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Maybe it IS Rocket Science:

How The Martian Reflects Gulick’s “Notes on the Theory of Organization”

by

Leigh D. Espy and Mary E. Guy

School of Public Affairs

University of Colorado Denver

Prepared for presentation at the annual meeting of the Public Administration Theory Network

June 1 – 4, 2017, Laramie Wyoming

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Maybe it IS Rocket Science:

How The Martian Reflects Gulick’s “Notes on the Theory of Organization”

Abstract

Art reflects reality, in science fiction as well as in everyday praxis. And it

provides an entertaining approach to comprehending enduring characteristics of

administration. Eighty years ago, Luther Gulick coined the acronym

POSDCORB (planning, organizing, staffing, directing, coordinating, reporting,

and budgeting) to capture the essential elements of public administration. To

demonstrate the enduring nature of Gulick's summation, this paper draws parallels

between the acronym and the popular novel and screenplay, The Martian, a story

of space exploration and rescue. The comparison situates the importance

of POSDCORB even when describing the frontier of space travel. Applying as

well to a trip to Mars as to managing public lands or ensuring food safety, we

argue that the routines of public administration are also the routines of rocket

science. The comparison provides a contemporary way to teach a classic

paradigm.

The year 2017 marks the eightieth anniversary of the publication of one of the seminal

papers in public administration: Luther Gulick’s “Notes on the Theory of Organization” (1937).

By many, Gulick is viewed as the “Dean of American Public Administration” (Blumberg, 1981,

p. 245; Fitch, 1990). He enjoyed a long and influential career and was adept at comprehending

and articulating the tensions and inherent crosswinds of practice.

In 1936, Luther Gulick was appointed by President Roosevelt as a member of the

President’s Committee on Administrative Management, otherwise known as the Brownlow

Committee. The Committee’s primary purpose was to provide recommendations to improve

administrative practices and processes in the executive branch, and, tacitly, to strengthen the role

and authority of the Chief Executive (Newbold & Rosenbloom, 2007). As part of his work on

the committee, Gulick compiled Papers on the Science of Administration with co-editor Lyndall

Urwick, to which he contributed his classic essay, “Notes on the Theory of Organization.”

In “Notes,” Gulick (1937) coined the acronym POSDCORB to capture the

responsibilities of a public manager. POSDCORB captures seven key functions: planning,

organizing, staffing, directing, coordinating, reporting, and budgeting. Over time, POSDCORB

evolved to represent a snapshot of key elements of public management as well as its practical

application (Chalekian, 2013). If POSDCORB were defined today, it would likely be called

“planning, operating, staffing, deciding, cooperating, reporting, and budgeting” (Stillman, 2015;

Yang, 2015). The wording changes are minor; the tasks remain largely the same.

Conceptualizing these elements and communicating them from one generation to the next is

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usually done through traditional didactics. But art offers an additional venue. Images help

communicate a fuller context than words alone, as argued long ago by Albert Lepawksy (1949)

and more recently by Kass and Catron (1990) and Camilla Stivers (2002).

Context enriches elements of POSDCORB, requiring accentuation of some over others.

This is the art of the science (Schmidt 1993). The resultant products – public programs – are

fabrics that differ by their weave, pattern, and color. Designing and delivering environmental

protection programs differs from what is required to manage public housing programs. Mounting

successful public schools differs from ensuring safe public transit. The same fundamental

elements are involved, but the shape and emphasis of each varies based on context. Thinking of

management as art makes clear that administrative processes are more than mechanical. They are

the institutional device through which public purposes are pursued.

Fast forward to now. When Andy Weir, a software programmer turned novelist, wrote

The Martian (2011), he created a story of how an astronaut stranded on Mars survived until he

was rescued by the crew that had mistakenly abandoned him. Weir's work began as a thought

exercise as he explored the challenges that would be faced in a manned mission to Mars. A

protagonist eventually emerged along with a story line (Jaggard, 2015). Initially appearing as a

series of blog postings, the story was transformed into a book and it topped both Amazon’s

science-fiction list and the New York Times paperback trade fiction bestseller list (Dickerson,

2015a). It also was produced as a major motion picture and won the 2016 Hugo Award for Best

Science Fiction Dramatic Presentation. Not unlike the role that Star Trek played in advancing

public interest in space travel and support for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration

(NASA), The Martian is a harbinger of increased interest in explorations to Mars (Edwards,

2014; Goodsell & Murray, 1995).

