Management by Objectives

One of the Keys to Successful

Command

Instructors Ping-Li Yen

&
Ray O. Shackelford
 The Incident Command System

„ In designing the incident command system, basic

management principles were part of the system.
„ For example, unity of command- meaning that
everyone on the incident has only one supervisor.
„ Span of control- the recommended number of
people reporting to a supervisor is 5-7 with 5 being
preferred.
„ Management by objectives- this lecture explores
this management concept in detail
 Managing by Objectives Defined

„ Is a strategy of planning and getting

results in the direction that
management wishes and needs to
take while meeting the goals and
satisfaction of its participants OR
„ It is a blending of individual plans and
needs of managers toward a large-
scale accomplishment within a specific
period of time
 Four Operating Principles of M.B.O.

„ 1) Unity of managerial action is more likely to occur

when there is pursuit of a common objective- In
the incident command system the incident
commander sets the goals and objectives to be
accomplished.
„ 2)The greater the focus on results one wants to
achieve the greater the likelihood of achieving
them- In the incident command system, we ensure
focus as the objectives are reviewed every 12 hours
as we develop the new action plan.
 Four Operating Principles of M.B.O.
(Cont.)
„ 3) The greater the participation in setting
meaningful work with an accountability for a
result, the greater the motivation for completing
it. Every objective is directly connected with a
person who is responsible
„ 4) Progress can only be measured in terms of
what one is trying to make progress towards-
The work objectives developed on the 204 form
are the expectations of work to be accomplished.
 M.B.O. Creates a Management System

„ System defined “as an organized

combination of things or parts forming a
complex or unity whole”
„ Every system has a purpose, a composition
and a framework for fitting its parts
together.
„ The incident action plan once put together
provides the system by identifying- who,
what, when and where the work is to
be done.
 M.B.O. Creates a Management System
(Continued)
„ The manager designs and organizes all
the elements so as to guide, integrate
and control all resources toward the
desired objectives.
„ The basic underlying principle is good
communication- everyone knows who is
doing what, where they are and when
they should be doing the work.
 M.B.O. A Six Stage Process
„ Set down the mission statement- policy
maker and fire chief
„ Discover the goals that fit the mission
statement- fire chief and deputy fire chiefs
„ Set the objectives to accomplish the goals-
deputy fire chief and division commanders
„ Implement the objectives
„ Controlling and reporting status of the
objectives- planning process every 12 hours
 Mission Statement
„ The first step in developing a “management
by objectives “ system is to develop a
mission statement.
„ A written statement that captures the
essence of the organization and folds in the
goals and objectives that the organization
will accomplish.
„ Policy maker and fire chief develop the
mission statement.
 Goals
„ Goals are statements of direction for the
incident. They focus our attention to the
priority areas that need to be accomplished.
„ Goals also serve as the basis for more
specific planning statements which are
called objectives.
„ Goals should tie into the mission statement,
so that the entire effort of the organization
is one system.
 Pareto Effect
„ Named after Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto
“ It is uneconomical to devote the same amount
of time and attention to the inconsequential that
one devotes to the critical”.
„ Otherwise management directs effort on critical
tasks to produce the most for the least effort.
„ The concept is to develop one system with
everyone working towards a common goal that
has been agreed upon.
 Finding the Objectives to Set
„ Begins with a very deliberate and systematic
identification of results needed by the
organization.
„ In fighting, this is called size-up or making an
assessment of the problem and the best way to
handle it with the resources available.
„ Size-up should be the first step you take as a
incident commander.
 Objective Setting
„ Action plans lead us the completion of the goals.
„ Within action plans are specific objectives
needed to be completed to accomplish the goal.
„ Example- suppression objectives might be to
stop the advance of the main fire front.
„ Law enforcement- to stop the robbery in
progress during the next 6 hours without the
loss of life.
„ Public works- repair and return to service all
electrical power within the next 8 hours.
 Setting Objectives
„ Objectives are statements of actions to be
taken that will lead the department to its
mission.
„ Generally, they are written short
statements that start the sentence with an
action verb. For example, To reduce the
fire loss by 5 % within the next year.
 Setting Objectives(cont)
„ A specific time frame for accomplishment is
established for each objective(s) . In the
incident command this is normally a 12 hour
work period. It can be shorter or longer
depending upon the incident situation.
„ A specific person is named as responsible for
completion of the objective(s).
„ Resources needed to accomplish the
objective (s) is also identified.
 Setting Objectives (cont)
„ Once written the objectives must be
checked again against the over-all goals
and mission statement to ensure
organizational direction.
„ Periodic methods to check if objectives
continue on track are needed-this step
also can modify objectives in need of
changing.
 M. B. O. Needs a Time Schedule
„ Just as we need continual feedback, the
entire management by objectives system
must be placed on a time schedule.
„ The incident action plan sets all activities in
place and provides a map for coordination
of resources.
„ This coordination of resources allows for
better utilization of the equipment and
available manpower.
 M.B.O.Creates a Management
System
„ System defined “ as an organized combination of
things or parts forming a complex or unitary
whole”.
„ Every system has a purpose, a composition and a
framework for fitting its parts together.
„ The manager designs and organizes all the
elements so as to guide, integrate and control all
resources toward some objectives.
 Problems to Watch for
„ It is a natural tendency for a functional
organization to emphasize their separate
functional elements at the expense of the
whole organization.
„ Frequently, functional units treat their own
objectives as primary, while considering the
goals and objectives of the organization or
incident as secondary.
 Personnel System
„ The performance evaluation of the individual
employees can be written around the work
to be accomplished rather then more
subjective items.
„ The employee understands better where
he/she stands with the boss since the work
and the evaluation of the work is known and
discussed.
 Personnel System (continued)
„ The work of the individual is clearly defined
by the objectives in writing to prevent
misunderstanding at a future date.
„ Any changes in priorities or resources or
other issues that would affect the
completion of the agreed upon objectives
are noted in writing.
Success With Objectives System
„ To be successful with the management by
objectives system all must be encouraged
to participate in communicating the
statement the objectives and the action
plans and be ready to change directions if
need be.
„ COMMUNICATION UP, DOWN AND HORIZONTAL
IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS.
 Summary of Goals (Cont)
„ All must be achievable with the time
specific.
„ They must be realistic.
„ The resources must remain available.
„ They are written and specific.
„ Must be shared with your supervisor and
members of your crew.
 Brain Drainers
„ Why is management by objectives used in the
incident command system?
„ When we say that the incident action plan
identifies when, who, what and where. What
does this mean?
„ Who sets the mission statement? Can the mission
statement be set by more than one person? If so,
can two chiefs working together develop the
objectives to be accomplished on and incident?
„ Do they need to be from the same fire
department?