Diane Vaughan is an American sociologist and professor at Columbia University.[1] She is known for her work on organizational and management issues, in particular in the case of the space shuttle Challenger Disaster.[2][3][4]
In the understanding of safety and risk, Vaughan is perhaps best known for coining the phrase "normalization of deviance",[5] which she has used to explain the sociological causes of the Challenger and Columbia disasters.[6][7][8] Vaughan defines this as a process where a clearly unsafe practice comes to be considered normal if it does not immediately cause a catastrophe: "a long incubation period [before a final disaster] with early warning signs that were either misinterpreted, ignored or missed completely."[9][10]
In the study of relationships, Vaughan is known for her research into the process of relationship breakups.[11][12][13][14]
Vaughan received her Ph.D. in sociology from Ohio State University and is a laureate of the Public Understanding of Sociology Award, of the American Sociological Association. The Challenger Launch Decision won the Rachel Carson Prize (inaugural winner)[15] and the Robert K. Merton Award as well as being nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award.[16]