Storytelling, The Martian, and POSDCORB

Beyond entertainment, telling and hearing stories is an effective dimension to the

learning process (Bandura, 1977; Grossman, Salas, Pavlas, & Rosen, 2013; Jones 1996;

Lawrence & Paige, 2016). Storytelling is effective, regardless of the age of the listener or the

context of the learning environment (Caminotti & Gray, 2012) or even the medium in which the

story is told (Beamish & Beamish, 2015; Hathaway, 2013). Moreover, it offers insights for

theory building because it reveals organizational phenomena not otherwise apparent and it

provides an alternate paradigm for understanding organizational dynamics (Gioia & Pitre, 1990;

Lewis & Grimes, 1999). It also helps develop active listening skills, which, as Camilla Stivers

(1994) reminds us, contribute to responsiveness on the part of bureaucrats.

All stories convey a basic narrative within which the character(s) strive for a goal, facing

challenges on the way to achieving it. While there are a variety of basic plots or narratives in

storying, the one we focus on is that of human versus nature. Nature is among the most neutral of

antagonists. It has no motivation and no animus. It simply exists to strive against. If the main

character achieves the goal, it is because of the person’s own skill, rather than the failing of the

villain (Cascio, 2016). The Martian is a classic tale of the struggle between person and nature

(Jaggard, 2015). In fact, the central character, Mark Watney, observes late in the story that he has

“no more nature to defeat” (Weir, 2011, p. 403).

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The Martian is presented as two parallel, yet inevitably intersecting, story lines. One is

presented as a series of log entries by astronaut Watney, who was mistakenly abandoned on Mars

by his crewmates. A dangerous dust storm forced the crew to abort their mission on Mars ahead

of schedule. During the evacuation, an accident occurred to Watney, leading his crewmates to

believe him dead and evacuate without him. Alone, Watney must find ways to survive on a

desolate, arid planet with no water, little atmosphere, a small supply of food, and with any rescue

years away. Through his ingenuity and his cross-training as a botanist, mechanical engineer, and

astronaut, Watney solves problem after problem to obtain water, manage his food supply, ensure

a viable habitat, and connect with NASA and his crewmates. The second dimension in the story

is a more traditional narrative of the extensive efforts by his crewmates and those back on Earth

to help him survive and get home. The narrative portrays the interactions between NASA and its

partners, the actions of the mission crewmembers who attempt the rescue, and the larger

community of space exploration enthusiasts on Earth – the public who follow news releases

about the mission.

We argue that the connection between Luther Gulick’s acronym and Andy Weir’s science

fiction is closer than one might think. In the eighty years since Gulick coined POSDCORB,

thousands of papers have discussed, dissected, and debated the accuracy, applicability, merits,

and aspects of the term (see, for example, Simon, 1946; Burgess, 1975; Hammond, 1990;

Wamsley & Dudley, 1998; Washington, 2004; Fosler & Ink, 2014). While it is difficult to find

an applied example that includes all seven elements of POSDCORB, many provide specific

examples or analyses of a single element (Chalekian, 2013). Relatedly, Burgess (1981) argued

for foundational studies that connect academic study of POSDCORB with the experience of

practitioners in the field. Luther Gulick, himself, emphasized the need for practical experience in

public administration education. The Martian achieves all these ends by providing an

entertaining story while, simultaneously providing grist for each of the acronym’s elements. In

other words, the story provides a teachable moment.

Lawrence and Paige (2016) argue that one of the essential elements of a great story, and

by extension its value as a learning tool, is its believability. There is no question that The

Martian is a work of fiction. However, it is also a readable story noted for its scientific and

technical accuracy (Jaggard, 2015). There are two reasons why the emphasis on scientific

accuracy also supports an assertion that it is a good example of public administration: first, it has

a contextually relatable reality and, second, although also art, the field is science and craft

(Lepawsky, 1949; Sowa & Lu, 2016).

