Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Oct 2006

It's Not What You Know: A Transactive Memory Analysis of Knowledge Networks at NASA

Johny T. Garner Pepperdine University

Abstract

Much of America was stunned into mourning on February 1, 2003 as the space shuttle Columbia was reported to have broken up over Texas. The ensuing investigation revealed that debris at liftoff was the cause of the crash, but the official report suggested that NASA's organizational communication was just as much to blame. This article uses transactive memory theory to argue that there were significant gaps in the knowledge network of NASA organizational members, and those gaps impeded information flow regarding potential disaster. E-mails to and from NASA employees were examined (the “To” and “From” fields) to map a network of communication related to Columbia's damage and risk. Although NASA personnel were connected with each other in this incident-based network, the right information did not get to the people who needed it. The article concludes with extensions of theory and practical implications for organizations, including NASA.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
2006-10-01
DOI
10.2190/u636-4844-2323-w071
CompPile
Search in CompPile ↗
Open Access
Closed
Topics
professional writing digital rhetoric
Export
BibTeX RIS

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (2)

  1. Weber (2016)
    Stasis in Space! Viewing Definitional Conflicts Surrounding the James Webb Spac…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  2. Moran et al. (2012)
    A Bibliography of Works Published in the History of Professional Communication …
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication

References (23)

  1. Columbia Accident Investigation Board, Final Report, 2003. Retrieved September 1, 2003, from http://www.nasa.…
     ↗
  2. 10.1093/oso/9780195160369.001.0001
     ↗
  3. 10.2307/256396
     ↗
  4. 10.1086/225469
     ↗
  5. Rogers E. M. (1995)
    Diffusion of Innovations
Show all 23 →
  1. 10.1007/978-1-4612-4634-3_9
     ↗
  2. 10.2307/30036531
     ↗
  3. 10.1521/soco.1995.13.3.319
     ↗
  4. 10.1177/1368430200033002
     ↗
  5. 10.1037/0022-3514.81.6.1080
     ↗
  6. 10.1037/0022-3514.61.6.923
     ↗
  7. 10.1016/S0090-2616(01)00046-8
     ↗
  8. 10.1016/S0277-9536(98)00361-X
     ↗
  9. 10.2307/2393923
     ↗
  10. Louis M. (1985)
    Organizational Culture
  11. Sathe V. (1985)
    Culture and Related Corporate Realities: Text, Cases, and Readings on Organizational Entr…
  12. Kunda G. (1992)
    Engineering Culture: Control and Commitment in a High-tech Corporation
  13. Tompkins P. K. (2005)
    Apollo, Challenger, Columbia. The Decline of the Space Program: A Study in Organizational…
  14. Vaughan D. (1996)
    The Challenger Launch Decision: Risky Technology, Culture, and Deviance at NASA
  15. 10.2307/2393390
     ↗
  16. Borgatti S. P. (2002)
    UCI-net for Windows: Software for Social Network Analysis
  17. Dillard J. (2002)
    Handbook of Interpersonal Communication
  18. 10.1287/mnsc.46.5.612.12052
     ↗
CrossRef global citation count: 21 View in citation network → Build reading path →

Related Articles

  1. Computers and Composition Jun 2026
    “Article laundry” or “tutor in pocket?”: Multilingual writers’ generative AI-assisted writing in professional settings ↗
    Qianqian Zhang-Wu
    writing pedagogy teacher development professional writing qualitative research digital rhetoric artificial intelligence multilingual writers
  2. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly Nov 2025
    Business Communication and Editing Students’ Evaluations of Written Error: An Eye-Tracking Study ↗
    Matthew J. Baker; Grant Eckstein; Ana Barraza; Benjamin Duffield
    collaborative writing professional writing digital rhetoric
  3. Communication Design Quarterly Sep 2025
    Review of "Queer Techné: Bodies, Rhetoric, and Desire in the History of Computing by Patricia Fancher," Fancher P. (2024). Queer techné: Bodies, rhetoric, and desire in the history of computing. National Council of Teachers of English. ↗
    Thomas Gurinskas
    rhetorical criticism technical communication professional writing archival research digital rhetoric gender and writing book reviews
  4. Journal of Academic Writing Apr 2025
    Academic Writing with GenAI ↗
    Sandra McGury; Nadja Wulff; Anja Häusler
    teacher development professional writing digital rhetoric artificial intelligence multilingual writers literacy studies
  5. Technical Communication Quarterly Apr 2025
    Beyond Digital Literacy: Investigating Threshold Concepts to Foster Engagement with Digital Life in Technical Communication Pedagogy ↗
    Danielle Mollie Stambler; Nupoor Ranade; Daniel L. Hocutt; Stephen Fonash; Jessica Lynn Campbell; Ann Hill Duin; Isabel Pedersen; Jason Tham; Saveena (Chakrika) Veeramoothoo; Gustav Verhulsdonck
    writing pedagogy collaborative writing threshold concepts technical communication professional writing digital rhetoric literacy studies race and writing