Final Report of the Boston Fire Department Review Commission
2 Culture and Leadership
2.1 Introduction
Culture can be difficult to define in any large and diverse organization.
Many times the culture of an organization depends on an individual's status
within the organization. An institution may appear overly political to an
employee involved in a competition for a particular position and not
political enough for the individual who has worked hard developing
personal relationships only to be passed over for a desired promotion.
It is clear, however, that an organization's culture takes its cues
from the values emphasized by its leadership team.3 In the case of the Boston Fire Department, strong
emphasis on tradition has been the premiere value stressed by the leadership
of the Department. As a result, this emphasis on tradition plays an
important role in members' perceptions about their place in the Department.
Traditions such as bravery, courage, and commitment to duty deserve
recognition and can be shared among all the members. In many cases,
emphasis on a particular tradition strengthens an individual's association
with the organization, such as the member whose family shares a commitment of service to the
Department for example, a father, grandfather, uncle or cousin. In other cases, an overemphasis of the same
tradition of service may alienate newer members of the organization who do not share similar family
experiences. As such, a positive tradition for some members may be perceived as non-inclusive to others.
The difficulty lies in balancing the seemingly variant views of this core value of the Department. How does a department change with the times while maintaining a sense of its past? The answer is to appreciate the history of the organization without allowing the past to govern the future. Creating
new traditions begins by recognizing the desire of all members to feel an
important part of the larger organization- The challenge to the Department is to evaluate the shared values of the members of the organization as a
whole, and to incorporate those
shared values into an overall
philosophy of change. In order
to do so, the Department must
also identify those values that
are necessary to achieve its
goals as an organization. As
Boulder, Colorado Fire Chief
Mark Wallace describes in his
book, Fire Department
Strategic Planning. Creating
Future Excellence, for a
department to achieve success it
14must recognize and articulate
the values that drive the
decision making within the organization. The individual members of the
department must be empowered to make decisions, applying their values to
everyday operations. . . Without this congruency, some members will feel
the articulated values [or traditions] are a fraud, and the likely result will be
alienation rather than empowerment."
The Commission believes that the Department has failed to capitalize on the shared values of its members. For example, almost without exception, the Commission found that members expressed great pride in being firefighters. Yet, despite this common sense of pride, many members expressed a degree of alienation from the traditions and attitudes that govern the Department. This disconnect suggests that the leadership's emphasis on tradition and history is out of balance with the desire of the Department to move into the future. Thus, in order for the Department to address alienation within its ranks, the Department must redefine its values, identify its goals, and review its existing management practices. This process will require a fundamental shift in the traditional "power-oriented" approach currently exercised by the Department's management team.:5 That is, the Department must consider a new approach to its operation that decentralizes decision-making, and opens avenues of communication between management and the field-
There are three main challenges that face the Department in its process of creating new traditions through shared values. The first challenge is to create an environment that is inclusive, welcoming and respeaftil for all its members. The second challenge is to improve communication between field personnel and officers by creating a management structure that invites participation throughout the ranks. The third challenge is to increase the confidence of the members in the future and direction of the Department by providing dynamic and progressive leadership. We will address each in turn.
3 See, Wallace, Mark, Fire Department Strategic Pkinning, Creating Future Erceflence, p. 38 (1998).
2.2 Environment
Any large organization in a culturally diverse city should reflect and celebrate the diversity of the community. In the last decade, the Department has moved to increasing representation of minorities on the force as a direct result of the consent decrees handed down from the courts.* See Section 6, Personnel and Human Resources. While 30% of the uniformed members of the Department represent minority populations, only twelve women, and one Asian American currently serve in the uniformed ranks. Clearly, more remains to be done to insure that the Department reflects the City it serves. However, according to some
minorities and women in certain areas within the organization,
with the increasing diversification of the Department has come a level of polarization.
Many allege that this polarization is reflected in the application of
discipline, promotions, assignments and recruitment. A significant number of survey respondents
complained of the "old boy network" in place throughout the Department.
There exists a strong perception that if you are not among the "W' crowd,
you will not succeed, you will not receive the better assignments, you will
not be encouraged to take a leadership role and you will not be taken
seriously regarding suggestions for improvement. This perception
undermines morale and reinforces negative attitudes. Only effective
supervision and strong leadership will change pervasive attitudes relative to
race and gender. The appearance of favoritism, whether real or imagined, is
as destructive as the existence of favoritism. The current system does little
to address these perceptions, and many of the members expressing concerns
are branded "complainers" or "troublemakers." Efforts to address these
points have not been effective, and the Department lacks a cohesive strategy
on the difficult issue of cultural diversity.
