University of Miami Fixing the Department of Homeland Security Discussion

(1) Analyze what you consider to be the two most important problems at the DHS in terms of goal formulation, performance metrics, decision-making, and strategic planning. Make sure to cite the source (Author’s last name, date of publication, n.p.) from which you attain the information. Then offer a specific solution to each of the two problems based on what you have learned this week and explain why you think your proposed solution would work (you could apply a specific goal-performance model or form of decision-making or type of strategic planning, for example). Make sure to craft a multifaceted analysis: read all of the Discussion materials in order to present a detailed explanation of the two problems you choose to highlight and a viable solution to those problems based on a thorough understanding of the concepts we are studying this week. Do not be satisfied with a superficial overview: dig deep into the material, make relevant analytical connections (for example between newly-formulated goals and structural changes), and try to provide insights that might help policymakers improve the performance of the DHS.

(2) Explain whether you think a major re-organization of the DHS, along the lines of that introduced at the CIA or according to other structural and process strategies you have come across this week, would help solve the problems at the DHS. To address this question, think about the following: How does the structure of the DHS impact its ability to pursue the goal of securing the U.S. homeland? Can DHS managers and the Secretary of the DHS effectively control operations, given the Department’s span of control? Would you advocate “deconstructing” the DHS to create autonomous agencies, as there were before the DHS was created? Or do you support having all federal agencies that deal with the security of the U.S. homeland consolidated in a single department? Keep in mind the lessons of the Competing Values model of goal attainment: the need to balance stability and adaptation.

Discussion Instructions

Read the Discussion materials on problems at the DHS, explore the DHS official website, including the DHS organizational chart, and read the article on the reorganization of the CIA. As you read the DHS articles, note the problems that are related to the topics covered in this week of our course. When you explore the DHS website, focus on how the Department is organized and any information about coordination and links between and among its component parts. As you read the article on the CIA, think about how and why the agency was re-structured and how this might affect the operations of the agency and the goals it seeks to attain. The ways in which organizations are structured (functional as opposed to matrix, for example) and how they carry out their processes (designing and integrating information technology, for example) have a major impact on organizational performance.

References:

Major Management and Performance Challenges Facing the Department of Homeland Security

This 2017 official report of the Office of Inspector General, which is responsible for oversight of the Department of Homeland Security, highlights several organizational problems that are directly related to the concepts we are studying this week.

Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (2017, November 3).

DHS tackles seemingly endless morale problems with seemingly endless studies

Click the arrow to access the above article.

I included this reading because it illustrates specific organizational problems that may be solved using concepts from the Rainey text. Please note: Since we have not yet studied theories of motivation and morale (we explore these in Week 5), the DHS morale problems noted in this reading should not be your primary focus. Rather, concentrate on the problems relevant to the material we study this week: organizational goals and performance, decisionmaking, strategic planning, and organizational structure and processes. Problems in these areas may lead to morale problems – that is, morale problems are an outgrowth of the primary problems we are focusing on this week in our course.

Markon, J. (2015, February 20).

Low Morale at DHS Linked to Heavy Turnover, Weak Training

I chose this reading because it illustrates specific organizational problems that may be solved using concepts from the Rainey text. Please see note above regarding morale problems as secondary to the problems we are addressing this week.

Clark, C.S. (2012, March 22).

Organizational Problems Persist at DHS: Auditors

I included this article because it illustrates specific organizational problems that may be solved using concepts from the Rainey text.

Barnes, D. (2011).

Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

This official website of the Department of Homeland Security contains information that will help you productively participate in this week’s Discussion, including an organizational structure chart, performance reports, an overview of operational components, and updated press releases, podcasts, and news items.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (n.d.).

“CIA plans major reorganization and a focus on digital espionage”

I chose this reading because it illustrates how specific organizational problems that were successfully tackled at one government agency may be applied to problems at another government agency. To access this article, please type “CIA plans major reorganization and a focus on digital espionage” into the search line at: UM Library. And don’t forget to head over to the Faculty Corner this week in which I posted a chart that will help you understand the points in this article.

Miller, G. (2015, March 6).

“Will John Brennan’s controversial CIA modernization survive Trump”

I chose this reading because it explains pros and cons of changing the structure of the CIA to a matrix organization. By examining the CIA case study, you can better understand if the same type of organizational structure may improve operations and outcomes at the Department of Homeland Security. To access this reading, please click on the paperclip icon.

Ignatius, D. (2017, January 17).