Decentralized Responsibility

This is a lesson on how to implement a decentralized management style. I learned the technique while firefighting for the Federal Government in Interior Alaska. First, rather than have one Chief and a pile of Indians to do the job, the idea is to take turns being Chief and Indians. The general idea is to get the job done, not clash over job responsibilities. Everybody takes turns dealing with responsibility. Whoever is the leader for the day, everybody else offers feedback for an effective organization. This way a leader doesn't burn out with over responsibility, as everyone gets the chance. All personnel learn to lead and to follow. This results in excellent cohesiveness within the organization. You'd be surprised how well this works!