NASA Needs A Risk Manager
In investigating the tragic loss of the Columbia Space Shuttle, an independent review board blamed not only the failings of the technology involved, but more ominously, they cited the shortcomings of the people at NASA and their organizational culture.
The panel issued a scathing critique that described NASA as an agency that violated most of the basic tenets of sound risk management. NASA failed to remain diligent in investigating every potential risk and in proactively mitigating them. NASA also created an atmosphere in which people who suspected potential safety problems felt pressure from peers and managers to keep their doubts to themselves.
Risk managers, as well as their brokers and insurers, can learn valuable lessons here. Risk management is more than just a technique or even a profession. It is a culture–a way of life.
Risk managers need to make sure that every level of their organizations, from senior managers to line employees, are always on the alert for potential safety exposures, and are encouraged to quickly come forward and offer solutions if they have them. Brokers and insurers need to reinforce this message with each of their corporate insurance buyers.
In this week's op-ed column by Ara Trembly, he speaks about the need to take responsibility for one's actions, rather than blame bad technology for all our ills. The loss of the space shuttle and all those aboard is a prime example of why people, not tech, is often the primary problem. The shuttle's technology might have let us down, but had the people at NASA been better risk managers, perhaps this tragedy could have been averted.
Reproduced from National Underwriter Property & Casualty/Risk & Benefits Management Edition, September 8, 2003. Copyright 2003 by The National Underwriter Company in the serial publication. All rights reserved.Copyright in this article as an independent work may be held by the author.
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