Organizational structure and management strategies of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Management Analysis of the Center for Desease and Control

Management ANALYSIS of the CENTERS for DISEASE CONTROL and PREVENTION

Analysis of the CDC

Management of CDC

Leadership

Human Resource Management

System Design

Strategies of CDC

Partnerships

Discussion of CDC

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is a governmental institution of the United States of America, belonging to the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The organization is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia and has another ten locations in the United States and Puerto Rico (CDC 2005 Annual Report). The organization was opened on the first of July 1946 and it has, ever since, been the leader in Public Health. In its first years, the organization had less than 400 employees and a budget of less than $20 million (Official Website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008).

Commencing their activity with identifying and treating malaria within the United States, the CDC registered international expansion during the Vietnam War, when the America troops were faced with the possibility of contracting malaria and other infectious diseases. "The Vietnam War moved CDC into the international scene. When the deadly falciparum and other forms of malaria threatened American troops in Southeast Asia and Peace Corps workers in Africa, CDC staff members offered their assistance and were soon fighting diseases in many areas of the world. The agency's most successful effort was its major role in the eradication of smallpox on a worldwide scale" (Etheridge, 1994).

Today, CDC is the nation's premiere health promotion, prevention, and preparedness agency and a global leader in public health. It remains at the forefront of public health efforts to prevent and control infectious and chronic diseases, injuries, workplace hazards, disabilities, and environmental health threats. CDC is globally recognized for conducting research and investigations and for its action-oriented approach. CDC applies research and findings to improve people's daily lives and responds to health emergencies -- something that distinguishes CDC from its peer agencies. CDC works with states and other partners to provide a system of health surveillance to monitor and prevent disease outbreaks (including bioterrorism), implement disease prevention strategies, and maintain national health statistics. CDC also guards against international disease transmission, with personnel stationed in more than 25 foreign countries. CDC is now focusing on achieving the four overarching Health Protection Goals to become a more performance-based agency focusing on healthy people, healthy places, preparedness and global health" (Official Website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008).

The mission forwarded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is to promote health and quality of life by preventing and controlling disease, injury and disability. CDC's vision for the twenty first century is Healthy People in a Healthy World - Through Prevention (Official Website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008).

The governmental organization has set four major health protection goals as follows:

Healthy People in Every Stage of Life

Healthy People in Healthy Places

People Prepared for Emerging Health Threats

Healthy People in a Healthy World" (CDC 2006 Annual Report)

In order to reach these goals, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is developing and implementing six sets of strategies:

Health Impact Focus

Customer Centricity

Public Health Research

Leadership

Global Health Impact and Accountability (CDC 2006 Annual Report)

But in order to ensure they correctly develop and implement these strategies to the benefit of the population, the organization belonging to the United States Department of Health and Human Services must ensure they have the best leaders, who know how to motivate and coordinate their employees.

2. Analysis of the CDC

2.1 Management of CDC

The primary leaders of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, coordinated by the CDC Director, are the chief operating officer, the chief science officer, chief of public health practice and the chief of staff.

Source: CDC Organizational Chart, 2007

Motivation

The employment advertisement of CDC's states: "You may not know our faces, but you hear from us and about us in the news when an outbreak occurs and when a quick response is needed. Whether we are protecting the American people from public health threats, researching emerging diseases, partnering with national and international organizations to develop health systems, or helping to immunize children in a small town village, we rely on CDC employees to make a real difference in the health and well-being of people here and around the world" (Official Website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008).

The governmental organization motivates their employees through a series of financial and non-financial incentives, including:

Incentives and awards

Vacation, paid holidays, personal and sick time

Flexible work schedules

Comprehensive medical benefits

Child care

Employee assistance and referral programs

Flexible spending accounts

Retirement benefits and pension plans

Life insurance

Long-term care insurance

Commuter subsidies

Telework / Telecommute

Family Friendly Leave Policies

Continuing education and professional development

Wellness, fitness and other benefits" (Official Website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008).

