The steps for establishing and implementing incident objectives include:
■ Step 1: Understand agency policy and direction.
■ Step 2: Assess incident situation.
■ Step 3: Establish incident objectives.
■ Step 4: Select appropriate strategy or strategies to achieve objectives.
■ Step 5: Perform tactical direction.
■ Step 6: Provide necessary follow-up.2
The purpose is to determine the objectives for the next operational period (usually 24 hours), and have all units involved in the emergency response direct their efforts toward these common objectives. Although the responsibility for determining the objectives rests with the Incident Commander, the objectives are often the result of the combined input and efforts of all members of the Command and General Staff. The focus of the objectives should be to support the Operations Section in resolving the incident. Subobjectives may address management duties and actions required of other sections involved in supporting the Operations Section. For example, when Operations needs additional personnel, either due to an expansion of the incident or due to the need for current personnel to be relieved, an objective may be written for the Planning Section to source the required personnel. Similarly, if Operations needs expanded medical services for fi rst responders, an objective may be written for the Logistics Section to provide an expanded medical unit.
Once the objectives are determined, they are listed in the IAP, which is then distributed to all units involved in the incident response. The goal is to have all objectives for an operation period clearly communicated to all levels of supervision deployed on the incident. All activities, whether by tactical response operations or support units, should be geared toward achieving the stated objectives. Unit leaders or Section Chiefs who identify other objectives should communicate them to the Planning Section Chief for consideration for the next operational period or for immediate consideration for approval by the Incident Commander. When new objectives are created, they must be approved by the Incident Commander before being included in the next IAP.
The system is designed to create clarity of purpose. It enhances cooperation when multiple units are engaged in a single incident. An IAP is highly supportive of
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MBO because it builds upon the objectives by listing all resources (apparatus and personnel) engaged in the response. It enhances accountability, safety, and fi nance.
With MBO as the framework for responding to an incident, there are no surprises.
Everyone on the response team knows what the objectives are and the approved resources for achieving them.
MBO can mean different things in different settings. In business, for example, one aspect of MBO has to do with evaluation of personnel performance. It is common in business for objectives to be used to measure the performance of an individual employee or of an entire department. Performance is tracked to determine if objec-tives are met in a timely fashion. For example, if a manager wants his sales staff to make a required number of sales in a month (operational period), a salesperson might track daily activity to see if the objective will be or is met by the end of the month.
Table 10.1 shows the performance of two salespersons for the fi rst three weeks of the month of March. The objectives for the month are set for each individual (Leslie at 20; Larry at 30). Results are shown for the fi rst three weeks (Leslie has 14; Larry has 28). Leslie is at 70% of quota (objective), and Larry has achieved 93% of quota.
With this information, a manager might set new objectives for Week 4. Larry needs only 2 sales to achieve his objective, whereas Leslie needs 6. Since Leslie has been able to achieve 6 sales in only one of three prior weeks, she made need Larry’s assistance to meet the objective of a total of 50 sales for the month. The manager may have many options, but one could be to have Larry help Leslie. This is how MBO might be used in a sales environment.
The illustration above suggests that managers might adjust their use of personnel or other resources as a situation progresses (in this case, the sales for the month of March). Emergency management might apply the same principle. An Incident Commander, looking at the degree to which a fi re, for example, is being controlled, might choose to redeploy certain resources for the next operational period so the
Table 10.1 Sales Objectives Using MBO
Total
# Sales to
Salesperson Month Required Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Tally % to Date Date Leslie March 20 2 4 8 14 70% 14 Larry March 30 15 5 6 28 93% 28
overall goal or objective can be met on time. The same could be applied to a fl ood, the identifi cation of victims from an incident, debris removal following a tornado, or any other disaster response.
It is not common in emergency management to use MBO to track the performance of an individual responder, but the principle might be applied to tracking the progress on each section, branch, or division deployed in response to a disaster. The value added is to gather data to assist in making management decisions based on the approved objectives for the operational period, or for the entire operation.
MBO can be applied to emergency management functions other than disaster response. It has value in project management of such projects as developing a mitigation plan, completing a comprehensive emergency management plan for a jurisdiction, monitoring progress in an exercise program, or in tracking the annual budget. These are management functions requiring management concepts that are not typically associated with tactical response operations.
Emergency managers may acquire the knowledge and skills applicable to MBO in a number of ways. One way is to take management courses at a college or university.
Emergency Management Degree programs, particularly at the master’s degree level, typically include courses from the business management department as a requirement for graduation. At Elmira College, for example, the emergency and disaster preparedness concentration requires core courses as follows:
■ Evaluating Research in Management
■ Human Resource Management and Development
■ Planning and Project Management
■ Leadership
■ Organizational Economics, Budget and Finance, and
■ Application of Technology in a Business Setting.
Emergency management students at Elmira should have ample opportunity to explore the use of MBO in a number of settings. This exposure contributes to a broader understanding that the students may then apply in all aspects of an emergency manager’s duties.
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