Organizational Improvement

Organizational Improvement

Chad Frost

University of Phoenix

Systems Thinking and Performance Measurement

SYS/540

Robert Whipple

Organizational Improvement

As a function of the Air Force organization, my organization (2nd Medical Group) at Barksdale carries its own specific mission, "To provide medical support for our war fighters and Barksdale community...anytime, anywhere." The BE mission is to "provide operational (environmental and occupational) health risk assessment expertise to enhance commander decision making and health service support capabilities" (kx.afms.mil, 2006).

Organizational/Department Mission

Bioenvironmental Engineering (BE) Element (department) performs and manages activities in the fields of industrial hygiene, occupational health, radiological health surveillance, and environmental protection to ensure healthy working conditions are maintained and that the environment is not adversely affected by Air Force operations. BE also conducts medical readiness activities, during which interaction with other departments and support areas is paramount in order to be successful in our own mission. Based on the responsibilities listed above, one can see that in order to perform the duties required the departmental mission must align with that of the organizational mission.

The BE career field is referred to as a "force multiplier" due to its ability to recommend engineering, administrative, and personal protection controls to minimize the effects of hazardous/radiological materials. In order to improve organizational performance, BE must be able to increase the efficiency, effectiveness, and performance of its medical readiness activities, known as Emergency Response Management (ERM).

Performance Improvement Initiative

ERM is a program/pillar of BE in which the performance of the response team requires much improvement. Specific improvement include the interaction between emergency response agencies as well as an all-inclusive training plan to maximize capabilities and enhance the effectiveness of emergency response issues. By encouraging the interaction and training between agencies, the overall result will increase response time, improve communication, and clarify roles and responsibilities imperative during an incident or catastrophic event. The following components are necessary in order to introduce this initiative:

* Comprehensive Emergency Response Plan (CERP): defines the roles and responsibilities of trained personnel responding to an unexpected incident and describes how to work "side-by-side" with responders from other agencies,

* Organized Training/simulations of response activities: Develops team and individual skill/performance while increasing interaction between agencies. Allow teams to showcase their capabilities and recognize needs/weaknesses.

* Operating Instruction/Standard Operating Procedure: This document will describe and outline the CERP, and provide a schedule which covers tentative dates of training classes, briefings, simulations, and exercises to be conducted throughout the year. Each agency will provide input on the respective areas of competency.

* Most important: Buy-in from Senior leadership and Emergency response agencies

Over the last month there have been 3 exercises, 2 of which were scheduled and the last was unscheduled. Considering the personnel and experience in the office, there was an expectation of high-performance. This was quite the contrary. The current performance of ERM was shadowed by miscommunication, disorganization among the BE team and a sense of failure from the other agencies. In order to improve performance, the team must be willing to perform at its optimal level. Optimizing performance will occur from utilizing the knowledge and capabilities of the team members and the remaining response agencies.

Existing Organizational Obstacles

The largest obstacle within the organization comes from not having a clear role whether BE is a stand-alone agency during emergency response or if BE must conduct activities through the Medical Control Center (MCC). The MCC is responsible for all medical resources (human and physical) during an emergency. The MCC goal is to have 100% BE communication during an incident. Although, we communicate with the On-scene Commander (OSC) and a BE representative at the Disaster Control Group (DCG). The DCG is the top of the communication latter and adding a middle man to the up channel will only decrease response time.

The second obstacle is developing a better relationship with medical personnel. This will allow other areas in the clinic to understand the BE role in ERM and its presence in the medical field. Once this occurs, there is bound to be an increase of positive interaction within the organization. This increase in internal interaction will prove to be a catalyst for external interaction.

Organizational Impact and Benefits

The organization will experience many benefits from simply increasing training opportunities while experiencing "groupthink" through shared experiences and lessons-learned briefings. The culminating effect of this interaction will also produce the following benefits:

* Improved communication within the clinic and among Barksdale AFB emergency response agencies

* Improve preparedness in advance of potential emergencies and disasters,

* Better coordination among agencies during a response

* Understanding human and physical resources and their capabilities/limitations when responding to an emergency

* Increasing exercises will help identify weaknesses in emergency response plans by hazard type (chemical, radiological, etc.) ensuring the education/preparedness of response personnel in all agencies

* Ability to document/track improvements in incident response through evaluations

* Documentation of positive actions taken during emergency response incidents while protect Barksdale AFB and surrounding communities.

* Lives