The Aspect of Leadership in the Management of Fire and Rescue Organizations - Speech or Presentation Example

Name : xxxxxxxxxxx Institution : xxxxxxxxxxx Course : xxxxxxxxxxx Title : Management and Leadership Tutor : xxxxxxxxxxx @2010 Introduction Fire and Rescue services in the U.K are basically one of most essential organizations, therefore it is vital that the management system be very effective and efficient in the overall performance and management of the emergencies. The National Framework of fire and rescue organizations in the U.K highlights the expectations of the government towards all fire and rescue organizations. One of the major standards that Fire and Rescue organizations are required to meet as indicated in chapter I of the national framework is that of good management and leadership. The chapter further recommends that there should be accountability in terms of leadership by the senior officers of the Fire and Rescue organizations. The management should be able to seek genuine engagement with the workforce of the organization and the locals in shaping the services offered by the organization. Aim of the Report This particular presentation has the objective of evaluating the context Management and leadership within the Fire and Rescue organizations in the U.K. It will also focus on analyzing the roles and responsibilities of managers. Lastly, the report will assess the aspect of theory and practice of Leadership within fire and rescue Organizations. Roles and responsibilities of managers within the fire and rescue service The Management system of Fire and Rescue organizations is governed by managers each with different roles to play. These include the crew manager, the watch manager, station manager, group manager, area manager and Chief fire officers. All the managers of the organization are responsible for organizing, supervising and planning of tasks. It is therefore essential that each must be competent. Chief Executive /Chief Fire Officer The officer is the overall head of the organization. In addition he or she advices other managers all issue that are concerned with fire and rescue operations. The officer also takes charge of incidences of up to 10 or more pumps. Deputy Chief Fire Officer The officer takes up the role of the chief fire officer in case of absence. In addition the he also plays the tactical role for directories. The officer also takes charge of incidences of up to 10 or m Brigade Managers/ Principle officers Brigade managers play the role of evaluating the risk assessment outcomes in order to identify the extent of work required in performing a certain task. Risk assessment outcomes must be evaluated in order to make viable decision on which particular work activities are supposed to be undertaken this will assist in the establishing the requirement of a particular tasks for instance the equipments needed and the planning of proper procedures. The other specified duties of the manager include Formulation ,modification, evaluation and reviewing of the service procedures Monitoring equipment use, records of training and equipment testing Assessment of new equipments and their suitability in brigade activities Supervision of how the workforce uses equipments Representing the organization in brigade matters regionally, locally and nationally. Station Manager A station manager is usually in charge of a particular station, however he can manage one or more stations. The manager is responsible for all matters concerning service delivery within the stations. He or she can also assume specialist duties. For instance the manager can be in charge of an incident of about 6 pumps or even take up the role of a support during an emergency (Bovaird & Loffler 2009).Other specified roles of the manager include Provision of leadership and management for the purpose of supporting watch mangers and other personnel in the performance of their duties Work with other stakeholders in order to attain the community safety objective Coordinate with group managers and other managers in the station in order to improve the overall performance of the station. Crew Manager The manager can either be based on a station or the front line service. A crew manager has the duty of leading a small team however he can take up incidences that involve about 3 pumping appliances. Other specified duties include Take charge of the watch in case the watch manager is absent Provision of leadership required for the personnel to effectively perform their duties Deliver and support enforcement programs and safety education that is required in order for the workforce to perform their duties competently Support and supervise the maintenance and delivery of emergency duties Provide operational leadership that is tactical and support emergency service delivery Provision of support leadership as during operations as either an incident manger or a crew manger (Charles 2005) . Watch Manager A watch manager performs the duty of leading a larger group. The manager can also attend incidences as the officer in charge. He or she takes up specialized duties of 3 pumping appliances. In addition the manager can also take up specialist roles such as fire safety and training. Other specified duties for the watch manager included Administer and manage a watch in order to attain the objectives of the station plan or the watch Provide management and leadership in order to support the watch and the workforce for proper performance of their duties Support , maintain and manage emergency service delivery Provide operational support as a watch manager , the manager can also take up roles of support as an incident manager Area Manager The manager is responsible for leading a directorate in the organization. In addition he takes charge of specialist roles to support incidences and can undertake about 9 pumps. Theory and practice of leadership styles within Fire and Rescue service Leadership can be defined as the capacity or the ability to influence other individuals toward the attainment of the goals of an organization (Mitchell 2007). It basically involves aspects such as decision making, observing, listening and dialoguing and action. Within the fire and rescue organization, there are various ranks which are taken up by various managers as highlighted in the analysis above. It is essential to take note of the fact that fire and rescue organizations basically depend the aspect of leadership due to the crucial role it performs of maintain health and safety of the community. When making an analysis of the theory and practice of leadership within fire and rescue organizations, it is important to analyze the various theories of leadership and how they are made practical within the fire and rescue department. Henri Fayal’s theory of classical management basically focuses on the aspect of the structure and design of the organization. The theory mainly centers on the management through highlighting fourteen principles of management which can be linked to the fire and rescue organizations operations. For instance when evaluating the principle of authority, it is evident that in the organizational structure of fire and rescue organization the aspect of authority is made practical whereby the right to give orders by the high rank managers and response