Leadership for Accelerating Innovation in Space Systems

This three-day experiential workshop is designed to provide project and engineering leaders with tested multidisciplinary techniques and methodologies for infusing advanced technologies and enabling accelerated space systems development. Technologies like additive manufacturing, structured light scanning, wireless avionics and advanced analytical tools are re-shaping the entire product life cycle, potentially enabling dramatic reductions (2-10X) in systems development cost and schedule. However, aerospace industry is particularly susceptible to unintended barriers to innovation created by misinterpreted risk posture. Many barriers such as the proliferation of processes & controls are disguised as mission success protocol, yet drive significant overhead, cost & schedule while adding little new understanding of project risk. An empowering, trusted leadership team is key to navigating the challenges of embracing uncertainty and the associated learning (failures), while remaining vigilant with lessons of highly visible experiences like the Space Shuttle Challenger and Columbia tragedies. Participants will develop specific, tactical knowledge thru real-time exercises and case studies with best practices, while developing deeper understanding of imbedded organizational culture barriers and natural human neurologic drivers for safety and control. Knowing the rigor and discipline of “engineering the system” is a critical foundation, however only a learning & open culture is capable of encouraging the insatiable curiosity and social awareness necessary for infusing innovation with hard-won experiential knowledge. Understanding and setting stakeholder risk expectations with today’s evolving public private partnerships is key to successfully driving decision velocity with targeted modeling, test and analysis. Leadership social & emotional intelligence skills are critical for tempering uncertainty of data & logic with experiential intuition and enabling mission success. This course is invaluable to all levels of technical and program leadership or teams involved in spacecraft and space launch systems design, development and operations.

• How to effectively accelerate complex systems development.
• Creating decision velocity and innovative environment.
• Eliminate intra organization competition, stovepipes.
• Retooling break-thru engineering mental models.
• Understanding unconscious neurological drivers in decisions making.
• Creating high performance organization and culture.

1. Development Cycle DNA. Understanding/creating innovative environment; navigating the dichotomy of development to operations
2. Embracing Risk Conundrum. Challenging defensiveness of status quo; analysis paralysis vs methodical uncertainty decision; Retooling Mental Models
3. Success thru Failure. Learning smart failure approach, managing stakeholder expectations, accepting more than one right answer
4. Communication and Language barriers. Aggressive listening to understand; Inquiry & Advocacy model; Death by meetings
5. Collaboration, Compliance & Control. Complex systems integration, Empowerment & Engagement; process vs product focus
6. Requirements or “Desirements”. Knowing customer; unintended margin amplification; rigorous flexibility; appropriate schedule pressure
7. Creating Decision Velocity. Mission Focus, Analysis Paralysis; Infusing emotional, social intelligence with experiential intuition (IQ+EQ+SQ)
8. Authentic Leadership Skills. Developing Self Awareness and Social Awareness Values & Behaviors; Coach Approach; situational leadership
9. Engine of Possibility. 3 Keys to sustaining success with high reliability innovative systems.

Chris Singer, NASA deputy Chief Engineer (retired), responsible for creating an integrated collaborative engineering capability across 10 agency field centers enabling an in innovative culture for space exploration systems development and acquisition. He has distilled 34 years of space systems development experience and dozens of leadership development training, seminars and personal growth workshops into this 3-day event. As Director of Engineering at Marshall Space Flight Center, he re-engineered an organization of 2500 engineers, scientist and technicians responsible for design, testing, and operation of a diverse portfolio of aerospace systems from advanced rocket engines to space telescopes. He led engineering thru extremely challenging times including Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy/recovery, and the termination of two major programs, ($4-B) Constellation and Space Shuttle.

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