FO Ch. 10 Applications of Leadership

Chapter 10: Applications of Leadership

• Fire Officer II has a wider sphere of influence than Fire Officer I
• Develops both Fire Officer Is and firefighters under their command
• Improves performance at the individual level as well as at the company level via training, coaching, evaluation, and through feedback systems
• Applies select leadership theories and management theories in workplace environments

Fire Officer II, Transformational Leaders and Relationships

• Understand the concepts of transformational and transactional leadership
• Engages with others and creates connection that raises level of motivation and morality in both leader and follower
• Includes understanding individual emotions, value systems, ethics, and also establishing common standards and achieving longer term goals
• Transactional focuses on expectations of reciprocation, where all parties are in it for themselves.
• In transactional relationships, performing a task results in receiving an award, while not performing a task results in a negative response or discipline
• Assesses the followers' motives, satisfying their needs, treating them as full human beings, involving influence
• Idealized influence involves leaders who behave consistently with the values they advocate and uphold, being charismatic, cultivating trust, respect, admiration, and commitment to the leader and future of the organization
• Inspirational influence involves articulating a clear and appealing view of the future while expressing confidence as well as optimism, and encouraging teamwork, inspiring high standards, and emotional commitment to a goal
• Intellectual influence raises followers' awareness of problems and develops their capability to solve them by fostering critical examination of commonly held notions and beliefs, as well as the status quo and getting followers to reexamine assumptions, seek different perspectives, and encourage nontraditional thinking
• Individualization consideration involves listening to each follower's needs and concerns, expressing words of thanks and praise as means of motivation, public recognition of achievements, and undertaking individual career counseling and mentoring
• Followers begin to appreciate the range of knowledge, skills, and abilities associated when collaborating with a diverse team
• Should still be used.
• In high-hazard emergency scene activity, there needs to be an incident commander that directly delivers a chain of command.

Evaluating Assigned Members

• SMART goals should be attainable and challenging, but not vague
• Vague goals do not give clear enough expectations to determine success
• Fire Officer should expect 3 SMART work related goals from subordinates
• SMART goals should be consistent with department mission and objectives
• Should reach beyond the scope of standard, day-to-day activities
• Should help them seek promotions or assignments
• Fire Officer should track activities by date with descriptions, and create performance observations
• Logs and T-accounts can be used for tracking assets versus liabilities.
  • Activity log is a list of FF activities by date, along with a brief description of performance observations
  • T-account is a more in-depth activity log that splits positives and negatives on a form to ID strengths and weaknesses
• Hot wash debriefings occur immediately after an incident to ID any issues needing prompt attention as well as procedural or systematic problems needing follow up
• Methods compile "improvised when, what, how" records for evals and also motivational tools, logging FF progress to this year's goals
• FO is encouraged to conduct informal performance reviews throughout the year with each FF
• Review the T account to see how the FO can assist
• Identify situations or work conditions that impede progress
• Goals can be changed or adjusted to fit any issues that have come up

Unacceptable Behavior Sources

• Need to use framework to improve unacceptable behaviors
• All members are expected to follow standard/appropriate conduct and meet performance expectations
• Focuses design of systems to manage behaviors or design flaws
• Just culture = a change in focus from errors and outcomes to the behavioral choices made by subordinates
• Must focus on design instead of outcomes
• Uses Just Culture approaches

