New Age Confidence Building at NASA Langley
NASA Langley got behind the Agency Innovation Mission (AIM) in a big way this week. https://t.co/ePCsf8Z6yp pic.twitter.com/64YWQvYtj5
— NASA_Langley (@NASA_Langley) November 3, 2016
No folks, this is not an SNL skit – they actually did this group air hug confidence building thing during @DavaExplorer Innovation Day @NASA https://t.co/VZMokvknoD
— NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) November 3, 2016
NASA Langley Flexes Creative Muscle at Innovation Day
“Panelist Karen Freidt, creativity and innovation program manager at Langley, introduced herself and immediately asked audience members to stand up, spread their arms wide, slam them back together, then shout at the top of their lungs.”
Keith’s note: So … now there will be sanctioned shouting at NASA LaRC, I guess. Usually, when people start to shout at each other at work, less creativity is the net result. When I worked at NASA such behavior would have been called “harassment” – or at least “unprofessional”.
Oh yes, for some reason Karen’s name tag says “Bob”.
The people who talk about “innovation” at NASA at these goofy, adult play-time events are rarely the people who actually innovate. When will this faux innovation stuff come to an end? NASA really needs to start taking itself much more seriously than fostering this internal feel-good nonsense.
Probably all managers. The troops were working.
Unfortunately, that’s not true. According to credible accounts there were far more “troops” present than managers.
The one at ARC was attended by about a dozen folks with diverse backgrounds from all over center, no manager. As typical of such training, the ones that need it most are never there.
Reminds me of ‘Safety Day’ during the 90s. Instead of properly instilling it as a work habit and frame of mind it became an annual carnival of distraction.
“A sane person to an insane society must appear insane.”
–Kurt Vonnegut
I wonder if this an extension of the culture change needed at NASA that Deputy Administrator Dava Newman discussed at MSFC and about NASA needing to look for individuals with passion instead of the best and the brightest.
http://www.al.com/news/hunt…
‘We’re not doing our job,’ NASA leader tells Alabama rocket engineers
By Lee Roop [email protected] on October 27, 2016 at 6:47 PM, updated October 27, 2016 at 7:53 PM
“We said, ‘You have to be the best and brightest in calculus and math and physics.’ Well, how intimidating is that?” Newman asked. “No, no, no. I say it’s a different conversation. ‘You want to find life in the universe? You want to build rockets? Then, you’re in.”
Wow.
I’ve participated in several Innovation Day events at JSC over the years, at least here it was more like a “get to know the work the folks in the next building over are doing” kind of thing and as such I found it useful for making contacts and inspiring some lines of work. Seems like the event has gotten feature creep over the years, not surprising when you have a very creative driven workforce that has no unified direction and is micromanaged by people who have zero passion or knowledge for the work that has been, is being, and can be done.
Without apologising, I proudly belong to an earlier generation that doesn’t need this “non-sense”.
but socialising between different departments that don’t normally meet, that’s different.
“NASA really needs to start taking itself much more seriously than fostering this internal feel-good nonsense.”
The problem is that they are taking themselves seriously.
The cost of this event Agency wide is probably more than the CIF funds at my Center to do actual innovation. NASA doesn’t have an innovation problem it has a funding of innovation problem.
I don’t think General Savage would approve.