MANAGEMENT IS LIKE A BODY OF WATER
BY DONALD R. KIRKHAM
Public safety officials must be cognizant of how their behavior and decisions influence the organization`s direction. In various ways, the effects of management on a fire department are analogous to those that environmental elements have on a body of water. The following axioms provide food for thought.
Axiom #1. A body of water that lies calm soon becomes stagnant and polluted. When there is no change within an organizational structure, the organization becomes stale. Without movement, the organization will silently decay from within. The decay spreads from a polluted management style and filters downward into the group structure. Today`s technology as well as personnel management are in a constant state of flux. A fire department management style that was applauded in 1959 is not popular or effective today. Failure to recognize the effective use of firefighters as EMTs and the resulting efficiencies is an example of management pollution and stagnation.
Axiom #2. The forward motion of the wave builds into a crest, leaving a void immediately behind it. It takes time for water to fill the void and to ultimately become calm again. When fire service management adopts or changes a procedure, there is a lag time before the group affected by the change is able to digest the new information and become accustomed to a new direction. Employees require an adjustment period to catch up with the requested shift in thinking or behavior. The administration must be aware that most employees will be in a temporary vacuum immediately after any change is made. When dramatic changes are made in existing SOPs in an emergency services department, a period of time should be allocated to allow for adjustment in firefighter thinking.
Axiom #3. Water that appears to be completely clear to you can be muddy and disorienting to others. This theory is self-evident. Firefighters view their environment from a variety of perspectives and may require clarity to understand management`s point of view or direction. For example, a department that institutes a new 800-MHz radio system and fails to clearly communicate to the firefighters the new procedures for using the radio contributes to fireground confusion and endangers lives.
Axiom #4. Larger waves create larger and more prolific ripples. The greater the magnitude of a management change, the greater the amount of trauma to the body of the organization. Seemingly unrelated personnel or other organizations may be affected by changes in the structure. As the change grows in proportion to the size of the organization, the effect on the employees grows at a logarithmic rate. For example, a management decision to maintain inadequate staffing to control cost affects not only the safety of the firefighters and the credibility of the department but also the welfare of the community.
Axiom #5. Once a wave is started, it is very difficult to stop. Once management institutes a change of direction, a driving force begins to accrue and build on its own momentum as the individuals within the organization buy into the new direction. The change soon becomes a huge force within the organization. The synergistic effects of the change are drawn into the momentum, and retarding the growth is difficult. Stopping the momentum is almost impossible, and reversing the process would be an overwhelming task. For instance, using a fire safety house is a proactive approach to teaching fire safety to children. This tool can be used to positively impact the department and the community. The beneficial effects of such an endeavor include a high level of participation and interaction between the children and the firefighters, community monetary support, department visibility, and positive reinforcement for fire safety topics. Everyone gets caught up in the momentum.
Axiom #6. A great deal of energy is needed to start a wave into motion. The fire administration is the energy and driving force behind the wave. The management system must be the impetus for change. Management must realize that it requires a great deal of energy to successfully master a major change. Directional change is born from expended energy and dedication. The chief, as well as top management, must be committed to any change. If the department`s operation decides to adopt all of the National Fire Protection Association`s recommendations, for example, everyone will have to expend a tremendous amount of time and energy to successfully complete the change.
Axiom #7. Waves must start at the top of a body of water. When waves start at the bottom, the top will be driven in the direction the bottom desires. For a progressive, positive movement to occur, the change must form at the top of the management system and be fueled by the air of vision and commitment provided by the leadership. Actions that promote negative energy create an eruption of force from the bottom of the organization, which adds chaos to the situation. The members of the organization, instead of the leaders of the system, thus become the driving force. When this occurs, management will be the observers and not the directors of change. When the firefighters decide consciously or unconsciously to change a particular operation, the administration will be swept in that direction whether it condones it or not. It therefore becomes mandatory for the administration to positively implement directional course changes.