First, the accuracy is important because it allows the story to be grounded in a

contextually relatable reality that enhances its believability. The story is replete with illustrations

and instances of each of the key elements of POSDCORB in both the routine and the

extraordinary actions and reactions of Watney, the crewmembers on the interplanetary transport

ship Hermes, and in NASA headquarters. In fact, several real-life astronauts have commented on

the accuracy of the portrayal of NASA, especially of its culture and operational problem-solving

approaches (Dickerson, 2015b). This technical accuracy extends to the administrative and

cultural elements of the story, which makes The Martian a good example of public

administration, and more specifically POSDCORB.

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The elements of POSDCORB are fully woven into the warp and weft of The Martian.

Throughout the story, a vivid picture is drawn that shows inter-relationships of the various

elements. Characters in the story develop plans that range from simple to complex. They require

staffing, coordinating, and budgeting. Decisions are made and results are reported within

organizational hierarchies and networks of stakeholders. In other words, a wide range of

examples operationalize the elements.

Second, the study of public administration is a science, or at least scholars have argued

for this approach to the field since its emergence. In fact, Roberts (1998) argues that Papers on

the Science of Administration and Gulick’s development of POSDCORB in the introductory

chapter (Gulick, 1937) advocates a scientific approach. The work serves as a guide for

administrative practice, whether in the White House or on main street (Fitch, 1990). It applies

equally well in a story of rocket science and new frontiers. Similarly, the accuracy of the story is

just as important for a public-serving mission as it is for the physics, geology, chemistry, and

botany of the plot line.

Planning. At a critical stage in the plot, the crew of the Hermes, the mission members

who abandoned Watney on Mars when they thought he was dead, must decide whether they will

follow NASA’s plan for rescuing him or whether they will force NASA to allow them to

participate in the rescue. The NASA administrator has already decided on what he deems a safe

approach – one that results in a higher risk of killing one astronaut (Watney) over a lower risk of

killing six astronauts (the entire Hermes crew). When the Hermes crew force their participation

in the rescue effort, one astronaut must explain to her father how this decision will not endanger

her life. She reassures him that there is a plan in place.

Table 1. Planning

“Notes”

“Planning, that is working out in broad

outline the things that need to be done and the

methods for doing them to accomplish the

purpose set for the enterprise” (Gulick, 1937,

p. 13).

The Martian

“’They always have a plan,’ she said. ‘They

work out everything in advance’” (Weir,

2011, p. 296).

Gulick did not conceptualize planning as a separate and discrete action. He characterized

planning as an inherent aspect of the management process that is both attitude and habit

(Blumberg, 1981). Gulick’s contemporary, Henri Fayol (1937) asserted that a plan is a projection

of a foreseeable future, or future condition, and preparation for it, and that plans are scalable,

adaptable, and less certain the further into the future they project. Both believed that good

planning took effort, leadership, and informed staff; neither believed it was as common as it

could be.

Throughout The Martian there are multiple plans developed, considered, and

implemented, each with its own goals. Watney continually plans approaches to solve problems to

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ensure his survival: to obtain food and water on a barren planet, to facilitate communication

between himself and the scientists on Earth, to navigate across Mars, and to recover from injuries

as he awaits rescue. In the multiple alternative plans that NASA develops to rescue Watney,

specifics, timelines, and levels of risk and uncertainty change as circumstances evolve and

resources are gained and lost. The plans on Mars, on Earth, and on the space craft are alternately

broad and focused, simple and complex. Rescue plans involve large numbers of people and

organizations. Watney’s plan for allocating his remaining meal packets are simple and solitary.

Organizing. At the outset of the story, a freak accident in the midst of a violent wind

storm causes Watney’s crewmates to believe him dead and leave him behind when they abort

their mission. As the only human on Mars, he becomes the most senior crew member and thus

the new commander of the mission. Watney later discloses that it was never planned or expected

for him to be in command or even be the first to do anything on the mission. Years before that

moment, NASA had designated him to be the fifth crewmember on the mission and the

seventeenth astronaut, from a total of three missions, to set foot on Mars. His expected rank and

role was to have been the mission “fix-it guy” and experimental researcher.

