WSSC Culture Assessment
WSSC Culture Assessment
In my culture and/or stakeholder assessment of the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC), I found an array of artifacts to be true. It is an extremely large, multi-layered organizational structure that starts with an entire WSSC governance and Board of Commissioners who oversees more than forty positions and departments. Decisions are made from a very top-heavy standpoint meaning that commissioners, the general manager, executives and managers in high level positions tend to make the ultimate judgments regarding the organization with little or no input from lower level employees. “Many staff at WSSC appear to believe that the utility’s long tradition of successfully providing water and wastewater services is a result of its very conservative approach to management,” (Malcolm Pirnie, p. 2-50). Further proving the fact that WSSC employees have no involvement in organizational judgments, “437 WSSC staff are represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), AFL-CIO Council 67 and Local 2898,” (Malcolm Pirnie, p. 2-10). These 437 employees rely on unions to monitor and make sure they are working in a safe office environment. Another major artifact that is evident in the assessment of WSSC is that “The WSSC lacks sufficient internal driving forces which encourage and reward innovation and efficiency,” (Malcolm Pirnie, p. 2-50). There is no reward system in place that recognizes their employees’ hard work, or better yet, employees that go above and beyond. Also, the physical environment is very dull and cement-like and the employees work attire is either a uniform good for working in the plant, or casual shirt and slacks. This sets a tone about WSSC that employees are not given preferential treatment and working amongst such conditions can make an employee less than ecstatic about coming to work every day and performing well at their job.
These artifacts demonstrate a significant communication
In my culture and/or stakeholder assessment of the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC), I found an array of artifacts to be true. It is an extremely large, multi-layered organizational structure that starts with an entire WSSC governance and Board of Commissioners who oversees more than forty positions and departments. Decisions are made from a very top-heavy standpoint meaning that commissioners, the general manager, executives and managers in high level positions tend to make the ultimate judgments regarding the organization with little or no input from lower level employees. “Many staff at WSSC appear to believe that the utility’s long tradition of successfully providing water and wastewater services is a result of its very conservative approach to management,” (Malcolm Pirnie, p. 2-50). Further proving the fact that WSSC employees have no involvement in organizational judgments, “437 WSSC staff are represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), AFL-CIO Council 67 and Local 2898,” (Malcolm Pirnie, p. 2-10). These 437 employees rely on unions to monitor and make sure they are working in a safe office environment. Another major artifact that is evident in the assessment of WSSC is that “The WSSC lacks sufficient internal driving forces which encourage and reward innovation and efficiency,” (Malcolm Pirnie, p. 2-50). There is no reward system in place that recognizes their employees’ hard work, or better yet, employees that go above and beyond. Also, the physical environment is very dull and cement-like and the employees work attire is either a uniform good for working in the plant, or casual shirt and slacks. This sets a tone about WSSC that employees are not given preferential treatment and working amongst such conditions can make an employee less than ecstatic about coming to work every day and performing well at their job.
These artifacts demonstrate a significant communication