be made through the obedience of the orders is practiced. For instance the chief fire officer being the overall leader of the organization has the capacity and authority to give order to the other managers within other ranks. In turn he / she expects that his subordinates would follow the orders appropriately (Bovaird & Loffler 2009). The aspect of unity of direction is also practical within the fire and rescue organizations whereby each member of the organization has to make a contribution of towards a single goal or plan of the organization which is to enhance the safety of the community they serve through handling emergency situations (Arthur 2003). Other principles of classical management principle that can be linked to the fire and rescue organizations include the chain of command whereby authority is exercised from the top to bottom. The structure of the fire and rescue organization outlines that the higher the rank the higher the level of authority and responsibility. For instance the chief fire officer has higher authority and undertakes a higher level of responsibility, whereby he manages incidences of up to 10 or more pumps, the crew Manager on the other hand has a lower level of authority and can only manage 3 pumping appliances. Henry Fayal’s classical management theory however can not be comprehensively linked to the fire and rescue organization due to the fact that it neglects the aspect of the personnel within the organization who are the main contributors of organizational performance. The National Framework of fire and rescue service (2008) highlights that the workforce is a central contributor to the organizations performance, therefore it is essential that they are maintained and developed thorough strategies such as training and developed and progressed fairly. In addition the framework proposes that the workforce should be integrated in the management system through making contributions in the decision making process of the organization. From the analysis of the classical management theory the criteria of leadership is mainly based on the bureaucratic aspect which is not applicable in the context of fire and rescue organization. Leadership should not basically focus on exercising authority, but rather listening to the subjects and giving them a chance to be part of the decision making process. Scientific Management theory originally proposed the importance of division of labour in order to enhance efficiency in the operations of the organization. The task of division of labour was to be undertaken by the management of the organization in order to ensure that the workforce may perform their tasks as required. The principle of division of labour is also applicable within the context of the fire and rescue organization, this is because it assists in the effective emergency control situations. For instance during emergencies their should be a manager in charge of the team for instance a crew manager takes the role of leading a small team during an emergency, the task of the crew manager is to allocate roles to the fire fighters in order to solve the emergency situation in a much more tactful manner (Arthur 2003). Frederick Taylor expanded the scientific management theory through proposing that the leadership of an organization should undertake development and training of the workforce instead of allowing them to choose their own tasks and train them the best way the can. The National Framework of fire and rescue service (2008), Proposes that the fire and rescue leadership authority should ensure that they put in place a system whereby training and development is role related which implies that the workforce have a contribution to make in terms of the training and development they are to undertake. The proposal further highlights that the development programs have to account for individual needs. The analysis of individual needs can be effectively attained if the leadership seeks the opinion of the subordinate workforce; therefore the scientific management theory of leadership does effectively fit the context of leadership within the fire and rescue organizations in the U.K. Rensis Likert conducted a survey on the various theories of leadership and the behavior of individuals within organizations. He proposed four types of theories which include the, benevolent system, the exploitative system, consultative and the participative theory. Among the theories the most practical theory that is evident in the fire and rescue organizations in the U.K is the participative theory whereby the leadership has confidence in the workforce and there is increased team work for instance the group manager is responsible for coordination of teams. In addition the workforce or personnel get a feeling that they are responsible of the organizations goals (Mullins 2005). The proposals of the Hawthorne Experiments have also contributed greatly to the organizational structure of fire and rescue organizations. The discovery that workers can best perform their duties if there social needs are well catered for by the leadership of the organization is practical within the fire and rescue organizations in the U.K. In despite of the fact that not many work life balance programs have been established, the social welfare needs of the workforce are well catered for as highlighted by the National Framework of fire and rescue service (2008). The theory of motivation is also essential in terms of job motivation. Frederick Herzberg carried out a research on the theory and discovered that if the workers feel satisfied due to motivating factors such good working conditions, job security and good salaries, the employees becomes enriched and less job supervision is required. Doherty and Horne (2002) highlight the importance of managing operations effectively through motivation of the workforce because it leads to improved group performance. Motivation of the workforce is also an essential aspect of the leadership within the U.K fire and rescue organizations because it becomes much easier for the management to influence the workforce and therefore less time is spent on solving indiscipline cases. Conclusion The aspect of leadership is essential in the management of fire and rescue organizations. In 2006 the Local government committee discovered that there is need for fire and rescue organizations to strengthen the aspect of leadership in all the levels in the organizations. It is evident that most of the leadership strategies used in the fire and rescue organization indicates signs of effective leadership which is baked by the improved performance in the various organizations (Charles 2005). Bibliography Arthur, E., 2003, Organizing for Fire and Rescue Services, Jones & Bartlett Learning. Bovaird T & Loffler, D, 2009, Public Management and Governance. Routledge. Charles, S, 2005, Fire and emergency service administration: management and Leadership practices, Bartlett Learning. Doherty T& Horne T, 2002, Managing Public Services, Routledge. Department for communities and Local Government, 2008 , Fire and Rescue Service National Framework 2008–11. Mullins, L, 2005, Management and Organizational Behavior, Prentice Hall – chapter 3. Mitchell, R, 2007, Fire Service Leadership: Theories and Practices, Jones & Bartlett Learning. Read More