Human Factors in Automated and Robotic Space Systems Proceedings of a Symposium (1987) / Chapter Skim
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Control, Conflict, and Crisis Management in the Space Station's Social System
Control, Conflict, and Crisis Management in the Space Station's Social System
Pages 356-389
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From page 356... ...
Selection and training will continue to play an important part In TOC and SSOC Space Station Operations. Nevertheless, as ache Space Station evolves from TOC to SSOC, NA5A will find that it must rely less on selection am more on intentional design of the on-board social s~rsten to achieve adequate performance by the crew.
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From page 357... ...
PAR~G ~ IOC AND THE SSOC SOCIAL SYSTEMS Social Systems in Space Social systems In space Operate order parameters different fern social systems on Earth. These parameters, which apply to both the IOC and SSOC social systems, include: (a)
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From page 358... ...
In IOC, most crew members will be Astronaut Pilots. In SSOC, there will obviously still be some Astronaut Pilots on board, but the crew will include many more Payload Specialists than In TOC.
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From page 359... ...
Overall, the goals pursued by the crew members in SSOC will be more complex and diverse than those in IOC. Expressed more formally, the SSOC social system will be attempting to optimize what may be construed as a highly complex mLlti-abjective function (Feeney and Raiffa, 1976)
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From page 360... ...
because neither the TOC nor the SSOC social systems exist today, one m nnot draw firm conclusions about their structural properties or performance under specified conditions. Nevertheless, by considering the proposed systems in light of research findings on Earth-based social systems and earlier space-flight social systems, some plausible conjectures can be made regarding their structure and performance.
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From page 361... ...
is task specialization. As noted above, both IOC and SSOC will have Astronaut Pilots, but SSOC will have many additional Payload Specialists.
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From page 362... ...
m e system will experience a change in mission statement, grow in complexity, differentiate into subgroups, and decentralize in decision-making. mese shifts will produce operating problems for the SSOC social system that were not present In IOC.
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From page 363... ...
At the same time, the SSOC system -- with its greater degree of differentiation and decentralization -- may be worse-off organizationally than IOC and have more difficulty mobilizing to deal with crises. The broad research/design question for MESA is how best to structure the SSOC social system so that it can mobilize adequately deco d-~1 with e e VarlO*
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From page 364... ...
Multiple replications could be run on each of several alternative supervisory-control structures using standard experimental designs. m e results should provide a fair idea of how the alternative supervisory-control structures will perform.
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From page 365... ...
They will have been selected via a rigorous scree mng process, and there will be little reason to doubt their capacity for decisive action. Nevertheless, their roles will be fairly restrictive and afford little independence, and they will essentially be taking orders frog Mission Control on Earth and from their Mission Commander on board the Space Station.
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From page 366... ...
The SSOC social system will include not only Astronaut Pilots, but also a large number of Payload Specialists (perhaps as many as 20 of them)
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From page 367... ...
Despite all this, however, Payload Specialists in SSOC will not be truly autonomcus or independent. hey may have more decision-ma-ding prerogatives than Specialists in IOC, but their discretion will nevertheless be circ~nsc~ibed and ached performance will doubtless be subject to administrative radiation and review.
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From page 368... ...
payload operations, as well as coordinate relations among nationality subgroups on board and with Mission Control on Earth. Beyond the nature of the Mission Ccmmander's role, there is the question of what persons might be candidates for that role.
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From page 369... ...
In sum, NASH has Chosen to deploy a heterogeneous, differentiated SSOC social system in which the risks of conflict are higher than Acrid be the case in certain other types of social systems. The risks would be less severe, for instance, had LISA chosen to deployer an SSOC system more like that in TOC -- i.e., a system where crew members have a uniform
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From page 370... ...
The== means include the alignment of goal structures, patterning of social interaction, and selection and training of crew members. The fundamental rcsearchydesign issue underlying this discussion is how to design the SSOC social system to avoid or minimize interpersonal conflict; a related issue is how to equip the crew with techniques to resolve conflict (if it occurs)
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From page 371... ...
Superor~inate gnats reliably improve cooperation and reduce conflict among subgroups in a larger Den. There may be several ways to 1noorpor~ate superordinate goals in the design of the SSOC social system.
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From page 372... ...
Persons within MESA ore familiar with the game theoretic approach; NASA use game theory to resolve conflict amoral grays of engineers with Meting demos rear cling equipment to be placed on the Mariner ppac~raft. Them may be opportunity again to use it advantageously in cam ~Conflict Avoidance via Patterned Social Interaction Another broad approach to avoidance of conflict in SSOC entails intentional structuring or channeling of social interaction hong crew members.
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From page 373... ...
Because the SSOC social system will contain several sat, the inclusion of ~ ary- ~ i ~ roles ~ the larger system may help to avoid conflict between groups and to resolve conflict should it occur. In systems without bouniary-spannIng roles, one typical consequence of conflict is a reduction or cessation of communication between the parties.
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From page 374... ...
Sac Astronaut Pilots might be assigned to conduct payload experiments on an interdeper~ent basis with Payload Specialists. Aga=, the Objective is to create ties an; ~r~.
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From page 375... ...
Thus, a general research/design issue for N~5A is how may the SSOC crew best ,," the communication media on board the Space Station to promote non-polarizing interpersonal contact and to create cross-linkages between members of subgroups. At the fit, APIA may wish to develop an "etiquette" remark use of the various Maya on board.
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From page 376... ...
First, the number of persons selected will increase, because NASA will be flying larger crews. Second, the skill-mix of persons selected will shift; compared with TOO, a larger proportion of crew members will ~ Payload Specialists, a smaller proportion Astronaut Pilots.
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From page 377... ...
. Whether these techniques will work in a cross-cultural context like the SSOC social system is an open issue.
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From page 378... ...
Environmental contingencies, not human plans, drive the action; persons in the system b ~ Ha ma ~ reactive and 1-== proactive. hat likely, the IOC ark SSOC social systems will use several operating modes.
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From page 379... ...
m e SSOC system may have more difficulty switching from normal operating mode to crisis operating mode than the IOC system. m e SSOC social system will be larger, more complex, and mare differentiated than IOC.
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From page 380... ...
St~RY OF RESEARCH AND DESIGN ISSUES This paper has discussed issues that arise in the de-sign of the SSOC social system. Attention has been given to three broad problem areas: (a)
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From page 381... ...
m e results should provide a ~ eful indication of how the alternative supervisory-control structures will perform ~ space. One design s~b-problem is to determine the appropriate division of control between Space Station crew and Mission Control on Earth.
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From page 382... ...
Issues Regarding Response to Crises in SSOC Ibe SSOC social system may have more ctifficul~r than the TOC system mobilizing to de=1 with various Arises arm Urgencies on board. This will occur not only because SSOC is a larger system, but also because it is more heterar~i~a~ ~ fond with decentralized decision-~kir~.
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From page 383... ...
S 1976 me structure arm dynamics of behavior In organization Mary roles.
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From page 384... ...
B 1986 The role of ethnocentrism ~ intergroup conflict.
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From page 385... ...
In L Berkowitz, ea., Advances in Experimental Social Psychology.
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From page 386... ...
1978 me effect of Are presence on social facilitation: An unobtrusive fact. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 14:389-397.
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From page 387... ...
H 1986 Chapter 15 in Social Psychology.
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From page 388... ...
NINA IM-82510. Mare hall Space Flight Center, Alabama.
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From page 389... ...
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 13:131-140. Worchel, S., Axsom, D., Ferris, F., Samaha, C., and Schweizer, S
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