Correcting & Using "Just Culture" to Identify Issue Sources

• If no repercussions or practice, humans drift from performance
• Benchmark actions with the organization's missions, values, and goals
• Classifies intention spectrums such as reckless behavior, errors, harming, and at-risk
• Uses just culture process classifies the spectrum of human intention as follows:
  • Human error - inadvertent action such as a slip, lapse, or mistake with outside factors including process, procedure, training, design, and environment; it is also a first instance of an issue
  • In such cases, the FO can look into identifying factors to help correct, work with the member and the members take responsibility to make behavioral changes, and this falls under informal work performance review
  • At-risk behavior is a behavioral choice that increases risk when risk is not recognized or is mistakenly believed to be justified
• Correcting at-risk behavior is the most significant impact a FO can have on a subordinate to recognize at-risk situations, and provide an informed opportunity to change behavior
• Understand the thought process and other options considered as well as whether the member recognizes the risk taken, and reinstate knowledge of protocols and SOPs, SOGs
• Take actions to mitigate by training or coaching, as well as policy revision and modification of structure that led to at-risk behavior
• Reckless behavior is a behavioral choice to consciously disregard a substantial and unjustified risk. The FF recognized the risk and decided to continue
• FO needs to understand the FF thought process leading to this behavior and determine if the member understood the risk
• Use the reasonable person standard to determine at-risk or reckless behavior
• A reasonable person standard involves actions that a similar person with the same background would take given the same situation
• Conscious disregard requires negative reinforcement through remedial training, formal discipline, or punitive action
• Knowingly causing harm may be justified, so can be removed from the workplace, while purposely causing harm is criminal and can be removed from the workplace
• Seek Supervisor input

Notice of Substandard Performances

• Fighters should know about any problems before annual evaluations
• Give adequate time to improve
• Jurisdictions may require aspect identifications and improvements
• The notice must identify the aspect of performance that's Substandard, and indicate what the employee must do to avoid the Substandard evaluation at the annual review
• "As issues" or at least 10 weeks before evaluation

Work Improvement Plans

• Improvement Plan should cover a specific timespan such as employee participates
• Should make specific listing of deficiences
• Obtain satisfying evals with Senior management approval, along with regular process reports
• WIP should be in writing,State the deficiency, and listing requirements to obtain satisfactory eval; should be reviewed and approved by a senior management officer
• Ends with improved outcome, extended WIP, or termination
• Special eval should be noted/outcomes tracked to reflect time-in-rank, improvement, or next step such as lack of pay
• The advance notice procedure should provide an FF with enough time to change the behavior or improve skill
• "Satisfactory" or not should end eval as a permanent record from officials.

Negative/Corrective Measures

• Efforts need to be positive if someone is being unable or unwilling, it must be discipline
• Negatives should only occur if unable to meet standard.
• Can progressively move from severe, but final goal is still improved performance.
• Discipline includes terminating poor performers.
• Disciplinary process designed to be consistent and well documented
• Progressive Negative Discipline moves from mild to more severe punishments if the problem is not corrected
• Includes counseling, performance review, verbal/written reprimands, and suspending, or terminating .

Progressive Disciplinary Measures

• Increasing discipline requires more supervision/higher levels to participate
• Supervisors to provide detailed descriptions of just culture and due processes
• Penalty increases require higher level of supervision
• Informal oral/written reprimand - supervising or managing officer (1 year expiration)
• Formal written reprimand - documented by FO (1 year expiration)
• Suspension - initiated or recommended by FO, issues typically by BC or higher; remains permanent in employee file
• Termination - Fire chief issues formal termination notice
• Types of disciplin includes oral and written, then formal written, then suspensions, and lastly, termination Regulation notes specific behaviors such as false information, policy breaks, felonies, drugs use, theft
• Some behaviors require immediate negative discipline, included knowingly providing false information, willingly violating established policy or procedure, conviction of a criminal offense, insubordination, careless or negligent behaviors, under the influence while on duty, and misappropriating FD property or funds

Reprimands & Consequences

• Lowest Level is written and official
• Represents an official negative supervisory action at the lowest level of the progressive discipline process
• Must detail the situation, and must place letter in official personnel folder
• Is often prepared by the FO, who is the closest person to the issue
• Need will be involved in remediation efforts
• FO supervisor should review and approve the document before being issued to the FF
• Similar occurances could result in more.
• Reprimand should have a statement of charges, a statement that this is an official letter of reprimand, a list of offenses and previous offenses if continuation of progressive discipline, and a statement that similar occurrences could result in more severe disciplinary action
• Formal Written starts the formal paper trail of progressive discipline
• The FO should focus on the work-related behaviors and explain the behavior that generated the reprimand
• Could appeal or read by Fire chief
• Labor Leaders can weigh in and have attornies

