Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service - Conflict, Power Games and Politics - Case Study Example

Organisational Behaviour Student’s Name: Course: Tutor’s Name: Date: Outline Organisational Behaviour: Introduction Case Study: Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service (WFRS) An examination of the organisational context Role of individuals and teams in an organisation Organisational development Conclusion Organisational Behaviour Organisations are facing change and revolution now more than any other time in the past. Faced with technological changes, global competitiveness, mergers and acquisitions and shifting demands from their customers as well as employees, organisations have had to increase their speed of decision-making in order to match the changes. This in turn means that the organisations are faced with more flexibility demands, which ensure that despite the fast pace of doing things, they remain effective. Organisational behaviour is central to how well an organisation is able to change with the times.1 Work-related phenomena like job satisfaction, turnover, job commitment, and employee well-being are all associated with organisational behaviour. As such, the functions and structures put in place in a specific work environment affect behaviours of workgroups in addition to affecting the individual behaviours of employees therein.2 Case Study: Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service (WFRS) WFRS is a department in the Warwickshire County Council. Its area of operations covers 197, 533 hectares and a population of 527,000 people. The towns of Rugby, Warwick, Leamington, Stratford and Nuneaton fall under its jurisdiction.3 Compared to other areas in the UK, Warwickshire County is pretty sparsely populated meaning that the fire and rescue service is not as overwhelmed by work as other fire services in other parts of the country. In an independent review conducted by OnePoint in 2009, it was established that WFRS has been able to partner with other stakeholders in its areas of operation in order to provide the public with the necessary services. Some of the cited cases included working with the youth to reduce intentional fires, and working with the local authority in the reduction of arson cases on abandoned cars. The report however notes that the organisation does not engage much in fire preventative strategies, choosing instead to work on a reactionary strategy that means that it targets attending to emergencies. The reason cited by the OnePoint report for such an approach was the unavailability of enough fire fighters to work on a Retained Duty System.4 In the larger United Kingdom, the government set up a requirement for all fire and rescue services to attain a balance between protection, prevention and emergency response duties.5 Analysing the operations at WFRS, one gets the impression that the authority is only able to respond to emergencies in good time. However, it falls short in preventative work and protecting the vulnerable groups in its area of jurisdiction. Since 2004 for example, the organisation has only registered a 10 percent increase in fire preventative measures. This pales in comparison with the rest of the country where a 50 percent growth has been registered.6 An examination of the organisational context Understanding the relationship between the internal organisation structures and the internal environmental factors is not possible without identifying the factors at play. The internal influences were identified as the financial allocation to the service; the organisation’s plan for improving services; ensuring that there is equality and diversity in the work place; and managing risk.7 The external influences on the other hand were identified as strategies or agreements set by the local community; likes and preferences of the local people; and the relationships that the fire and rescue service has developed with partners in order to develop desirable outcomes to the society.8 In WFRS, organisational hierarchies affect the kind of relationships attained between internal and external environment in the organisation. Decision-making relationships are led by the departmental heads, while the fire protection and fire control departments interact with the larger society on a need basis. Despite this, the importance of internal organisational interaction with external factors as presented by the community is underscored by WFRS’s own admission that, “success will depend upon big solutions and a shared approach to the challenges facing us with our partners.”9 In 2009, the fire service had published a consultation document that sought to establish a better understanding of its operations, and the assistance it needed from its partner. In response the Warwickshire Retained Fire Fighters Union (RFU) questioned the service’s proposal to use some public assets, but nevertheless agreed that the service needed some modernisation if it was to serve the community better. 10 Role of individuals and teams in an organisation The primary role of WFRS is to ensure that the community under its jurisdiction is served in a timely and efficient manner in all fire-related incidences. This relates to fire safety, emergency response and fire-extinguishing activities. To ensure efficient service delivery, the service needs to work with the directorate plans provided by the government, and pass the same to the team in the service. The individual employees also need to understand and appreciate these plans in order for the service to effectively attain its objectives11. In the Warwickshire County Council document, it is stipulated that staff empowerment is one of the core objectives in the fire and safety service. According to Stroh, NorthCraft and Neale12, and Miner, 13 teamwork in any organisation is only as strong as the collective contributions of team members. As such, WFRS seems to have taken the right approach by stressing the need for further training for its staff, the introduction of locality work-groups and staff motivation. Special emphasis is especially laid on incident support and call management staff, who not only need to be well trained, but also need to be supported by the entire organisation in terms of motivation and training.14 Overall, for the WFRS to work efficiently in its core mandate, there have been areas pointed out as defective thus interfering with the team spirit that would contribute in building a more cohesive organisation. For starters, the organisation adopted a preventative strategy that seeks to educate the community on how to prevent fires from occurring in their residences. There have been concerns however that the driving forces behind the prevention strategy have not been communicated to the operational staff. This especially affects the newly inducted staff conducting home-fire safety checks. Without understanding why they are pushing the strategy, they are less likely to convince the residents of the need to fit fire safety equipment in their homes and this could mean that the strategy will be less effective. Communication is also said to affect overall effectiveness of the organisation as ART managers fail to consistently engage the station personnel. 