The Commission finds that major changes are necessary in the overall structure of the management team and that greater accountability at all levels of management must be instituted to insure that policies are implemented consistently and effectively. Change of attitudes and culture take time and effort. However, there is no substitute for strong leadership on issues of diversity from the top of the Department and throughout every level of management. The Department must adopt a "zero tolerance" policy for inappropriate behavior, and must undertake a serious effort to rid itself of the existing perception that the Department remains a non-inclusive organization. Only when the message is clear from the highest levels of the Department can the rank and file members be expected to conform to a gender and race neutral environment This message is a vital part of the communication necessary to bring fundamental change to the Department.
*
It should be noted that women were not covered by the consent decree. See Boston Chapter,
NAACP v. Beecher, Civil Action No. 72-3060,371 F.Supp. 507 (D.Mass. 1974) and UnitedStales
v. Beecher, Civil Action No. 73-269, 365 F.Supp. 655 (D.Mass. 1973)
2.3 Communication
The ability of members of an organization to communicate effectively with management at all levels is critical to the success of the organization. Two--way communication encourages the flow of ideas and allows for
management to make decisions that will enhance
and improve conditions in the field, not hinder or
complicate operations. Many firefighters and
officers responding to the survey and speaking directly
with Commission members expressed frustration at the
lack of communication within the Department. This frustration crossed
gender and racial lines, and seems to be pervasive throughout the
organization. The perception that decisions by senior management are made
in a vacuum contributes to the level of frustration of field personnel and
mid-level management. Many respondents to the survey requested the
opportunity to work on committees, and the overall response indicated
willingness on behalf of the members of the Department to work with
management toward the improvement of communications and conditions in
the field. Based on interviews conducted by the Commission, this desire to
communicate more effectively is shared by many members of the
management team.
Therefore, the Commission finds that much of the foundation is present to implement immediately more formal and informal communication between firefighters and management. The Department must utilize members more frequently on working groups to address a variety of technical, cultural and operational issues. Bringing more members "on the team" and into the decision-making process will enable the Department to address the concerns regarding environment expressed above. The more an individual is asked for his or her opinion relative to the operation of the department, and the more an individual witnesses his or her suggestions in action, the more the individual will feel invested in the organization and its goals. Morale will improve if members' opinions are more frequently sought and valued. Likewise, the more that management can do to effectuate better communication, the less isolated many who perceive themselves to be "out of the loop" will feel. The Commission recommends the establishment of working groups within each division that consist of senior management, raid-level management and field personnel to address the issues raised in this report.
2.4 Confidence
There exists "a causal and definitional link between leadership and team performance."* Leadership requires the confidence of those individuals expected to follow. Without confidence in management, organizations are bound to be fraught with dissension, indifference, and eventually decline. Organizations that choose to derive their leadership from a strong sense of tradition have an overriding obligation to insure that the tradition and the environment it creates include all members of the organization. As discussed, tradition is important, and can be a unifying force for good.
However, when tradition is exclusive rather than inclusive, its inherent value in anorganization is weakened and can
prove to be divisive. Leadership needs to emphasize the need for loyalty and respect for one another not just at the fire scene but in every location throughout the Department. In addition, any organization must remain focused
on its future to succeed. In order to do so, the organization must communicate with its members who are closest to the field. This is particularly true in rapidly changing fields such as public safety. An organization that lacks direction cannot move forward. Therefore, strong leadership exercised at all levels, a tradition of pride that includes all members, loyalty and respect for one another, and clear direction for the future of the organization as expressed by its members are the foundation on which confidence in an organization is built.
The Commission finds that the Department now suffers from a crisis of confidence. Throughout the interviews and evident in the survey responses are a significant number of firefighters, officers, and civilians who express a lack of confidence in the Department and its direction. This lack of confidence is pervasive and presents a challenge to the organization. This challenge can be addressed in many ways, including structural reorganization, which is discussed in detail in Section 5, Department Administration.
*
Hogan, Robert, Gordon I Curphy and Joyce Hogan, "What we Know About Leadership," American Psychologist, June 1994, p. 493
2.5 Recommendations
The Commission recommends the Department redefine its values, identify its goals, and review its existing management practices.
The Commission recommends that the Department create an environment that is inclusive, welcoming and respectful for all its members.
The Commission recommends that the Department create a management structure that invites participation throughout the ranks.
The Commission recommends that the Department increase confidence of its members by providing dynamic and progressive leadership.
The Commission recommends that the Department adopt a "zero tolerance" policy for inappropriate behavior, and undertake a serious effort to rid itself of the existing perception that it remains a non-inclusive organization
The Commission recommends the establishment of a permanent strategic planning committee with representatives from all levels of the Department.
The Commission recommends that division-based working groups, under the direction of senior management, reporting to the strategic planning committee, be established to address specific issues raised in this report.
|
