Bureaucratic Failure - Case Study Example

Bureaucratic Failure The term bureaucratic failure is used to con a where the government fails to deliver its mandate as is expected of it. It is usually used in reference to regulations, especially with the eminent rise in political criticisms ascribed to regulation. Government intervention fails in most instances due to the inappropriate and unequal allocation of resources that is mostly ascribed to state interventions (Trumbo 122). No agency or group can essentially control the behavior of a large bureaucracy. For a big bureaucracy, the coordination of its service delivery among various departments becomes poor. However much the top bureaucrats try to control their subjects, there is a tendency for the subordinates to evade this control, making it difficult to have total control over the group. On the other hand, democrats cultivate a strong loyalty and working relationship with the organizations rather than focusing on meeting the needs of the consumers as they strive to secure their jobs and even get promotions. They go to whatever lengths to cover up for their mistakes and failures in their jobs at the expense of their clients (Sastry & Jesse 801). A case study of bureaucratic failure is the response by FEMA to Hurricane Katrina that occurred on the 29th August of 2005 when the hurricane struck the Gulf Coast of the United States. Many residents of the lower southern regions of the United States were displaced from their homes with over 1800 people dying from the catastrophic floods. The total damage cost from the natural disaster was estimated at approximately $100 billion, deeming it one of the most destructive natural disasters in Americans history (Green et al., 2011, p. 88). This explains the significance of examining the nature of the catastrophe and how it was managed by the federal government and other concerned agencies. The manner in which the disaster was managed is a clear indication of the government’s inefficiency and failure to respond to disaster. The problem arose primarily from mismanagement and lack of prior preparation for a disaster of this nature. It also depicts the lack of interagency coordination in the event of a disaster. It is the responsibility of the government to guarantee its citizens security and safety. There are response teams that have been trained and delegated the responsibility of attending to emergency situations that occur spontaneously such as natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina floods. In this case, the relief effort was not timely and was below expectation during the disaster recovery time and its aftermath. The most affected regions that were victims of a poor strategic response unit is the states of New Orleans and Louisiana and a furious public was quick to point out the inefficiency of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in their quest to respond to the storm and its effect (Green et al. 2011, p. 92). Many residents remained stranded in fallen structures and buildings in New Orleans, without water or food and a very large proportion of the citizens died out of exhaustion, frustration, hunger and thirst, hostile environmental condition and weather; (several days after the floods) depicting a failure by the federal agency in light of apt disaster response. The other failure by the federal emergency management agency is ascribed to its capacity to attend to victims who had been rescued from the debris, fallen structures and buildings. Some did not receive first aid before being ferried to registered facilities such as the Superdome, and as a result majority succumbed to their injuries, hence a failure on the part of the response unit and FEMA in general. The evacuation process was not done in a timely and systematic manner; residents were directed to a shelter without provision of basic needs, security and poor sanitation- depicting poor planning and execution of the strategic plan. The New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, has been faulted for being in an influential position and representing the federal state, yet failing to make crucial, timely decisions and instead delayed emergency evacuation resulting to more fatalities in spite of the fact that there were many school buses that could have been used in the evacuation process (Fussell & Elizabeth 101). Solution In order to sufficiently manage such a catastrophe or natural disaster of this nature, the federal emergency management agencies need to have a properly structured strategic plan with sufficient resources needed to mitigate or respond to a disaster. The FEMA team needs to be responsive enough and alert to offer timely emergency services to victims of natural disasters. There is need to build the capacity for this team to handle disaster events of high magnitude such as the Hurricane Katrina. It is important to solicit for volunteers and interns in order to have sufficient human labor to substantially manage the catastrophic events. Some of the management policies should be streamlined to ensure that only competent personnel are entrusted with the leadership of disaster management teams. This will work to enhance the performance of the response teams that have been mandated with the responsibility of the rescue mission. The delayed response to emergency call of the flooding experienced in New Orleans and the subsequent states was primarily attributed to poor team leadership and the mismanagement of the agency. There is also an eminent need to have