FSPM Unit VII Case study

docx

School

Columbia Southern University *

*We aren’t endorsed by this school

Course

4302

Subject

Management

Date

Jan 9, 2024

Type

docx

Pages

Uploaded by BrigadierMoon13101

1 Unit VII Case Study Unit VII Case Study NAME Colombia Southern University Prof. Todd Weidman July 3, 2023

2 Unit VII Case Study On April 15, 2016, Firefighter Nicole Mittendorff of the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department in Fairfax County, Virginia failed to report for her assigned shift. On April 22, 2016 her body was located in her personal vehicle parked in a remote area of the Shenandoah National Park. Her death was later determined to be a suicide. After Mittendorff was reported missing, rumors of cyberbullying of her and other female members of the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department began circulating. Reports that Mittendorff was the victim of numerous cyberbullying incidents on a FRD chat page on the website Fairfax Underground began circulating as soon as she was reported missing but investigators could not fully confirm the rumors as the offending posts had been removed from the chat board and the board shut down. After the discovery of her body, an investigation into her death, as well as the harassment of other females within the department, was initiated. On February 14, 2017, a report generated from the Titan Group, a division of Gallagher Benefits Services, Inc. was submitted to the Fairfax County Executive. The report was the summation of an assessment of FRD to evaluate the work environment and culture in the Department, with specific focus placed on identifying any perceived issues of discrimination, harassment, and bullying (Titan Group, 2017.) The report identified numerous positive and negative issues relating to harassment and cyberbullying within the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department but these issues are not isolated to Fairfax County and could relate to virtually any fire service organization. Having appropriate policies and procedures regarding workplace harassment is vital to ensure a cohesive work environment. Management of personnel within a fire service organization can be challenging due to the gender differences in the fire service. The fire service has historically been a male dominated, paramilitary organization with entrenched traditions. The Titan report indicated that the industry

3 Unit VII Case Study norm for females in the fire service was just 7 percent (Titan, 2017.) With ever increasing numbers of females entering the fire service, senior leadership personnel need to be vigilant in addressing harassment complaints. Lack of action on harassment complaints could lead to significant legal ramifications for all personnel involved from the harasser, the first line supervisor up through the chain of command to the chief. Workplace harassment must be addressed in a strong, enforceable policy that is widely disseminated and readily available to all employees. Thomas Warren, writing for Fire Engineering reported that “The first step in creating a welcoming and respectful work environment is for the department to have a strongly worded and enforceable sexual harassment policy” (Warren, 2017.) This idea translates to all aspects of harassment. Once a policy is in place the policy must be disseminated. Training on all levels is vital to ensuring that issues are appropriately addressed with clear procedures for handling complaints. Harassment training should be provided to all levels within the chain of command as well as delivered to recruits during the early stages of recruit training. Ensuring that all personnel are well versed on what constitutes harassment, reporting procedures, and ramifications should be included in all training. Other recommendations or solutions include periodic assessments of complaints and resolutions, evaluations of policies to ensure they comply with current local, state, and federal employment laws, and one-on-one consults with employees to ensure that the work culture is appropriate. Formulating plans for the institution of recommendations is the first step in addressing issues surrounding workplace harassment. Chief Officers are responsible for developing policy and ensuring the policies are disseminated, instituted, and complied with. Communicating the policy and procedures to all levels of the organization should follow appropriate established channels relating to policy implementation. As with any new policy, risk reduction plan, or

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help

4 Unit VII Case Study training curriculum, post dissemination evaluation is vital to ensure that plan is reaching target audiences. Ethical decision making and motivational techniques are essential at all levels of command to ensure that harassment is addressed swiftly and appropriately. Motivating personnel to treat fellow employees with dignity and respect can be a difficult task in a profession entrenched in the masculine “ball busting” mentality. For generations firefighters have teased and joked with fellow firefighters but with the integration of more and more diverse employees, these jokes may not ring as humorous with some. Encouraging personnel at all levels to make ethical decisions, not only for harassment issues but in all work related aspects, is a must in this current litigious society. Addressing harassment complaints within an organization requires swift and aggressive leadership and can be classified as Crisis Leadership. The Center for Management and Organization Effectiveness defines Crisis Leadership the process that a leader or leadership team uses during an event that threatens an organization. The CMOE further states that it may involve planning for a crisis, motivating employees during a crisis, managing public relations, and/or preserving the organization in the aftermath (CMOE, n.d.). The Mittendorff case certainly involved crisis leadership for Fairfax County. Leaders must utilized the most appropriate leadership style to convey the seriousness of the issue and the style may have to be amended depending on how the employees react to the delivery of information. An authoritarian leadership style may work well with some stronger employees but not with weaker employees. The delivery of information should be curtailed to the audience. Once a complaint of harassment is made the leader has no choice but to act quickly

