Eugene Lin Week 3: Solving Problems/Improving Leadership

By now my third week in the American Red Cross has given me a chance to work with many different people. However, one consistent problem that I have come across is reaching and communicating with my coworkers. I don’t believe that it’s the individual’s fault, but rather the structure of the American Red Cross organization. Firstly, the American Red Cross mostly utilizes volunteers to function. As a result, permanent staff will not always be in the office for the traditional 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. They may have the option to work from home, especially if there is a volunteer present. This makes it difficult to get in touch with someone quickly. Instead, I will need to email that person, even short questions, which can take a few days to hear back. Secondly, the nature of the organization’s mission requires a lot of on field work such as hosting blood drives, reporting to the scene of a disaster, or installing fire alarms. Thus, staff members may not be in the office because they are helping out in the field.

The fact that my coworkers may not always be readily available to the office has made communication difficult. Finishing assignments become trickier, especially ones that require the input or approval from staff members. I may get a very delayed response and need to finish the assignment on the last day of the deadline. Nonetheless, there are some benefits to this work structure. These situations have forced me to critically think and develop my decision-making skills. If I can’t get a response in time, I’ll try to predict how my coworkers would want the assignment done based on the individual’s work style and the assignment’s intended use. I imagine this is how most Red Cross workers function within the organization.

The work structure is very horizontal and very relationship oriented. The American Red Cross values the voices and opinions of all its workers, even volunteers. However, the fact that there is so much input, yet lack of a strong leadership presence makes it difficult for the leadership to be effective. It seems that the key factor behind this issue is the unequal number of paid full-time staff members and part-time volunteers. Given the shorter hours required of volunteers, they tend to be less experienced and require more direction. Also, they lack strong motivation to perform highly or work longer hours unlike their paid counterparts. These factors, coupled with the shortage of full time members, often leads to disorganization and reduces leadership effectiveness.