Axiom #8. Water will absorb the heat or cold from the outside environment. Management must recognize the forces at play in society and communities as a whole and flex with those external forces. When implementing change, the management team must recognize the climate inside and outside the organizational structure and deal with it effectively. Many external factors can affect the organization and its direction. A prudent management team will recognize these arbitrary factors and use them to their advantage instead of attempting to ignore them or push them past these barriers. Management must realize that we are a global society, and societal/technological advancements have a direct impact on all business organizations and their associates.
This axiom may be proven by the following: In the past it was almost a certainty that a fire department tax levy would be passed by the voters. Not so today. In some cases, these measures are being defeated. The fire administration is now competing for a finite number of tax dollars from an educated group of voters. This external force will play a major role in the financial viability and future direction of many departments.
Axiom #9. Water boils at a given temperature. Management needs to know when the water is near the boiling point and must frequently check the temperature of the group for signs of unrest and discontent. If individuals within the body of the organizational structure do not buy into proposed changes or methods of implementation, counterproductive splinter groups can converge to create a boiling effect. Negative attitudes can heat things up to a point that is unproductive and dangerous and cause messy situations that will need to be resolved. A good “thermometer” reading can be taken by using techniques that involve participative management style and coaching techniques.
Axiom #10. Water boils only when heat is applied, usually from the bottom up. Change is difficult for the majority of people to easily accept without some level of frustration or dissent. This is human nature and applies to individuals and groups alike. Management should be mindful of this and include its personnel in the organizational planning and implementation of the change process. Organizational studies have proven that employee involvement in any change affecting work or the working environment has a strong impact on the success of the project. Conversely, when employees are not directly involved with these processes, they become anxious, apprehensive, and fearful. These negative feelings lead to unrest and problems. There is only one management tactic worse than not involving the entire group: pretending to involve the group and then completely disregarding the group`s input. This tactic will completely undermine any shred of confidence the employees have in the credibility of the management team and is a serious violation of trust. Once confidence is eroded, employees will unconsciously choose new leadership, resulting in organizational decay and failure.
If, for example, the chief forms a committee to purchase new breathing apparatus and requests that it research the various types available and provide a recommendation on the best choice for the department, then the chief should accept the findings. It is extremely demoralizing to a group of firefighters to be asked to perform a task and then to be told that the chief ignored their informed recommendations and chose what he wanted anyway. This creates unproductive discontent and friction between leadership and staff.
Axiom #11. Water boils at higher temperatures when pressure is applied. Meaningful work activities should also be included in daily routines to lessen the time available for unproductive or angry discussion. When idle time is inappropriately used, small or insignificant problems sometimes become magnified. An increased workload that contributes to the overall welfare of the organization alleviates opportunities for trouble to brew. In contrast “Make/Busy” work only increases employee tension, since most employees know when their work is valuable and when it is not. Standing behind the trucks and engaging in idle conversation provides time to magnify minor problems into horrific ones. Productive firefighters do not have the opportunity to examine every problem under a microscope.
Axiom #12. When dye is introduced into water, the dye concentration goes from a greater to a lesser concentration. Training and education will spread from a greater concentration to a lesser concentration. It is “almost human nature” to share information with fellow employees. Education, through the osmotic theory, will filter down to less educated or trained individuals. The administrator must constantly share new insight, education, training, and experiences with his subordinates. This knowledge will filter down to the least educated employee, enriching everyone on the way. The chief officers must increase their knowledge base, whether it be technical or more broad-based. In this way, new knowledge will continually flow downward and enhance and strengthen the entire department. Knowledge is power!
Axiom #13. Waves will not erode the shoreline if there is ample support from a network of trees and shrubs. The community must provide structure and strength for the organization. The community is sometimes seen as the confining medium for the organization. Therefore, problems within the fire department may be tolerated by the community if community members are in support of the overall mission, direction, and tactics required to accomplish the departmental goals. If the community does not condone these objectives, its support will erode, and the organization will implode. The fire department must nourish the community if it is to survive and prosper. These two entities have a uniquely interdependent relationship. Each one must give in order to take. The shares may not be 50-50 each time, but when the balance becomes too askew, the relationship will crumble and both parties will suffer immensely. The fire department must provide a high level of service to the community, including fire suppression, fire prevention, education, strategic planning, EMS, haz mat, and other unique community needs. The community must provide adequate funding, support, and direction to the department.
