READING COMPREHENSION PASSAGE (CLASS 11 AND 12)

SOLVED WORKSHEET 20

Organisations tend to see rebels as troublemakers – but suppressing these individuals and their ideas could backfire.

By Loizos Heracleous and David Robson 2nd June 2021 for BBC.com

1. In the 1980s a group of young engineers at Nasa’s Johnson Space Center in Houston realised that the 1960s Apollo-era mission control set-up would struggle to handle the more complex challenges of flying the space shuttle. The engineers’ concerns fell on deaf ears; Nasa knew and trusted the Apollo-era systems, which had successfully sent humans to the moon. Undeterred, the renegade group – who subsequently called themselves ‘the pirates’ – began to code new software for the mission control sub-systems in their free time, using borrowed equipment from Nasa suppliers. Their system was based on commercially available personal workstations linked through a Unix network, in what the pirates felt was a more resilient and adaptive set-up. After several months, they physically brought their system into mission control to test it – but they were asked to leave by the flight controllers.

2. At that point Gene Kranz, the legendary mission control director, stepped in. He had faith in the renegade engineers, knew how important the project would be in terms of bringing in needed capability – and asked the other flight directors to give the group a chance. To test it, the pirate system ran alongside the incumbent system for a few months. When the mainframe system crashed twice, the pirate system kept going. In hindsight, it’s easy to see its benefits; the new system could display graphics and colours, was easily re-programmable and could conduct real-time diagnostics based on multiple parameters using early forms of artificial intelligence. These capabilities were sorely lacking in the incumbent system.

3. The rebel engineers proved themselves and their system through a baptism of fire. All subsystems of mission control were then gradually transitioned to the pirate system, which received a ‘Hammer Award’ from then-Vice President Al Gore for having made dramatic improvements to the functioning of government. The pirates’ system had saved $74m (£52m) in development, and $22m in recurrent annual running costs. The rebel engineers were then asked to design the mission control system for the forthcoming International Space Station.

4. Organisations have rules and policies designed to promote stability, predictability, efficiency and productivity – and we tend to see people who don’t get with the programme as troublemakers. Yet, as the NASA pirates show, suppressing or ignoring these individuals and their ideas could backfire, potentially depriving companies of a potent source of agility, insight and innovation.

5. There is psychological evidence that rebelliousness is essential for creativity. Harvard psychiatrist Albert Rothenberg spent more than five decades researching individuals who had made ground-breaking contributions to science, literature and the arts, seeking to understand what drove their creativity. As part of a broader research project that encompassed structured interviews, experimental studies and documentary analysis, Rothenberg interviewed 22 Nobel Laureate. He found that they were strongly emotionally driven by wanting to create something new, rather than extend current perspectives. He found they consciously saw things with a fresh mindset rather than blindly following established wisdom – two qualities that would seem to suggest a rebellious, rather than conformist, personality.

6. Often these ‘rebels with a cause’ – also known as ‘positive or constructive deviants’ may be motivated because they care for the organisation and its mission, and feel psychological discomfort when they see that important capabilities clearly need improvement. Observational studies provide many more examples besides NASA’s pirates. The context and actors may change, but the substance is remarkably similar. A small group of committed individuals who think differently and who have valid strategic insights can foster ground-breaking innovations that promote success of the enterprise. This is how the IBM business model transitioned to the internet, and how Apple Macintosh was created These ‘rebels with a cause’ may be motivated because they care for the organisation and its mission

7. Unfortunately, it can be hard to maintain a corporate culture that allows rebels to flourish. Over time, the rules and standard operating procedures that support uniform service delivery, efficiency and reliable processes, can also create inertia and work against adaptability and innovation. History and culture conspire to keep things being done the same way as they’ve ‘always’ been done. People judge proposed innovations on whether they agree with the established paradigm, rather than their ability to create new paradigms. Such a state is dangerous, since it stifles needed change. Rebels may have a bad reputation, but in the right environment, and with the right motivations, they can achieve amazing things.

1. Pick out words from the passage which mean the same as each one of the following.

a) persevering to do something in spite of setbacks (para 1) - undeterred

b) a person having a difference of opinion (para 1) - renegade

c) currently existing system (para 2) – incumbent system

d) to learn something in a very hard way (para 3) – Baptism of fire.

e) the ability to think about problems and decisions in a reasonable way without exaggerating them(para 5 )- perspective

f) working together to create a negative change (para 7)- conspire

g) a pattern or a model (para 7) – paradigm


2. what was the vision of the young engineers of Nasa research centre at Houston in 1980?

In the 1980s a group of young engineers at Nasa’s Johnson Space Center in Houston realised that the 1960s Apollo-era mission control set-up would struggle to handle the more complex challenges of flying the space shuttle.


3. Were the young engineers proved their new system to be successful?

Yes, the young engineers were able to prove their system but it was very difficult. They did it in a very hard way.


4. What happens to organisations when they ignore rebels as trouble makers?

Suppressing or ignoring these individuals and their ideas could backfire, potentially depriving companies of a potent source of agility, insight and innovation.


5. What does the research by psychiatrist Albert Rothenberg prove to be?

Research proved that there is psychological evidence that rebelliousness is essential for creativity.


6. What type of rebels should be motivated?

The “rebels with a cause “ should be motivated because they care for the organisation and its mission.

7. How do people judge a proposed innovation ? Is it the right thing to do?

People judge proposed innovations on whether they agree with the established paradigm, No it is not the right things to do but they should motivate their ability to create new paradigms.