AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP TRAINING

AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP TRAINING AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP ACADEMY FINAL PROJECT INTEGRATING WEST POINT LEADERSHIP PROGRAM INTO THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT Division Chief George Blackmore Firefighter Scott Toupin

AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP TRAINING Areas of Interest: General dissatisfaction w/ current Leadership Training Professional Development Program Lack of travel opportunities Labor assertions & discontent Organizational Health Initiative

AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP TRAINING Analyze (WPL Theories) Primary:  Need to re-shape Organizational Culture Secondary:  Individual Psychological Theories (Equity, Expectancy, MTC, Job Design, Attribution)  Group Systems (Socialization, Group Think, Emotional Seduction, Managing Conflict)  Leadership System (Bases of Power, VDL, Transformational)

AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP TRAINING Respond (WPL Strategies) Embrace a New Vision : Re-shape the Organizational Culture (MARCS) Clarify Requirements & Expectations Increase Expectancy, Instrumentality, & Valence Teach Leadership not Management

AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP TRAINING Assess Survey WPL Graduates OHI Survey Anecdotal Feedback

AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP TRAINING Current Training Program New curriculum – what’s the difference? Proposal to institute new Leadership Training Curriculum Proposed Implementation Plan

AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP TRAINING Current Training Program

AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP TRAINING AFD has relied on management books on promotional study source lists as the formal mechanism for leadership instruction These books define managerial and psychological concepts applicable to supervisory roles and responsibilities Management concepts of time management, Gantt charts, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, MacGregor’s X & Y Theory, Johari’s Window are all found in typical management books

AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP TRAINING AFD has sought to capture the essence of leadership training in its professional development classes Outside instructors Attendance at various training opportunities across the country Disciplinary process / Performance Evaluation process

AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP TRAINING The Austin Fire Department seeks to improve leadership training for newly promoted officers Traditional supervisor/management training does not capture the seemingly “esoteric” essence of leadership Current professional development training provides only management and administrative skills training Technical management skills do not equate to “true” leadership skills

AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP TRAINING AFD culture has adapted to fill the leadership training and knowledge void by relying on simple OJT, trial and error, and observation of role models The AFD expectation is that the organization simply “grows” leaders by the sheer virtue of coming up through the ranks

AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP TRAINING AFD Professional Development has fallen short on providing pertinent, relevant leadership training Officers agree AFD Professional Development adequately provides managerial/administrative type training but not leadership Meaningful leadership lesson plans tailored for small blocks of instruction are scarce

AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP TRAINING Labor assertions of ineffective leadership Controversy – what is effective leadership? Organizational Health Initiative

AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP TRAINING Time for a new approach to Leadership Training

AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP TRAINING Leadership – the process of influencing people’s behavior toward accomplishing organizational goals as prescribed by the organizational leader

AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP TRAINING New Curriculum - The differences

AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP TRAINING Austin Police Department / University of Texas developed Leadership Academy 5 week program detailing core leadership components and psychology affecting motivation Based on the U.S. Military Academy at West Point Leadership Training Model

AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP TRAINING WPLP consists of: Module 1 – Individual Psychology Module 2 – Group Systems Module 3 – Leadership System Module 4 – Organization/Community

AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP TRAINING The Difference Traditional AFD approach to leadership has focused on management & supervisory theories & techniques WPLP presents a simple Leaders Problem Solving Model WPLP utilizes key psychological concepts paired with effective strategies for gaining compliance and altering motivation toward organizational goals

AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP TRAINING Proposal

AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP TRAINING Pilot offering for Fall 2002 Integrate 2 day Leadership Training into AFD Professional Development Program - winter 2002 / spring 2003 Encourage senior AFD leaders to take advantage of WPLP training opportunities extended by APD & UT Expand training to 4 days (2004) Build into 5 year budget forecast – full 5 week program (as funding allows)

AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP TRAINING Pilot Offering: Sampling class of students Majority of students = officers from staff sections (possibly select officers from Ops) WPLP graduates to instruct pilot Training Division to further develop curriculum for Professional Development Classes

AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP TRAINING 16 Hour Leadership Training Pilot Concentrate on Individual and Group Psychology Scenarios germane to Fire Department Operations Develop group activities

AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP TRAINING 1 st Day – Individual Psychology Core concepts & Strategies: Core conceptsLeader strategies  Adult Development  Attribution  Equity  Expectancy  Simple recognition  Restore equity  Increase expectancy, instrumentality & valence

AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP TRAINING 2 nd Day - Group Psychology Movie - Glory Core Concepts & Strategies Core ConceptsLeader Strategies  Socialization  Group Development  Managing Conflict  Cohesion  If you don’t socialize them, someone else will  Recognition of group development stages  Avoidance, Forcing, Superordinate goal, Problem solving, Liaison groups  STICKUM

AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP TRAINING Plan Implementation

AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP TRAINING Presentation to Fire Command Staff Presentation to Organizational Health Task Force Leadership Team Involve Training Division in Course Content Apply for Continuing Education Credit through Texas Commission on Fire Protection

AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP TRAINING AFD WPLP acceptance & integration dependant on all AFD WPLP graduates cascading training to future classes

AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP TRAINING