Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, many observers posited that 'things will never be the same' and this prediction has been borne out with the creation of the Department of Homeland Security which has since been tasked with coordinating responses to threats against the United States. To determine its history and responsibilities, this paper provides a review of the relevant literature concerning the development of the Department of Homeland Security. An explanation concerning the role of politics in the formation of the Department of Homeland Security is followed by a description of the role of the culture of responsibility that was involved in the formation and operational functions of the Department of Homeland Security. Finally, a description concerning the need for collaboration among leaders in both the public and private sector to provide effective security functions is followed by a summary of the research and important findings concerning the development of the Department of Homeland Security in the conclusion.
Review and Discussion
The role of politics in the formation of the Department of Homeland Security
In view of the repeated warnings prior to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the event served as a wake-up call to the federal government that a coordinated response to these threats was needed to prevent a recurrence and to ensure that security of the nation's interests at home and abroad. The role of politics in the formation of the Department...
In response, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was formed following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, but it required some time. Although the first director of the Office of Homeland Security, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge, was appointed just 11 days after the terrorist attacks, it was several months later in November 2002 before Congress passed the Homeland Security which authorized the formation of the cabinet-level Department of Homeland Security Act which was formally created on March 1, 2003 (Creation of the Department of Homeland Security, 2015).
The role of the culture of responsibility in the formation and the operational functions of the Department of Homeland Security
According to Hayton, George and Zahra (2002), an organization's culture provides the basis for establishing shared values, expectations, and desired outcomes. For the Department of Homeland Security, a culture of responsibility has been promoted to help the agency deliver timely and effective services as well as to achieve cost savings through economies of scale (A shared vision, 2015). To date, the DHS has implemented an organizational culture of responsibility through more than two dozen initiatives that focus on the following:…
