Tom Ridge: First Secretary of the Department of Homeland SecurityAntonella Demartini

PA 762

Case Study Presentation

December 7, 2011

Presentation Overview Ridge’s background National context Leader challenges and accomplishments

Constraining and facilitating factors Leadership theory Conclusion

Ridge’s Career of Public Service Vietnam veteran

Assistant District Attorney of Erie, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Representive, six terms Pennsylvania Governor, two terms Director of White House Office of

Homeland Security First Secretary of the Department of

Homeland Security

Context: National Crises & Extraordinary Legislation September 11, 2001 Anthrax poisoning, September 2001

PATRIOT Act, 2001 Homeland Security Act, 2002

Leader Challenges I No job description Overwhelming list of potential terrorist threats

infrastructure, bioterrorism, transportation security, water supply, natural disaster relief

Associated Press figures (Ridge, 2009, 67-68)600,000 bridges; 2,800 power plans (104 of them nuclear) 190,000 miles of natural gas pipelines; 95,000 miles of

coastline463 skyscrapers; 416 commercial airports 285 million people were spread out over 3,717,792 square

miles Review of daily threat matrix with CIA, FBI, DOJ,

Pentagon, NSA

Leader Challenges II Corroborating intelligence Risk management: weighing risks and

making tradeoffs because being all places at once was impossible

Culture of secrecy: “need to know culture” versus “need to share culture”

Local and state officials without adequate information, staffing, training, funding

Constraining Factors Political

Responsible for monitoring an overwhelming list of terrorism threats

Accountable to multitude of stakeholders Oversight by 86 Congressional committees (Ridge, 2009,

200) Economic

No funding for state and local jurisdictions - had to absorb cost in their budgets

Social Challenging the “keep everyone out” mentality Few believed increased security was about “secure

borders and open doors”

Facilitating Factors Political

No job description, no predecessor – discretion to devise methods/procedures/programs

Presidential support Economic (Ridge, 2009, 131)

$ 37.5 billion budget for FY 2003-2004 180,000 employees

Social Talk show host humor increased issue

awareness

Leader Accomplishments Homeland Security Advisory System (HSAS) U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indication

Technology (US-VISIT) program Widespread support for the Transportation

Security Administration (TSA) Increased border/airport inspectors; vaccine

stockpiling; increased standards for water quality and food inspection

Leadership Theory I Traits/Characteristics: Ridge was a “decisive, clear

thinking executive who kn[ew] how to solve problems. He [was] a person of integrity and a person of good judgement” (Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, 2003).

Styles Strategic – aligned organization with the external

environment Achievement oriented - HSAS, US-VISIT, increased

security measures Collaborative – partnerships with federal/state/local

agencies

Leadership Theory II Transformational leadership theory because

unprecedented time Referent power, ideological appeal (career of public service)Triggers of change (9/11 and anthrax poisoning) creating

instability, crisis, need for change Leader of an open system (DHS) Split attention between internal and external demands

(multiple stakeholders) Adaptation to new processes, organizational structures,

technologies (22 gov’t agencies combined, biometrics) Environmental scanning, consulting, networking/partnering

Ethical leadership sacrificing personal life out of obligation to public service

Conclusion Effective leader who created a functioning

department Increased awareness of and national

preparedness for terrorism attacks in/on the United States

Questions?