Communication failures contributing to the Challenger accident: an example for technical communicators

D.A. Winsor Wildlife Management Institute

Abstract

Examination of the public documents available on the Challenger explosion shows that a history of miscommunication contributed to the accident. This miscommunication was caused by several factors, including managers and engineers interpreting data from different perspectives and the difficulty of believing and then sending bad news, especially to superiors or outsiders. An understanding of the dynamics at work in the Challenger case can help engineers and engineering managers elsewhere reduce miscommunication in their own companies.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">></ETX>

Journal
IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
Published
1988-01-01
DOI
10.1109/47.7814
CompPile
Open Access
Closed
Topics
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (41)

  1. Rhetoric Society Quarterly
  2. Written Communication
  3. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  4. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  5. Technical Communication Quarterly
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  1. Technical Communication Quarterly
  2. Technical Communication Quarterly
  3. Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  4. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  5. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  6. Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  7. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  8. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  9. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  10. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  11. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  12. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  13. Technical Communication Quarterly
  14. Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  15. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  16. Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  17. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  18. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  19. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  20. Argumentation
  21. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  22. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  23. Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  24. Technical Communication Quarterly
  25. Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  26. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  27. Technical Communication Quarterly
  28. Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  29. Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  30. Technical Communication Quarterly
  31. Technical Communication Quarterly
  32. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  33. Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  34. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  35. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  36. Journal of Business and Technical Communication

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