Table 2. Organizing

“Notes”

“Organizing, that is the establishment of the

formal structure of authority through which

work subdivisions are arranged, defined and

co-ordinated [sic] for the defined objectives”

(Gulick, 1937, p. 13).

The Martian

“I would only be ‘in command’ of the mission

if I were the only remaining person. What do

you know? I’m in command” (Weir, 2011, p.

2).

Gulick developed his conceptualization of POSDCORB within the context of

organizational theory and design. In Papers, Mooney (1937), from an industrial perspective, and

Urwick (1937), from a military perspective, argued that organization is a basic element of any

human endeavor involving two or more people. They emphasize that there must be an allocation

of tasks and someone who directs the execution of them. Building on these points, Martin (1987)

observed that organizations must be hierarchical and preferably under the direction of a single

responsible manager.

In The Martian, the hierarchy of the command structure is well defined and clear

throughout the story. It is defined in the roles of the mission crewmembers on the rescue craft

and on Mars, in the interactions of the mission crew with NASA officials and scientists, and

among the staff at NASA and its partners at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). It is

demonstrated in arguments about delegation of decision authority, such as between NASA

administrators and the flight director regarding when the Hermes crew should be informed that

Watney was actually still alive on Mars following their evacuation, or whether the Hermes crew

should participate in Watney’s rescue attempt. It is also highlighted in discussions between the

mission commander and her crew over critical mission decisions. The role of organization

structure is amplified when the commander seeks a unanimous vote of the crew to knowingly

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reject the decisions of NASA leadership and insert themselves into the rescue mission. In

contrast to the commander’s authority being absolute, she treats her authority as contextually

collaborative.

Staffing. Mindy Park is a self-described “nobody” in NASA’s Satellite Control unit. She

works on the night shift, presumably a junior staff rotation. However, when requested by the

Director of Mars Operations to review satellite images of the aborted mission site, she makes an

unexpected discovery. Through her analyses of the images, she determines that Watney is

actually alive and immediately alerts senior NASA leadership. In short order she receives a

promotion and is made responsible for all Martian satellites, rewarding her for attention to detail

and skill in analyzing imagery. This promotion also allows NASA to make better use of a now-

invested staff member in their rescue planning and implementation efforts.

Table 3. Staffing

“Notes”

“Staffing, that is the whole personnel function

of bringing in and training the staff and

maintaining favorable conditions of work”

(Gulick 1937, p. 13).

The Martian

“She gets a promotion ’cause [sic] she figured

out he was alive” (Weir, 2011, p. 99).

In Papers, Urwick (1937) wrote extensively about the interrelationship of organizational

structure, staffing, roles and responsibilities, and the need for specialization. Gulick (1937)

asserts that in building an organization workers must be characterized by their purpose (for

example, building bridges, balancing budgets, taking notes), process (for example, engineering,

accounting, stenography), focus (for example, drivers, money, reports), and place (for example,

city, state, region). This is what Hammond (1990) describes as a bottom up approach to

organization development. Martin (1987) updated Gulick’s description of staffing to assert “the

placement, training, and conditions of employment must be conducive to the organization’s

purpose” (p. 300). The evolution of the definition is important because staffing is more than

hiring and firing and a place to perform; it is also the appropriate alignment of skills and needs of

both the employee and organization. This distinction is evident throughout The Martian.

Staffing issues are addressed throughout the story. Staff are promoted, such as Mindy

Park’s elevation from a junior orbital engineer to coordinator of all Mars satellites to capitalize

on her insight and abilities. Staff receive rewards, such as Presidential recognition, when they go

above and beyond the usual, as in the instance of the JPL engineering staff who adapt the

obsolete computer hardware and software of the Martian probe Pathfinder to create a

communications link to Watney on Mars. Staff sanctions are discussed in the story in terms of

the potential for crewmember courts martial when they engineer a mutiny against the NASA

administrator and force NASA to include the Hermes crew in the rescue mission. There is also

discussion of the selection, education, specialized skills, and training of each of the Hermes

crewmembers, which provides insight and context for both the technical and interpersonal roles

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of team members. As Gulick would characterize it, they each have a distinct purpose, process,

focus, and place within the mission and the organization.