Additional Actions

• Impartial bodies may review if necessary with focus on behaviors and specific incidents

Pre-Disciplinary Conferences

• Jurisdictions may require to follow before hearings, suspensions, and demotion to remove
• Pre-disciplinary conference or hearing must be conducted prior to suspension, demotion, or termination
• Most FD require pre-disciplinary hearing prior to a suspension is issued to provide the FF with an opportunity to respond to charges
• Higher investigative actions for all
• Loudermill hearings needed - result of Cleveland vs loudermill case
• Loudermill Hearing = Pre-Disciplinary Conference/Hearing resulting from the 1985 US Supreme Court decision Cleveland Board of Education v. Loudermill Includes notice to present and explain any adverse factors during worker rights _ Pre-termination hearing - employee has the opportunity to present their side of the case, and an explanation of adverse evidence protect the workers due process rights

Actions for Disciplinary

• Disciplinary boards could be fire Cheif and hearing officer
• Pre-disciplinary hearing can be done by a disciplinary board, fire chief, or a hearing officer and makes a recommendation to the fire chief
• Make recommendations, outlining with the outcomes
• Union rep must present with process for appeals
• Example process; --FO investigates the alleged offenses promptly and obtains all pertinent facts in the case, prepares a detailed report outlining the offense, submits it to a higher rank officer in the chain of command, and the FD rep consults with the HR director when suspensions are contemplated
• Hearing scheduled with advance notice, the disciplinary board considers the charges and hears the employee's response, and the disciplinary board makes a recommendation to FC who issues the final decision
• Accused individual can refute the charges or present additional info at the hearing
• Higher levels resolve at personnel and commission
• Accused individuals can refute the charges or present additional information
• The FF may have the ability to appeal the action through the grievance process, and the final resolution usually resides with the city personnel director (HR)
• Some FD may use arbitration to resolve these issues
• Can use suspensions

Alternative & Disciplinary Methods/Reviews

• Action includes giving probation
• Depending on nature and severity of the offense, alternatives may be given
• Special eval periods
• Transfer or details or financial restitutions
• Loss of pay for leaves or demotion of person
• Alternative disciplinary action includes giving a probationary period, establish a special evaluation period, give involuntary transfer or detail, make financial restitution, loss of leave time which is equivalent to paying a cash fine, and demotion which is a reduction in rank and pay
• Suspension is a negative one, and it is a violation of law, with various forms of work duties, and often stems from misconduct
• The next step of progressive negative discipline has different forms and prohibits the FF from performing any FD duties
• Career FF is placed on leave without pay status for a specified time, and volunteers are not allowed to respond to emergencies
• This can typically last 1 to 30 days, with a recommendation from the FO, and a higher officer submits
• During administrative investigation, a career FF could be placed on admin leave with pay or put on restrictive duty

Suspensions and Duties

• With/without pay exist
• Fire officer needs documentation
• Can run 1-30 days and be career fire fighters, that include paid and specified time periods
• Volunteer fire fights may be restricted and not near locations to prevent safety

Actions for Terminating

• Org has to deem unsuitable to to employ
• Municipality is responsible
• Can delegate this as task that includes the fire office and the staff
• Termination results when the employee is unsuitable for further employment per the organization, the highest level of command or political member issues termination, and high stress, labor reps, and personnel officials are involved in process
• High stress occurs

