PricewaterhouseCoopers Endowment Report Finds Leadership Lessons in Administrator Dan Goldin's Transformation of NASA.

Business, Science, Government and Political Editors

ARLINGTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 14, 2001

A new research report of The PricewaterhouseCoopers Endowment for the Business of Government, "Transforming Government: Dan Goldin and the Remaking of NASA," identifies lessons for leadership in times of turbulence and organizational change. (http://endowment.pwcglobal.com/pdfs/LambrightReport.pdf)

"We trust that this report will be valuable to agency heads as they undertake the challenge of transforming or revitalizing the organizations they lead. There is much to learn from the experience of proven managers who fundamentally transformed their organizations and delivered improved results to the American people," said Paul Lawrence, PricewaterhouseCoopers partner and co-chair of the Endowment's Advisory Board.

NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin and report author W. Henry Lambright will discuss the report at a seminar sponsored by the Endowment today in Washington, D. C. Grady Means, Managing Partner for the Washington Consulting Practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers, will open the seminar, the first in the Endowment's 2001 "Perspectives on Management" series.

Lambright, professor of political science and public administration and director, Center for Environmental Policy and Administration at Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, examines the NASA experience in a case study of Goldin. The report describes Goldin's strategic approach to change and where he succeeded and fell short in his handling of the Space Station, the Mars programs, and other NASA initiatives.

While Lambright observes there are cautions to be drawn from the Goldin years at NASA, there are many positive lessons for leadership in turbulent times. According to the report author, Goldin was able to accomplish positive legacies in part because of personal qualities and also because he employed "strategies for change that made a difference."

"In the history of NASA, Goldin will likely stand out as a man who preserved the agency by forcing it to change," Lambright concluded.

Goldin now has the longest tenure as administrator in NASA's history. He was appointed by President George H. W. Bush in 1992 and continues to serve under President George W. Bush in 2001. One of the lessons learned from his experience is the importance of turning a "crisis" into an opportunity for action. Other lessons include that a leader must adopt a general strategy on what needs to be done at the outset of tenure, implement a change process quickly, build on success, be aware of limits of change, and anticipate long-term future needs of the organization.

Among Goldin's strategies, according to Lambright, was having a constant vision of NASA's future and its priorities. Lambright described Goldin's moving quickly and forcefully to reorganize to his vision of a "new NASA," using adversity and crisis as opportunities for change, building external constituencies for the agency at a time of budget constraint and the troubled Space Station, and looking for improvement with independent panels to assess NASA problems and solutions.

The report is the fourth in the Endowment's case study series of government leaders and lessons learned from their transformation initiatives. Previous reports have examined the transformation of the Federal Emergency Management Agency ("Transforming Government: The Renewal and Revitalization of the Federal Emergency Management Agency"), the Veterans Health Administration ("Transforming Government: The Revitalization of the Veterans Health Administration") and the Defense Department's procurement system ("Transforming Government: Creating a New Defense Procurement System"). Copies of the reports are available by calling [phone] or visiting the Endowment's web site at www.endowment.pwcglobal.com

About The PricewaterhouseCoopers Endowment for the Business of Government

Founded in 1998, the Endowment is one of the ways PricewaterhouseCoopers seeks to advance knowledge on how to improve public sector effectiveness. The Endowment focuses on the future of the operation and management of the public sector. Through grants for research and thought leadership forums, the Endowment stimulates research and facilitates discussion on new approaches to improving the effectiveness of government at the federal, state, local and international levels. For additional information on the PricewaterhouseCoopers Endowment, visit the web site at www.endowment.pwcglobal.com .

About PricewaterhouseCoopers

The Management Consulting Services practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers helps clients maximize their business performance by integrating strategic change, process improvements and technology solutions. Through a worldwide network of skills and resources, consultants manage complex projects with global capabilities and local knowledge, from strategy through implementation. PricewaterhouseCoopers (www.pwcglobal.com) is the world's largest professional services organization. Drawing on the knowledge and skills of more than 150,000 people in 150 countries, we help our clients solve complex business problems and measurably enhance their ability to build value, manage risk and improve performance in an Internet-enabled world. PricewaterhouseCoopers refers to the member firms of the worldwide PricewaterhouseCoopers organization.