Directing. Late in the story, Watney is finally in contact with NASA scientists again. At

their direction, he is making modifications to an ascent vehicle that will enable him to escape the

Martian surface and be rescued by his returning crewmates on the Hermes. He has survived over

500 days alone on the planet. He has repeatedly lost and re-gained communications with his

crewmates and with NASA. When communications exist, he is accountable to the decisions and

direction of those more senior than he in both rank and technical expertise. When

communications are lost, he must rely completely on his own wit, knowledge, and ingenuity. At

this point, so close to potential rescue, Watney observes that making decisions for himself has a

certain appeal and has saved his life. At the same time, he acknowledges that taking direction

from others may be strategically better for him.

Table 4. Directing

“Notes”

“Directing, that is the continuous task of

making decisions and embodying them in

specific and general orders and instructions

and serving as the leader of the enterprise”

(Gulick, 1937, p. 13).

The Martian

“Sometimes I miss the days when I made all

the decisions myself. Then I shake it off and

remember I’m infinitely better off with a

bunch of geniuses deciding what I do…”

(Weir, 2011, pp. 395-396).

Administrators make decisions and provide leadership (Martin, 1987). In Papers, Fayol

(1937, 103) describes directing as the process of setting in motion the elements of a plan. He

goes on to say that “an order when given, sets into motion simultaneously in all grades

concerned, authority and responsibility, initiative, and discipline.” Gulick (1937) observes that

directing is an on-going action where decisions must be made and made again as circumstances

develop and evolve.

Critical decision points and the impacts of decisions permeate the story line of The

Martian. The mission commander decides to abort the mission twice. First the decision was

made to preserve the safety of the whole crew at the onset of the dangerous storm that forced the

crew to evacuate the planet. The commander then revisits the decision when Watney is

apparently fatally injured in the evacuation process. In another part of the story, the NASA

administrator decides not to inform the Hermes crew that Watney was alive. But, once reliable

communications and a viable rescue plan are in place, he gives the order to inform the crew.

Later, a secret meeting of senior NASA and JPL staff is convened to evaluate a radical rescue

plan. It requires the exclusive use of the last remaining rocket on Earth capable of supporting

either of two proposals. The trade-off between the approaches would result in risking either one

life or six. The decision is that of the NASA Administrator alone. It is his role to obtain expert

advice from his staff, evaluate the options, make the choice, and direct the implementation.

Coordinating. NASA fails in its first attempt at keeping Watney alive until rescue

arrives. The supply shipment that would have provided him critical food and communication

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equipment exploded during launch. Atypically, NASA has no viable Plan B. The Director of the

Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA) realizes they have a rocket booster that would

provide NASA a Plan B, if only NASA knew about it. However, because the booster is a secret

technology, no one outside of CNSA knows it exists. The Director also realizes China’s

leadership would be unlikely to share the technology with their geopolitical rivals. While it

means canceling a mission of their own, the CNSA Director reaches out directly to the NASA

Director, scientist to scientist, and offers the booster as a Plan B to save Watney.

Table 5. Coordinating

“Notes”

“Co-ordinating [Cooperating], that is the all

important duty of interrelating the various

parts of the work” (Gulick, 1937, p. 13).

The Martian

“‘If this becomes a negotiation by diplomats,

it will never be resolved… We’ll work out an

agreement, then present it to our governments

as a fait accompli’” (Weir, 2011, p. 230).

When Gulick (1937) defined coordination, it was within the context of building an

organization under the authority of a single executive or for a single defined purpose. His

contemporary, Mary Parker Follett (1937), took another approach. She wrote of the unity of

coordination. She observed that decisions must be made not only taking all the factors into

consideration but also taking the interrelationships of the factors into consideration. She argued

that managers should think in terms of benefits to the whole, not sacrifices to the self-interest. As

the field has evolved, coordination has expanded to include the concepts of collaboration across

organizations and sectors (Stillman, 2015).

