After the Oil Spills: Transformation at the JIC

Abstract

What if you were responsible for the day-to-day operations at the Joint Information Center (JIC) at the Unified Incident Command for the BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill? Suitable for MBA, EMBA, GEMBA, and executive education classes, this case offers insights about leadership in complex situations. A media supplement, providing the oil spill background and a visual stakeholder analysis of the situation, may be used alone or in conjunction with this case.United States Coast Guard Reserve Senior Chief Petty Officer Barbara Voulgaris has a lot on her plate. She needs to work on the six-day-on, one-day-off rotation proposal for her new boss, who had only been there a few days. She wondered if she should talk to him about the standard operating procedure (SOP) she had started, documenting the JIC's workflow process for her replacement when she rotated out in mid-July. Would he be responsive to her ideas? What needed to be dealt with immediately and what could she put on hold? What issues were urgent? What issues were important?United States Coast Guard Reserve Senior Chief Petty Officer Barbara Voulgaris has a lot on her plate. She needs to work on the six-day-on, one-day-off rotation proposal for her new boss, who had only been there a few days. She wondered if she should talk to him about the standard operating procedure (SOP) she had started, documenting the JIC's workflow process for her replacement when she rotated out in mid-July. Would he be responsive to her ideas? What needed to be dealt with immediately and what could she put on hold? What issues were urgent? What issues were important? Excerpt UVA-OB-1011 Aug. 18, 2010 “How many miles of shoreline are impacted?” the reporter asked. “We don't really have good figures at this point, because we're dealing with four states,” United States Coast Guard Reserve Senior Chief Petty Officer Barbara Voulgaris replied. “So it is virtually impossible to have an exact number of miles.” “How can you not know that, and when do you expect you will be able to answer my question?” . . .