Principle Errors in Current DR Structure 16 October 2012 A. Effective Command and Control is absent. 1. Decision “by committee” during a disaster is a disaster. 2. There is a difference between receiving multiple inputs and requiring multiple approvals. 3. We don’t understand leadership. B. “One Red Cross” is a fallacy and it is getting worse. 1. Too many rice bowls, too much politics. C. We know who the client is; we don’t know who the customer is. 1. We don’t know what success looks like. 2. We are losing (badly) at the grass roots and with our partners. 3. Too large/too out of touch/too impersonal/too inefficient. D. The system is too complex and is becoming more complex. 1. It almost never works right. a. Staff cards/staff accommodations/transportation. b. Getting right staff into DR. c. Getting right stuff on time/medicine out of date/kits missing material. d. Cell phones don’t work/ERVs broken. E. We do not understand the principles of accountability, responsibility and authority. 1. Responsibility without authority. 2. Authority without accountability. F. We do not understand the principles of philosophy—standards— policies—procedures. 1. Philosophy and standards flow down; policies and procedures flow up. 2. We have no Concept of Operations. G. We believe 500 is better than 50. 1. We assume fracturing a response rather than centralizing it is optimum. 2. We chronically, severely overstaff DRs. H. We are more enamored with the perception of success rather than success. 1. Perception is perception, reality is reality. I. We do not model ourselves after any successful organization. J. We are so “confrontation adverse” that we cause confrontation. 1. We try to be all things to all people. 2. We don’t confront and correct poor performance. K. We have the wrong people on the bus. 1. We put processes in place to try to compensate for poor performance. 2. We don’t hold leadership accountable. 3. We are incorrigible micromanagers.