Coordination (cooperating) is represented in broad and simple ways throughout The

Martian. It is represented in tasks such as re-scheduling the orbits of satellites around Mars to

enhance surveillance and monitoring of Watney’s activities. It is also presented in the many steps

involved in assisting Watney as he establishes communications with Earth. Collaboration occurs

as China joins the effort to send supplies and, ultimately, to rescue Watney from Mars. The most

notable and significant example of coordination and collaboration is the relationship depicted

between NASA and JPL as they work together to solve problems and deliver products. Staff

from both organizations collaborate to establish and maintain communications with Watney as

they make repairs to obsolete technology. They collaborate to design, build, and launch two

supply missions in record time. And, a JPL astrodynamics specialist develops the course that

NASA ultimately uses to rescue Watney from Mars.

Reporting. After the original mission had to be aborted because of the storm, the

Director of Mars Operations wanted access to satellite imagery. He planned to use images of the

aborted mission site to evaluate the condition of the equipment and materials left behind. He

reasoned that if enough of the material survived the storm, it would be possible to schedule a

subsequent, less expensive, mission that would re-using existing materials that had been left

behind. For the months between the time the mission was aborted and Watney was found to be

alive, the NASA Administrator denied his request with no explanation. Finally, the

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Administrator shared his concern that the photos would include images of Watney’s body. He

explained that NASA is statutorily required to publicly share all of its imagery, so there would be

no way to avoid sharing photos of the dead astronaut to the engaged publics of the world.

Table 6. Reporting

“Notes”

“Reporting, that is keeping those to whom the

executive is responsible informed as to what

is going on, which thus includes keeping

himself and his subordinates informed

through records, research and inspection”

(Gulick, 1937, p. 13).

The Martian

“We’re a public domain organization. There’s

no such thing as secret or secure information

here” (Weir, 2011, p. 62).

Fayol (1937) describes reporting as an element of control and accountability, instilling a

sense of responsibility for employees and confidence among managers, and providing data for

informed decision making. It also provides for oversight of operations by those not directly

involved with the day-to-day actions, such as the general public.

The concept and practice of reporting is a critical construct of The Martian. A full half of

the story is presented as the log entries of the stranded astronaut. It conveys the idea that

reporting is so ingrained in his training that he must make regular reports even if he has no

reason to believe they will ever be seen. There are repeated references to status updates and

systems reporting, along with the use of a wide variety of methodologies including emails,

instant messages, and even Morse code. The intent is to provide data to managers and technical

staff that will improve decision making and give guidance to Watney and his rescuers.

Reporting to the public is a consistent topic throughout the book. A main character on

Earth is the NASA media relations director. Her role is primarily to act as a conduit for

information reporting to the media and the public. It is also to provide advice to NASA senior

managers on information management considerations. There are repeated references to press

conferences, media interviews, and inquiries from elected officials. There is awareness of public

and political interest in the assumed tragedy of Watney’s mis-reported death, the likelihood of

backlash to the subsequent news of his survival, concerns about images of the accident site, and

the legal requirements for public sharing of data. All of these discussions are a tacit

acknowledgement that the general public are critical stakeholders in governmental decision

making and operational considerations of government, and in this particular case, NASA.

Budgeting. Watney has been rescued and is safely aboard the Hermes with the rest of his

crewmates. He is battered and bruised but he is off Mars and beginning the long trip back to

Earth. As he adjusts to this reality, he reflects on all that was required to effect his rescue. He

acknowledges the personal sacrifice of his crewmates and the hours upon hours dedicated to the

effort by NASA and JPL employees. He acknowledges the lost material and opportunity costs of

several other projects. And then he acknowledges the enormous fiscal realities of the rescue

efforts, all for just one person.

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Table 7. Budgeting

“Notes”

“Budgeting, with all that goes with budgeting

in the form of fiscal planning, accounting and

control” (Gulick, 1937, p. 13).