a well-crafted and coordinated response unit that clearly stipulates the role and responsibilities of various agencies and federal organization in managing disasters of any kind. This works to reduce confusion and lapses in service delivery during a disaster event. It is clear that during a disaster, chances of various federal response units colliding is high and results in reduced efficiency. Federal law ought to provide apt guidance required to properly manage disaster. For instance, in the case of Hurricane Katrina, there was miscommunication between the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agencies on the management of federal resources and general coordination during the disaster response time at the Gulf Coast Region. Lack of clear roles and responsibilities significantly slowed down the recovery and logistic processes during the recovery (Fussell & Elizabeth 131). For these positive changes to take place, the government must play a central role in promoting the changes in as far as federal disaster management is concerned. The government must be committed to bringing a total overhaul in the management of FEMA and build its capacity to deliver quality emergency services to the state. This can be achieved by providing specialized training to the members of the federal emergency team to sufficiently equip them with the skills required to carry out proper disaster management and to ensure that competent managers get to leadership positions in the agencies; to spearhead their mission and goals to successful implementation. The other alternative is for the government to establish close associations with their allies in the neighboring states and other international humanitarian bodies to offer support (physical and human resource) and relief in case of a natural disaster like a hurricane. Drawback The potential challenge in the implementation of the above solution lies on the fact that it is difficult to change the culture of an organization and its top management structure without affecting its performance. Changing the top managers may not solve the root problem of the organization. It is essential that the federal government takes sufficient time to brainstorm on the root cause of the inefficiency portrayed by the agency in the course of managing the Hurricane Katrina disaster. It is possible that bureaucratic failures may occur as a result of more than one factor, making it a sophisticated venture to determine the root cause of the failure. Another drawback fundamentally arises from the fact that different agencies have different modus operandi with diverse organizational cultures, hence coordinating them harmoniously proves to be a tall order. It is important that the different response units be familiar with one another and identify each one’s strengths and weaknesses to foster efficiency in case of an emergency case. It is quite difficult for these agencies to work together as every team has their own management styles and this translates to conflicts of interest (Trumbo 152). Likelihood of Success It is likely that the changes I have suggested will be enacted owing to the fact that they are viable, realistic and practical. It is important that the federal state changes the leadership approaches and policies that run FEMA if they are to experience a positive outcome in future disaster response. It is evident that the inefficiencies experienced within the agencies is bureaucratic and begins with poor management from their top leadership. With effective governance and self-drive, long with goof leaders at the mantle of the organization, new policies are abound to be effected, and these will ultimately guarantee proper preparedness and effective emergency service delivery. These are the planning elements that ensure the successful delivery of the strategic plans. The most important factor that determines whether this plan will succeed or fail is the effectiveness of the federal state in transforming the Federal Emergency and Management Agencies and the ability of the agencies to incorporate new policies into the organization and to cultivate a new management culture. With these two factors effectively executed then the agency is bound to result in a positive response outcome in case a disaster of a similar nature to Hurricane Katrina occurs. Work Cited Fussell, Elizabeth, and Elizabeth Harris. "Homeownership And Housing Displacement After Hurricane Katrina Among Low-Income African-American Mothers In New Orleans." Social Science Quarterly (Wiley-Blackwell) 95.4 (2014): 1086-1100. Business Source Complete. Web. 10 Nov. 2014. Green, Rodney, Marie Kouassi, and Belinda Mambo. "Housing, Race, And Recovery From Hurricane Katrina." Review Of Black Political Economy 40.2 (2013): 145-163. Business Source Complete. Web. 10 Nov. 2014. Sastry, Narayan, and Jesse Gregory. "The Location Of Displaced New Orleans Residents In The Year After Hurricane Katrina." Demography 51.3 (2014): 753-775. Business Source Complete. Web. 10 Nov. 2014. Teasdale, Brent, et al. "The Effect Of Hurricane Katrina On Adolescent Feelings Of Social Isolation The Effect Of Hurricane Katrina On Adolescent Feelings Of Social Isolation." Social Science Quarterly (Wiley-Blackwell) 94.2 (2013): 490-505. Business Source Complete. Web. 10 Nov. 2014 Trumbo, Craig. "The Effect Of Proximity To Hurricanes Katrina And Rita On Subsequent Hurricane Outlook And Optimistic Bias." Risk Analysis: An International Journal 31.12 (2011): 1907-1918. Business Source Complete. Web. 10 Nov. 2014. Read More