5 Unit VII Case Study and efficiently to ensure the safety and well-being of the accuser as well as ensure the harassment does not continue or that any acts of retaliation occur. The death of Nicole Mittendorff opened the eyes of many organizations to the issue of on-line harassment and cyberbullying of employees. The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department was thrust into the national spotlight over this tragic incident and many departments took notice and performed self-assessments to attempt to curtail any issues within their own ranks. The review that was conducted after the incident revealed that many employees had witness or been the victim of harassment and numerous media reports after the release of the review cast doubt on the aggressiveness of the FRD response to the cyberbullying and the appropriateness of Chief Richard Bowers response. After the incident, Chief Bowers appointed a female Battalion Chief as the Women’s Program Officer but after less than a year she resigned stating that there had been no change within the ranks and none of her recommendations had been instituted or even considered by management. Chief Bowers has been the recipient of much criticism over his actions, or perceived lack of action, after the Mittendorff tragedy. With any line of duty death there will be questions, criticisms, and “Monday morning quarterbacking”. How the agency reacts in the days, weeks, months and even years after a tragedy will set the tone for the department for possibly decades.

6 Unit VII Case Study References: Titan Group. (February, 2017). Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department Organizational Climate Review Report. Accessed at https://www.statter911.com/wp- content/uploads/2017/02/fire-rescue-report-feb2017.pdf Center for Management and Organization Effectiveness. Crisis Leadership. Access at https://cmoe.com/glossary/crisis- leadership/#:~:text=Crisis%20leadership%20is %20the%20process,an%20organization% 20in%20the%20aftermath. Warren, Thomas. (December, 2017) Fire Service Sexual Harassment: Leaders Must Set the Tone. Fire Engineering. https://www.fireengineering.com/leadership/fire-service-sexual- harassment/#gref

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help

Related Documents

P07-SIXTIES ONE.pdf

discussion 4 responses.docx

FINSIH.docx

Journal 2.docx

Over the next few weeks in this course.docx

To be honest.docx

FSPM Unit III Scholarly Activity.docx

CPE TABLE.docx

Unit I Discussion Board.docx

Week 5 Discussion.docx

Interest_Group_WebQuest.docx

Reflection Project Part 2.docx

Recommended textbooks for you

Understanding Business

Management

ISBN:9781259929434

Author:William Nickels

Publisher:McGraw-Hill Education

Management (14th Edition)

Management

ISBN:9780134527604

Author:Stephen P. Robbins, Mary A. Coulter

Publisher:PEARSON

Spreadsheet Modeling & Decision Analysis: A Pract...

Management

ISBN:9781305947412

Author:Cliff Ragsdale

Publisher:Cengage Learning

Management Information Systems: Managing The Digi...

Management

ISBN:9780135191798

Author:Kenneth C. Laudon, Jane P. Laudon

Publisher:PEARSON

Business Essentials (12th Edition) (What's New in...

Management

ISBN:9780134728391

Author:Ronald J. Ebert, Ricky W. Griffin

Publisher:PEARSON

Fundamentals of Management (10th Edition)

Management

ISBN:9780134237473

Author:Stephen P. Robbins, Mary A. Coulter, David A. De Cenzo

Publisher:PEARSON

SEE MORE TEXTBOOKS

Recommended textbooks for you

Understanding Business
Management
ISBN:9781259929434
Author:William Nickels
Publisher:McGraw-Hill Education
Management (14th Edition)
Management
ISBN:9780134527604
Author:Stephen P. Robbins, Mary A. Coulter
Publisher:PEARSON
Spreadsheet Modeling & Decision Analysis: A Pract...
Management
ISBN:9781305947412
Author:Cliff Ragsdale
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Management Information Systems: Managing The Digi...
Management
ISBN:9780135191798
Author:Kenneth C. Laudon, Jane P. Laudon
Publisher:PEARSON
Business Essentials (12th Edition) (What's New in...
Management
ISBN:9780134728391
Author:Ronald J. Ebert, Ricky W. Griffin
Publisher:PEARSON
Fundamentals of Management (10th Edition)
Management
ISBN:9780134237473
Author:Stephen P. Robbins, Mary A. Coulter, David A. De Cenzo
Publisher:PEARSON