Any complaints from the employees are resolved within the Office of Dispute Resolution and Equal Employment Opportunity, lead by Gilberto Camacho. "Our focus is to help this organization increase its effectiveness in utilizing our human capital." (Gilberto Camacho, CDC Official Website, 2007)

2.2 System Design

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are organized into four types of national centers:

Environmental Health and Injury Prevention: The National Center for Environmental Health / Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry; the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control

Health Information Services: The National Center for Health Marketing; the National Center for Health Statistics; the National Center for Public Health Informative

Health Promotion: The National Center for Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities; the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion; the National Office of Public Health Genomics

Infectious Diseases: The National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases; the National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne and Enteric Diseases; the National Center for HIV / AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention and the National Center for Preparedness, Detection and Control of Infectious Diseases (Official Website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008)

2.3 Strategies of CDC

As mentioned in the introduction, the Centers for Disease Control and prevention has developed and implemented six sets of strategies as follows:

Health Impact Focus - the alignment of CDC's employees, objectives, strategies, investments and performances in order to maximize the CDC's beneficial effects upon public health

Customer Centricity - Like any other corporation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is focused on offering those products and services required and needed by the population in order to improve and preserve their health

Public Health Research - the CDC funds and conducts numerous researches aimed at identifying new treatments and any other issues which would positively affect the public health

Leadership - the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention possesses the best skilled and qualified employees, guided by the most committed managers and supported by strategic partners, all to improve the health system within the United States and across its borders

Global Health Impact - the CDC is opened to international knowledge transfer as they wish to not only improve the America health system, but also the international health systems

Accountability - the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention increase the population's trust in the health organization by making efficient and effective investments (CDC 2006 Annual Report)

The competitive advantage of the CDC is given by their long time valuable expertise in the field of health solutions, combined with their skilled and dedicated staff.

2.3.1 Partnerships

Another sustainable advantage is given by the old and new partnerships signed with national organizations. "Throughout its history, CDC has placed a premium value on developing and nurturing partnerships with various public and private entities. These partnerships improve and expand the scope and depth of public health services for the American people. One key focus of CDC's Futures Initiative was to bolster the agency's ability to engage and support its partners. The new Coordinating Center for Health Information and Service (CoCHIS) was created to improve public health through increased efficiencies, foster stronger collaboration, and integrate similar programs and messages" (Official Website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008).

To name but a few of CDC's formal partners, one could mention the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities External Group, the Clean Hands Coalition, Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response, the National Coalition for Food Safe Schools, Sexually Transmitted Diseases Prevention Partnership, the Technology Transfer Office or the Tuberculosis Epidemiologic Studies Consortium (Official Website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008).

3. Discussion of CDC

Given that it is a not for profit organization, the employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention receive a slightly different treatment than other company employees. As such, common to other organizations is the fact that the CDC recognizes the true importance of its staff in achieving organizational goals and sees them as the compulsory tool in achieving the stated objectives. As such, the organization strives to unify employees' individual goals with the overall objectives of the CDC. Opposite to for profit corporations, where employees are requested to increase their performances to satisfy customers needs and through this increase company revenues, the staff at CDC is requested to increase their performances in order to achieve a grater non-financial goal. This goal is to help people be and live healthy.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have established clear values and they integrate all employees within the organizational culture. The CDC respects their employees' backgrounds and diversities and treats them all the same, without any discrimination. The employees are offered both financial and non-financial incentives to motivate them in increasing their performances.

In regard to the leadership and system design at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one can easily observe the multitude of departments and the complexity of the operations handled. This implies the compulsory need for highly developed communications systems and networks. The numerous strategies to be developed and implemented, alongside with the large numbers of partners also highlight the need for good communications.

4. Conclusions and Recommendations

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is an American governmental institution devoted to improving and maintaining the population's health. Their success is mostly due to the high quality of the management and the culture and values promoted by current Director Julie Louise Gerberding and the other members of the Leadership Executive Board. Their positive results have also been possible with the support of their committed employees and organizational partners.

In order to register even better results, the governmental institution should constantly keep in mind all the changes affecting the environment. They must be aware of any new diseases and viruses which might occur. They should be able to foresee future mutations and limit their negative impact upon the population's health. In addition, they must incorporate the latest technologies available on the market to study and cure diseases, but also to ensure good communications with their staff and partners.