Article 65. Focusing Government Resources on Solving Major Problems Using horizontal Functional Teams
Whenever a state government is confronted with a major problem like a hurricane disaster, a sudden loss of jobs through the loss of a major employer or the spread of an infectious diease there is a critical time lag in getting organized to confront the problem. The answer is to pre-identify or pre-organize horizontal functional teams to meet each likely threat through preplanning. The best example of this is in homeland security planning. Homeland security planning involves many vertical functions all funded by separate budgets: police, fire, health, national guard etc. The management of homeland security is done by a horizontal functional team whose members are from each of the vertical functions and during a disaster the response team meets in a designated command center.
By pre-identifying the functions necessary to respond to any threat the governor can quickly initiate a horizontal team and bring management resources to bear on the problem. This gives the governor a proactive advantage in critical situations. Whether to pre-identify functional teams or
preplan operations depends on the critical nature of the threat.
Pre-identification of teams is best used for less critical threats. For example in serious under employment situations the team can bring together a number of programs and resources to jumpstart the state’s economy. A second example is when an alarming increase in child abuse cases can trigger an inter-functional team from various welfare, education, health care and law enforcement organizations to quickly assess the problem and bring in necessary resources. Whether to pre-identify teams or to preplan operations also depends on the scope of the problem if the problem is statewide then preplanned operations may be warranted but if the problem is regional then pre-identification of the teams is all that is necessary.
For more information see:
Article 26. Reorganizing (Restructuring) using Vertical and Horizontal Functions or their Processes.
Article 31. Example Work Improvement Team with Performance Budgeting Article 37. Restructuring Government for Quick Response.
It is nice to know that there are people in this country who support major government reform to better society, as opposed to just trying to work around the flaws to address one issue at a time.
I am finding it disturbing how our current government seems to nurture corrupt politicians. I read in a small-circulation local newspaper just the other day that in Massachusetts (where I live) there is a major healthcare reform bill being pushed through the state. While this has been in progress, Mitt Romney, the Massachusetts governor was visiting a national gathering of republican governors. Guess who gave Mitt Romney a complementary flight on a private jet to this gathering? Phizer… It just goes to show how big business and corporations are gaining quite an influence on our government, one which is very detrimental to the average American.
Comment by Greg G. — December 9, 2005 @ 2:59