Organizational Culture at The Monterey Regional Waste Management District (MRWMD)

Organizational Culture at The Monterey Regional Waste Management District (MRWMD)

Introduction

1. The Monterey Regional Waste Management District (MRWMD) had humble beginnings in 1951 when forward thinking county officials had a vision of a better waste management system for the Monterey Peninsula, ending the era of unconditional garbage dumping that had prevailed. From this time on, a Board of Directors has labored to ensure that the waste from Monterey Peninsula residents is disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner that not only satisfies state and federal legal requirements, but ensures that the health of the peninsula is preserved for decades to come .

2. Currently the MRWMD disposes the household, business and industrial waste of more than 170,000 residents . Its purpose is to maximize the diversion of waste from landfill by following three simple steps: reduce, reuse and recycle. Reduce the amount of landfill by reusing waste products in their original form or by recycling them for other purposes. The MRWMD mission embodies the values that the original county officials had in mind more than 50 years ago:

“Provide the highest quality, cost-efficient, integrated waste management services to the greater Monterey Peninsula, while preserving our environment and protecting public health through the reduction, reuse, recycling and safe disposal of our waste stream”

Aim

3. The aim of this paper is to assess whether MRWMD has a culture that supports the organization mission. This will be accomplished by investigating employee values, behaviors, beliefs and assumptions and conducting a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis on the findings.

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Conduct of analysis

4. In order to properly analyze the beliefs, values, assumptions and behaviors of MWRMD employees - and by doing so identifying the MRWMD culture - it was necessary to conduct detailed interviews with a representation of the workforce. MRWMD currently employs 138 staff, of which 123 are full-time and 15 are part-time . Of these employees only 36 were interviewed, all of whom are full-time. The organization chart, with interviewee positions, is simplified on the following p...

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...ormal organization goals, merging employee, supervisor and management values and assisting with the efficient and effective operations of the MRWMD.

53. The key elements of the MRWMD culture that are providing this support will only be strengthened by intervention in those areas outlined in this paper. The organization’s commitment to employee satisfaction, safety around the workplace, job performance rewards and creating a family environment where team cohesiveness is of principal importance should be continued through the leadership and management of the new GM. Additionally, by ensuring that counter-cultures are not created within departments and promulgating clear guidance from the GM and other managers on the organization values and goals will only reinforce the belief that the employees have in the MRWMD and ensure their continued commitment to the achievement of the organization mission.

“Provide the highest quality, cost-efficient, integrated waste management services to the greater Monterey Peninsula, while preserving our environment and protecting public health through the reduction, reuse, recycling and safe disposal of our waste stream”