible for this part of the mission and thus wants to make sure that it is done right. Hanks responds “well let’s get it right,” he too, is using his power as the commander to get the ground crew to also agree to the simulation redo.
The next part where we see the political frame working is during the photo shoot and press conference. Hanks’ is asked about his thoughts of this being a routine mission. He pushes back to the reporter saying there is nothing routine about going to the moon. As we’ll see later in the movie, there seemed to be the perception that there was no interest, or excitement about going to the moon, since we’ve already made it. It took the work of the astronauts and NASA to shift the reason of space travel away from “going to space to beat the Russians” to “going to space, to discover space.”
Political power is just that, Power, and it’s made clear when Hanks goes head to head with the NASA administration. The Flight Doctor, when it’s found out that a member of the back up team is sick with the measles, decides Ken (Sinise) can’t fly the mission, because he hasn’t had the measles and has now been exposed to the virus. Hanks fights and uses all his power that he has to keep Sinise on the mission, but alas, the flight doctor and the administration have more political power than Hanks does, and if he wants to be the captain of the next mission and not be bumped, he must give up his team member. The power struggle continues as Hanks is forced to give his team the bad news that Sinise will be replaced with Kevin Bacon. Here we see the other two team members try to use their political power and authority in the group and try to keep the changes from happening. First we see Sinise try to stay on the mission. He tries to talk with the administration and prove his isn’t a risk to the mission. His continued attempts to remain on the mission are only put to an end when Hanks says that it was his decision, not to let Sinise fly the mission. Here we see the ultimate power identified, Sinise is shutdown when the person he sees as having more political power than him, say he can’t go.
Rank and respect are two different types of political power that we can see in this example of the measles incident. Hanks has ultimate political power and authority on this mission, but from a respect point of view, Sinise character has the second highest political power in the group, leaving Bill Paxton at the lowest rank, which I would argue he is ok with. On top of the power struggle that is going on between Sinise and Hanks, Paxton also tries to use his power to keep Sinise on the mission, claiming that Bacon, who would be replacing Sinise, hasn’t been in the simulator for weeks and a healthy Bacon, may not be as dependable as sick Sinise. This attempt is also unsuccessful.
As the team is up in space and trying to work together as a team, we see Bacon’s character need to develop and establish his standing in the group (and gain some needed political power) when it comes time for him to dock with the Lunar Module. Since Bacon hasn’t had as much practice with docking the module, and that is the most important thing he has to do on the whole trip, this is his one chance to really prove his value to the team. Bacon is able to dock the module (even if just barely) and as a result gets a cheer from the flight crew, as well as his fellow astronauts.
People and organizations can express various degrees of political power, but when an organization lacks political power, it can quickly become entangled in a fight for its survival. We see an example of this during the TV broadcast that was not. While the crew had no idea that they weren’t being broadcasted, the simple fact that they weren’t, signifies NASA’s severe lack of political power with both the media, as well as the American public. This has been and continues to be an ongoing fight that NASA has yet to overcome or even stabilize.
Political Power can have a positive and uplifting approach given the right situation. One example of a positive use of political power is when the flight director, Ed Harris brings peace and optimism to the ground crew when the mission turns bad. Harris’ presence and dedication to the astronauts and declaration that we have “never lost a man in space, and we’re not going to start today” is particularly powerful. Even when the White House wanted “odds” he refused to give it, because he wouldn’t even entertain the possibility of not bringing the men home.
Political Power is vital during times of emergencies, because time is of the essence, and if someone is willing to use their political power, it can ease the responsibilities of others. We see this in the chaos of everything happening and as decisions are not being made, every minute Odyssey is dying and putting the men more and more at risk. Clint Howard steps up to the plate and almost orders Harris to turn off the ship to save as much power as possible. Harris was still thinking about making it to the moon, Howard’s forward thinking told him the ship was dying and it wasn’t a matter anymore about getting to the moon, it was all about getting the men back to earth. This took great courage and the use of all Howard’s political power to bring this realization to the entire flight crew. No one wanted to see the mission abandoned, but it took Howard bringing this realization to the forefront, for everyone to realize and agree to the “new mission.”
There are times when people who could make a huge impact on a situation, decide not to use their political power and make an impact. We see this as the flight crew and engineers are trying to find a solution to their problem and bring the guys home. The engineers who developed the Odessey did not like helping figure out what the craft could do, they would only help by saying what it was designed to do. It took Harris setting them straight by saying, “I don’t care what it was designed to do, I want to know what it can do!” The engineers failed to step up and use their political power, Harris stepped up, again, and set the right tone.
Finally, we see political power used to comfort and take away blame. Towards the end of the movie, we see that there has been tension between Bacon and Paxton. Paxton had blamed Bacon for the explosion, and it took Hanks to declare “No one’s blaming you Jack” for this tension to leave. Hanks used his political power as the captain to put this issue to rest. Now onto lens 4, the Culture Frame.
Cultural Frame
Looking at the culture of an organization is probably the most intimate thing to do because in doing so, you are looking at the deepest part if the heart, and really getting a good pulse of the organization. NASA has a very unique culture, of which has almost caused its demise, multiple times.
Culture can be a very positive part of an organization and those who are apart of it. For example, when we look at the beginning of the movie, we see Tom Hanks during the party at his house, and the excitement that he had while watching Neil Armstrong land and then walk on the moon, knowing that that would soon be him. This is a great example of the emotional part of the culture of NASA and those that are apart of it. The organization was doing such new and exciting things, that there was a true excitement surrounding the culture of NASA.
When organizations are threatened, their cultures can turn inward, and develop certain attitudes towards the outside. When the question is asked about the purpose of continued flights to outer space and to the moon, Hanks takes that as a threat to his organization and culture. Hanks brushes off this attach by a politician and gives it no validity, so that it doesn’t damage the culture and organization that he is apart of; “What if Columbus had never come back to America, after he discovered it?”
Training people in an organization’s culture can be beneficial, and a great team building exercise. We seen an example of remodeling when Sinise wants to redo a simulation that he felt he hadn’t don’t “good enough.” After they decide to do the simulation again, the back up crew is then called out of the simulator so they main crew can do it again. As the backup team is leaving, Sinise comments, “This is how we do things around here.”