Axiom #14. Multidirectional waves create chaos. They reduce efficiency and impede progress. A boat must head into waves or it will capsize. When multidirectional waves are present, it is difficult to know in which direction to turn. A healthy organization requires change; however, these changes must be channeled into one positive direction. The organizational breakdown occurs when individual factions within the entity attempt to create changes without direction and structure. Many organizations have succumbed to the pushing and pulling of internal factions without a clear purpose. Most organizations facilitate unidirectional changes, but problems will occur when changes come from opposing directions. The chief must have a clear course from his superiors to carry out their vision. If he runs afoul of their vision, problems will ensue even to the point of dismissal.
Axiom #15. A person can tread water only for a certain length of time; sooner or later the person must swim or drown. Fire service organizations must not leap into the unknown without a plan. The plan must be formulated within a reasonable time. Too much lag time allows for failure because someone from within the employee body will come forward and assume leadership, thus taking charge of the situation. The longer a plan is delayed, the greater the probability that someone else will circumvent the establishment and attempt to remedy the problem. Procrastination is a terminal management disease. Not making a decision is making a decision. The administration must realize that progress waits for no one. Prolonging a decision usually puts the department further behind. Progress is like inflation–ever present; silently working; and the longer it takes to make a decision, the more it costs.
Axiom #16. Burying your head in water will cause you to drown. Problems will not go away even if you ignore them. Administratively ignoring problems will lead to chaos; anarchy; and, in the end, the demise of the organization. Ultimately, many unpleasant events will occur prior to your premature career death.
Axiom #17. No one will ever throw you a life vest if you do not ask for it. The administrator must ask for help. Nearly 95 percent of all firefighters want to make the system better. Many times they have not been asked, or they were turned away when they did attempt to help. Some may require coaching to clearly share their ideas. The point is, many times the assistance that is so desperately needed is at your beck and call. Almost every department has firefighters who possess specialized knowledge that would be helpful to the operation of the department. It is up to the administration to ferret out this knowledge and use it in a productive manner for the benefit of all.
Axiom #18. It requires strong chemicals to kill the algae once they start. Once a problem begins to gain momentum, it is difficult to solve because it has gathered speed and collected a host of other unrelated problems. Many of these problems would be normally forgotten and laid to rest; however, they now have a platform on which to grow and multiply. The medicine to retard the growth of problems, once administered, must be given in direct proportion to the magnitude of the problem. A small problem requires mild medicine; a large problem requires a multispectrum, high-potency medicine. The administrator must know when to cut back the dosage and let the organization begin to heal itself with its own natural antibiotics. Most people do not effectively work in a chaotic environment; it is counterproductive and stressful to most individuals.
Axiom #19. Algae that grow at the top are the most difficult to eradicate. Problems that grow from the top of the organization downward are serious. They shut off all of the natural growth inherent within an organization. The lower levels will starve for recognition, personal satisfaction, personal fulfillment, and enjoyment. Without these attributes, chaos will quickly reign, and the majority will accept subversive activities. Management algae will manifest themselves in several ways–procrastination, inhibited communication, mistrust, paranoia, restricted learning, and stifled ideas, for example. These blights are easily manifested into “them-and-us” attitudes. Usually the magnitude of these problems are cured only by retirement. Few individuals have the ability to look introspectively and objectively at their weaker side and make the appropriate changes.
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Fire service management must be fluid, responsive, and adaptable to many factors. But the most significant characteristic of a well-managed fire department is the ability to define a goal collectively; develop a well-thought-out plan, try it out, refine it where needed; and recognize and reward the team for its success in meeting the goal.
DONALD R. KIRKHAM, an 18-year veteran of the fire service, is a firefighter/medic and haz-mat specialist with the Delaware (OH) City Fire Department and is general of Eagle Restoration in Westerville, Ohio, a national response team of construction companies that responds to large-scale disasters. He has a bachelor`s degree in safety engineering and a master`s degree in public administration and is working on a Ph.D. in organization and management.