Process of Reviewing and Six weeks before Annual Evaluation

• Documenting FF Performance requires that annual goals, experiences and hot wash results create a rich work history
• Also, that Informal Work Performance Reviews keep the FO in tune with the level of accomplishment and performances, and give 2 additional milestones as clarification for evaluator and member
• Help from the job and the beginning year to look at descriptions
• Officers resources and assistance for goals
• Assessment of FF annual goals; discussion of expectations; ID of resources or assistance and goals can be adjusted due to changes
• Review well in performance
• In addition to the annual performance, org needs more expectations
• Mid Year Review includes assessment on FF annual goals, discussion of expectations and resource ID
• Can be adjustment to work environment.
• Six weeks before annual review, conduct FF self-evaluation, which aims to ID how well the FF has met organizational expectations and personal goals, and develop 3 new work related personal goals for the upcoming year
• Perform six weeks before, what expectations the org can seek for
• Can develop formal report that notes new professional goals
• Eval reports identify work, recognize accomplishments, improve what is not helping, find good positions

Annual Evals and the Help Sources/Tyoes and Types

• If all phases of review and eval are completed prior to the annual review, the FO has a wealth of knowledge with which to complete a well-documented, and comprehensive Annual eval
• Needs lots of data to show the right eval
• Log/T accounts can help Bimonthly
• Eval subjective due bias
• Detail record will have better report
• Conducting the Annual Evaluation requires annual reviews as a formal part of the employee work file, with four steps: FO completes the standardized eval form, the FF with an opportunity to provide feedback and comments, a face-to-face interview, and goals are to be establish for the following year
• Form should be a formality, and no info on the annual review should come as a surprise to the FF
• Can be aware and help to provide better actions.

Evaluation Errors

• Needs lots of data to show the right eval
• Intentional bias and errors are always present on such reports from FOs
• Leniency is rating all FFs very harsh or very good, which reduces conflicts and increases the perception of motivation
• Leniency or Severity rates all their FFs no matter actual info very harsh or very good; leniency reduces conflict, severity “motivates FF to improve” (False)
• Personal bias is that the evaluators personal perspective skews the eval, such as when with a hostile workplace or a discrimination claim
• Personal Bias - personal perspective skews eval and is most commonly referenced with hostile workplace or discrimination claims
• Recency is that recent accomplishments and issues are only reviewing the annual review
• Recency reviews recent issues or accomplishments only, not the annual review as intended, but with awareness that the on is on best behavior few weeks prior to reviews
• Central tendency is rating everyone in the middle range of the eval Central tendency - Rate in the middle for all dimensions ofassessment, which Holds little to no value for the FF
• Frame of reference is evaluators using personal standards rather than the classified job standards
• Frame of Reference is a when the basis of the FO's personal ideals instead of classified job standards are used
• Halo and Horn Effect is when the evaluators think because the employee is either very good/bad at most
• Halo and Horn Effect means that good employees are GREAT, and bad employees are horrible. Meaning the applied to all assessments
• Contrast effect is when performers are compared among each in the class instead of to the job/criteria
• Contrast Effect compares performance to another employee instead of to job specific standards

The Human Resources and the 4 Border

• Borders help the human resources for topics used that include the fire dept plan
• Orgs are under federal, state laws, labor, and jurisdictions, to offer better environments.
• The FO should be familiar with federal and state laws, labor contracts, jurisdiction regulations, and the FD policies

Federal

• Understand Laws to apply under the code
• The laws that mostly involve FFs are the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
• DOL are affected for fighters such as the Title V11, Standards Acts, Disability Acts, leaves and rights, including Freedom and Portability plus Health laws in place

Contracts and Responsibilities

• If a given labor, then fire officer can seek to make a contract and help in action.
• There should be a review of the labor contract if the activity is addressed in the contract, and the human resources department may be a valuable asset
• Understand what type of compensation and benifits exist

Regulation

• HR must give how system works and offer those, including the step, and grade systems needed
• HR manages compensation and benefits
• Should Understand how the system is designed and see to which benefits the employees are entitled
• Most FDs operate within a step-and-grade pay system
• Step means for fire fighter, and that the grade can increase.

