I’m sorry I missed the initial push and request, but I do have a few thoughts to share that might help with another iteration.

For NASA, how do they turn a big ship around? How do they cut back on spending and become green without spending so much money on the effort that it seems cumbersome for them? Hopefully a big first step is bringing you on board.

One thread mentioned above is sharing content from NASA. I think they should focus on stories and not just their content of space. I want to know more about the people that work there, and not only the ones that go to space. How do we make their big box seem…personable?

The process of becoming green is an opportunity to tell a story, to share in the triumphs but also the hardships. If they can show they’re not perfect, but trying given all-things-constant, they’ll seem real and we like that. We like when people try but aren’t perfect.

One of the tools I’ve been trying recently, to good effect in inspiring board room types, is the golden circles approach to defining organizational culture and purpose. You may have seen it in this TED talk http://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action.html.
Social entrepreneurs, I believe, use this approach to problem solving in collaboration with those inspired by a similar higher purpose.
This model creates room for everyone in an organization to play a meaningful role without innovation and entrepreneurial spirit being sidelined to an elite few, perhaps an issue faced by NASA.

Good luck on your session. Just a few more days to go! I’ll be eagerly waiting to hear how it goes.

Why NASA matters.

A viral can be done for a fraction of what they probably pay for a calculator. It might make NASA appear fun, sure, but that’s but one tactic.

Engineers like problems and challenges, and we haven’t really challenged them the way the country did when we told them to put a man on the moon.

Now, we have too much apathy from the outside. The only time we seem to care about NASA now is when something bad happens.

That’s not what they were supposed to be about.

Maybe the new challenge is for each employee to look within themselves and tell people beyond their inner circle why NASA matters.

Social entrepreneurs have broad-scope, abstract goals. Creating social change is abstract whereas NASAs goals are probably more concrete. SEs can teach NASA how to define success parameters for abstract goals.

SEs goals drive their tactics. Typically SEs have to function without a large bureaucracy and so tactically they try to achieve results they can communicate to stakeholders quickly. Defining areas where NASA can execute quick wins could be fruitful.

Finally, my friend Chris mentioned that NASA has huge stores of interesting content, but that SEs probably have better methods for distributing content quickly. With tight budgets in mind, SEs might help NASA re-think how to leverage existing content through more effective channels. Why hasn’t NASA come up with a viral video yet?

Tried to do this quickly, I hope that helps. Let me know if I can help in any other way.

What a great opportunity for socially-minded companies. There are numerous socially-minded companies, many still in their entrepreneurial phases, with unique and innovative products geared at reducing our carbon foot print on this Earth.

If NASA is truly looking to incorporate eco-friendly products and lifestyles into their organization of 300,000+ employees, they should not reinvent the wheel. They should support companies like ToGo Ware and AlterEco USA, who are leaders in the this industry. Who knows, by NASA supporting socially-minded for-profit companies, they may inadvertently be advocating for a more responsible economy.

Nasa has over 300,000 employees according to their website (including contractors and government employees). Are they using recyclable cutlery and reusable dining items (like http://www.to-goware.com)? Does NASA provide a meal plan for these employees, and if they do…are they purchasing fair trade foods (like AlterEco-usa.com)?

YES, it may seem silly to bring up these indirect concerns…but IMAGINE the reduction in their carbon foot print if they made these simple changes…it would be huge–300,000 people making a change in the way they approach dining. It might not be entrepreneurship, but it sure is social INTRApreneurship.

Would love to know the answers to these Qs.

@BigRyanPark (Twitter)

Ask, Don’t Tell.
Create channels that ask the world what it wants from NASA. Offer input devices (widgets?) to shepherd these ideas from the grassroots into the organization. NASA should be inviting wonder and inquisition, fostering paths that generate more intrigue.

Roll the Pyramid.
NASA could test new organizational/project structures based on “ideators,” “conduits” and “producers” versus managers and tasks. By rolling the pyramid there is no fixed top, allowing more of the team to see ideas from different angles. More innovative sparks can be born; ideators become conduits, and then producers, repeat.

Mine the Data, Open It Up.
NASA is sitting on a pile of stuff. What else can that stuff do? What if this stuff could be given to the public to mash-up into new things? What new open-source stuff can be built? Invite the audience into the data.

Thanks Scott! Break a leg!