Dr Laura Gallaher | From Space Tragedy to Safety: NASA’s 8-Year Culture Revolution

In this powerful episode, Dr. Laura Gallaher takes us inside one of NASA's darkest moments and reveals how it became a catalyst for revolutionary change in organisational culture. Following the 2003 Columbia space shuttle disaster that claimed seven astronauts' lives, NASA's investigation uncovered a shocking truth: the agency's culture was as much to blame as the technical failure itself. What makes this even more striking is that NASA had been rated the #1 place to work in the federal government just months before the tragedy, challenging everything we think we know about workplace culture.

Dr. Gallaher, who spent nearly eight years leading NASA's culture transformation, shares how invisible forces like the "save the programme" mentality and lack of psychological safety prevented engineers from speaking up about critical safety concerns. She provides actionable insights on creating psychological safety, the power of leader vulnerability, and why optimising human dynamics is the ultimate competitive advantage. Her key message: culture change isn't a one-time fix—it's an ongoing commitment that can literally be the difference between success and catastrophic failure.

 

Connect with Laura:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-gallaher-phd/

Website:  https://drlauragallaher.com/

 

 

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If you are looking for a Blueprint to help you and your business manage uncertainty, deal with failure and navigate change then reach out to Julian at: julian@julianrobertsconsulting.com

 

You can buy my book "Weathering the Storm: A Guide to Building Resilient Teams" on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DFTYN2Y2

 

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