Common Use & Other Benifits

• Based on compensation type and can seek for the skill/merit systems
• Merit-based pay is the base compensation, but receives additional for the compensation when the FF performs a good performance
• Skill-based pay is base on the job, compensation to give all the added compensation due the required certifications/skills when demonstrated to take place
• Systems include retirement for 401/Definied benifits
• Defined benefit programs have employees contribute a percent of their pay and receive a guaranteed benefit at retirement
• Paid Holidays vacation times and sick leave plus health protection of Dental, vision, and basic life aspects Other benefits include paid holidays, vacation leave, sick leave, health, dental, vision, and life insurances

Standards Management

• Process to have standards in performance for management
• Fire Department Policies include performance management, which provides a process of setting performance standards and evaluating performance against that standard
• Set these standards that evaluate primary functions during service and org officer
• Fire service spends a vast amount of time devoted to developing employees while at work
• Requires to observe with more supervision to manage and prevent safety actions, and use high activity
• Daily training is one of the most basic responsibilities of the FO, and that the eval of the FF's performance is the primary function is the FO
• The FO must be able to accomplish the mission with and through other people using direct supervision, where the FO directly observes the actions of the crew
• More dangerous activity requires more closely direct supervision

Health and Safety

• Notes that there have been a noteworthy in line reductions
• Cardiac arrest leads to many line death numbers and has had that since 1977
• Many injuries and reductions occur for thousands
• Health, safety, and security includes all the activities to provide and promote a safe environment for the FF; the FO is responsible for many of these activities Ensuring that seat belts are worn, proper procedures are followed, and PPE is used as well as offering EAPs, tobacco cessation classes, and diet and exercise info
• Of all FF foreground fatalities, 26 deaths per year is the average since 2007, and sudden cardiac arrest is the number one cause for LODD deaths, at 39%

Analysis

• Can use the navy HFACS reports and tools
• Occurs with annual results
• Comes in different levels

Level HFACS

• Analyzing Near Miss Reports uses the HFACS reports and tools
  • August - Uses tools based from Navy and the results are published annual from officer's group.
• HFACS comes in different levels
• 1 for unsafe action through communications or skill failure that caused mental/physical states and limit
• Level 1 for Unsafe Actions has communications or skill failure causes mental or physical which limits the FF or intentional due no safety
• Level 2-pre-violation-all needed/intentional to use safey
• Level 2 identifies and analyzes conditions or use for those that should be safer
• Level 3- oversight or inappropriate action
• Oversight includes the inappropriate action
• level 4- culture or use is influenced by management actions or the like

Level HFACS - Continued

• Level 1 consists of Unsafe Acts, which involves two categories of errors and violations
• Errors are unintentional, based on decisions, skills, and perceptions; attention failure, comms flaws, technique errors, or visual illusions
• Violations are intentional routine or exceptional; failure to use safety equipment, fail to follow tactile best practice, and not being qualified to perform an action
  • Routine violations include failure to use safety equipment, and exceptional violations include not being qualified to perform an action
• Level 2 consists of Preconditions to Unsafe Acts, which analyzes those substandard conditions and practices
  • This included adverse mental states, psychological states, and physical limitations Failure the use crew resource management
• Level 3 consists of the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS), looking at supervision factors
  • Factors include inadequate supervision, allowing for inappropriate operations, failure to correct known problems, and supervisory violations
• Guidance not provided, where personnel is not adequately briefed and the authorization of unnecessary hazards; training not provided, where understaffed, resulting the failure to enforse department rules and the failure to provide the training personnel is unqualified; and qualifications not tracked where the lack unqualified is permitting
• Level 4 Organizational Influences, which is the most difficult to analyze
• It considers the operating culture of the FD, which is significant in the near miss as the individuals actions, and it studies the resource management and organizational climate

Required records

• Org needs to meet reg requirements that help accidents
• Death/Injurys with illness
• FD is to keep records of all accidents, occupational deaths, injuries, illnesses, exposures
• Risk management includes the ID and analysis of exposure of said Hazards Accident ID and injury reduction must be a major act or concern