15 According to Improvement & Development Agency for Local Government (IDALG), the inclusion of other stakeholders in the larger organisational team is also being compromised by the absence of a comprehensive partnership arrangement. However, it is noteworthy that the fire service has been able to work with the police and local schools to reduce arson cases. The fact that employees on the Retained Duty System (RDS) are becoming fewer by the day, WFRS is increasingly relying on temporary staff to provide the services needed by the community. This in turn means that the organisation needs to keep the communication lines open in order to help the new employees understand the organisation’s objectives, policies and aims. To work as a team, the new employees need to fit in and understand the core concepts championed by the organisation in the local community. The role of managers as leaders of teams in the Fire & Safety Service cannot be underestimated. In addition to laying the guidelines on how fire-fighters and other staff in the organisation should respond to an emergency, it is also the manager’s responsibility to prepare and lead the rest of the team in handling the emergency.16 More to this, the responsibility of planning ahead, identifying the right team to handle emergencies as well as identifying the challenges that may face the team in the line of duty lies with the manager. In response to an emergency, the organisation needs a combination of operational, tactical and strategic management functions in the team. The leader of the team is responsible for the operational functions and his/her main responsibilities would be to lead the front-line team(s). The tactical function on the other hand needs to prioritise the allocation of resources when addressing the emergency. The team member in charge of the tactical function also needs to plan, coordinate and communicate the necessary course of action to be taken by other team members. The strategic function of the team is rarely on the emergency site. Rather, team members handling the strategic function are located at the organisation’s headquarters in order to ensure that all the resources necessary to accomplish the task on the ground are transported to the team members handling the tactical functions. Team members responsible for the strategic function also evaluate the situation, brief the media and government authorities on the emergency. This includes the cause, loss of life or property and the response.17 Organisational development In the recent past, WPRS has embraced assessment and development processes as well as training models. Such include becoming a signatory of the National Occupational Standards, becoming a member of the Assessment and Development Centre as well as a member of the National Vocational Qualifications.18 The involvement of the service in the named development is a reflection that it takes the responsibilities placed on it by the communities seriously and is therefore seeking ways through which it can become better. Through its involvement with the organisations, WFRS staff receives support and training, which gives them a clear direction of exactly where the service is headed. Managing change in WFRS is not an easy task as evident through the organisation’s attempt to embrace a Regional Control Centre (RCC), which is a concept designed to present an easier way of call management. However, staff members in the organisation are concerned about the effect that the new call management concept will affect their work, training, motivation and future employment. To counter this however, a report indicates that the teams charged with enacting the RCC are reviewing the new system and devising ways of implementing the same in a thoughtful manner in order to provide much support to the call management staff. 19 The most prominent organisational culture in WFRS is the need for health and safety not only by the workers, but also in the community provided with the organisation’s services. 20 In 2008/2009 period for example, the organisation reported that workplace injuries had decreased dramatically. They associated this to better training of their employees. One indicator that cast some shadow on the health and safety report however was the constant fluctuation of sick leaves taken by the fire fighters. In the same 2008/09 period, the WFRS registered an average of 8 sick days per fire fighter.21 Analysing WFRS, one gets the impression that decision-making takes place in the management levels. However, considering that lower-level staff members engage in activities that need decision-making on a constant basis, there is no doubt that the collective decision-making especially in teams needs to take place. Conclusion Like every other organisation, WFRS has had its fair share of conflict, power games and politics. However, its relationship with its employees, partners and the community it serves has remained steadfast more so because of the essential services it provides. This analysis gives the impression that though there are shortcomings in the organisational behaviour that needs addressing, the employees and partners acknowledge the important role that WFRS has in the region. As such, the tenor of the respective relationships appears to rest on a desire to improve the organisation for the overall good of the community. By constant training, it is evident that WFRS is playing a major role in helping its employees become an asset to the organisation and though many of them are on part-time employment, the strategy helps them fit in and become part of the bigger organisation. References Harris, J.O & Hartman, S.J. Organizational behaviour, 2nd edition, Routledge, New York, 2001. Hiriyappa, B, Organizational Behaviour, New Age International, New Delhi, 2009. Improvement & Development Agency for Local Government (I&DeA), Operational assessment: peer review, pp. 1-26. Martin, J., Organisation behaviour and Management, 3rd edition, Cengage Learning EMEA: Andover, Hampshire, 2005 Miner, J. B. Organizational behavior: from theory to practice, ME Sharpe, New York, 2007 Morgan, T., Response to Warwickshire Fire & Rescue Service Consultation Document, 2009, retrieved 22 June 2010, http://www.rfuonline.co.uk/main/pdf%20files/Improvement%20Plan%20-%20RFU%20Response%20version%202.3.pdf OnePlace, Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Authority: Organisational Assessment. 2009, retrieved 22 June 2010, http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/Web/corporate/pages.nsf/Links/B33ED7DF6FC989668025756D003FF10C/$file/OrganisationalAssessment2009WarwickshireFireandRescueAuthority_Full.pdf. Pomsuwan, S., Organisational Behaviour: theories and concepts, Bangkok University press: Tambon Klong Nung. 2007, p. 2. Stroh, L.K, NorthCraft, G.B & Neale, M.A. Organisational Behaviour: A management challenge, 3rd edition, Routledge, New York, 2002. Tosi, H., Mero, N & Rizzo, J. Managing Organizational behavior, 4th edition, Wiley-Blackwell, MA, 2000. Warwickshire County Council, Warwickshire fire and Rescue Service: Business Plan 2009-12. 2009, retrieved 22 June 2010, http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/Web/corporate/pages.nsf/Links/E64A49F4E3034DF380256E40002EC616/$file/F&R+Directorate+Plan.pdf. Read More