The Martian

“The cost for my survival must have been

hundreds of millions of dollars. All to save

one dorky botanist. Why bother? (Weir, 2011,

p. 435).

Both Gulick (1937) and Fayol (1937) identify budgeting as an essential element of the

work of administrators, and by extension, a consideration in organization theory. Both embed it

in a context of planning, reporting, and control. As Rubin (2015) notes, scholars have conducted

extensive research into theories, approaches, and roles for budgeting. It serves as a statement of

priorities, an allocation of resources, a management control device, and a tool for reporting and

accountability.

There is a conspicuous awareness of budget through the story. There is a vignette of the

NASA Director of Mars Operations working on budget spreadsheets when he is interrupted for

an update on the collaboration with China in building the re-supply probe. As a principle

consideration in evaluating the viability of rescue, there are repeated discussions of the over-time

requirements to meet the planned deadlines and the need to find money to cover the costs. There

are at least five discussions of Congressional appropriation considerations or allocations from the

Chinese central committee. The discussions include concerns on how to encourage more funding

and the risk of financially jeopardizing funding for future projects. Mission equipment costs,

from spacecraft to supplies, reach into the hundreds of millions of dollars. And even the dollar

value of one man’s life is addressed by both the media and the stranded astronaut himself.

Rocket Science and Public Administration

Whether the fictional astronaut Watney is rescued from Mars, or even survives at all, is

irrelevant to the success of The Martian as a useful and integrated illustration of the seven

elements of POSDCORB. But it may be critical in its storytelling value and use as an educational

tool. Stories need heroes and villains. They need narrative conflict. They need a moral. This

story has all of these. While the story is set in a near-future time-scape, it provides a real-world,

relatable cast of characters, situations, and technologies. It is theoretically possible for most of

what is in the book to happen and work. This is a large part of its popularity (Dickerson, 2015a;

Jaggard, 2015). At the same time, The Martian modernizes the elements in the acronym, and the

enduring truths of classical administrative processes.

Multiple publics have embraced The Martian as an effective piece of storytelling. The

publisher makes available an educators version of the book along with a science teacher’s guide

(Jurskis, 2016) for use in classes. The author was even invited to testify before the U.S. House of

Representatives Subcommittee on Space alongside a senior NASA official and senior executives

from key NASA contractors (Smith, 2016). And, NASA has used the interest in both the book

and the movie to renew interest in space exploration, including future missions to Mars. At the

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height of the movie’s popularity, NASA hosted an internet based learning event focused on Mars

and space exploration that included NASA scientists, astronauts, and actors from the movie

(Thompson, 2015). With all this attention to the science of the story, we argue that it also

provides a means for teaching the classics of public administration.

It is notable that the hero of The Martian, in addition to being an astronaut, is both a

botanist (scientist) and a mechanical engineer. Watney regularly identifies himself as a botanist.

And while his botany skills are essential in providing him enough food to last him until rescue, it

is the engineering skills, that keep him alive on a daily basis. The practice of public

administration has often been compared to engineering (Behn, 1996; Schmidt, 1993; Simon,

1947). Luther Gulick saw public administration as a practical art, similar to engineering,

medicine, or gourmet cooking (Fosler & Ink, 2014).

The most important message of this comparison is that, from a process perspective,

rocket science and public administration have much in common. While popular culture elevates

rocket science and dismisses the science (and art) of public administration, in fact, they are more

alike than different. The Martian is a story of how POSDCORB links the elements of space

travel into a successful venture. In fact, POSDCORB is at the heart of all government projects,

whether it is space exploration or managing public lands or applying government regulations or

deploying troops around the globe or practicing emergency preparedness or managing the polls

on election day. The Martian is a good read, has moments of humor, lots of adventure, and

brings home the importance of planning, organizing, staffing, directing, coordinating, reporting,

and budgeting.

This explication of science fiction reveals the elements of POSDCORB in a timely

fashion eighty years after the term was first posited. Luther Gulick had a prescient sense of what

it takes to pursue public purposes, then as well as now. And his contemporaries who contributed

to Papers distilled the mechanics of public administration in a way that remains insightful.

References

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